Modern Ways of Manufacturing
By
Ziad Hisham
Table of contents
•
Non-Traditional Machining
• Classification of Non-Traditional Machining Process
•
Non-Traditional Machining Processes
• Need
of Non-Traditional Machining Process
Introduction
Non-traditional machining (NTM) processes are a group of manufacturing processes
that use non-mechanical methods to remove material from a workpiece. NTM
processes are used when traditional machining processes, such as turning, milling, and
drilling, are not feasible, satisfactory, or cost-effective.
The purpose of non-traditional machining (NTM) is to machine materials that are difficult
or impossible to machine using traditional machining processes. NTM processes are
used to machine a wide variety of materials, including hard and brittle materials,
complex shapes, and materials with high tolerances.
Non-Traditional Machining
Traditional machining processes such as turning, drilling, shaping, and milling are
difficult to use on extremely hard and brittle materials. Non-traditional machining
processes are used when traditional machining processes are not feasible,
satisfactory, or cost-effective for the reasons listed below.
• For traditional machining, very hard, fragile materials are difficult to clamp.
•
When the workpiece is overly flexible or thin
•
When the shape is extra complex
To meet the extra machining conditions, several types of non-traditional machining
processes have been developed. When used correctly, these processes have many
advantages over non-traditional machining processes.
Classification of Non-Traditional Machining
Process
The majority of non-traditional procedures are categorised according to the type of
energy utilised to remove the material, which includes:
•
Mechanical Machining:
The work material is degraded by a high-velocity stream of abrasives for fluid; it is a
common form of in this process that permits the removal of surplus material.
Ultrasonic Machining (USM) and Waterjet Machining (WJM) are two examples of singleaction, mechanical nontraditional machining processes.
The machining medium in WJM is fluid and solid grains in USM. The addition of
abrasives to the fluid jet improves machining efficiency and is known as abrasive water
jet machining. When ice particles are introduced, as in Ice Jet Machining, a similar case
occurs.
•
Electrical Machining:
In these non-traditional techniques, electrical energy is used to remove the material; the
mechanism is the opposite of electroplating. Using ion transfer in an electrolytic cell,
electrochemical machining removes the machining allowance using the electrochemical
dissolution phase.
•
Thermal Machining:
The use of thermal energy is used to shave or cut the workplace. The thermal energy
usually provided to a little piece of the work surface is that portion to be removed by
fusion or vaporization. The generation of thermal energy necessitates a complete
conversion of electrical energy.
During machining, many secondary phenomena occur, such as microcracking, the
creation of heat impacted zones, striations, and so on. Heat could come from plasma,
as in EDM and PBM, or photons, as in LBM, electrons in EBM, ions in IBM, and so on.
• Chemical Machining:
Most materials are prone to chemical attack by certain acids or others it contains
Chemicals selectively remove material from areas of the workpiece in Chemical
Machining by other portions of the surface remain protected by a mask the nontraditional processes are mostly classified as per the form of energy used to material
removal They are mechanical in nature, with a high-velocity stream eroding the work
material.
Non-Traditional Machining Processes
•
USM (Ultrasonic Machining) Process:
It is one of the sorts of non-traditional machining processes that produce circular and
non-circular holes as small as 1mm in diameter.
The tool vibrates at a very high frequency when very high-frequency vibrations are
given to it. Impact loads are induced on the abrasive particles by this tool, which is then
induced on the workpiece.
•
EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) Process:
The procedure is also known as Spark Machining or Spark Eroding. In this procedure,
electrical energy is used to create a Spark between the tool and the workpiece, which is
submerged in a dielectric media, allowing the material to be removed from the
workpiece’s surface via local melting or vaporization.
•
ECM (Electro Chemical Machining) Process:
This method uses a combination of electrical and chemical energy to remove material
from a workpiece’s surface. It operates according to Faraday’s law of electrolysis.
It operates according to Faraday’s law of electrolysis. NaCl (Conducting Electrolyte) is
employed as the electrolyte, and the Wear Ratio is infinite (because of no Tool Wear).
•
WJM (Water Jet Machining) Process:
Pressure energy is turned into velocity energy or the kinetic energy when very highpressure water passes through a convergent nozzle.
As a result, the water is ejected from the nozzle at a very high velocity, estimated to be
between 200 and 400 metres per second.
The continuous impact load acts on the workpiece when this high-velocity water Jet
impinges on it. As a result, highly soft materials will deform and fracture due to plastic
deformation.
•
Abrasive Water Jet Machining (AWJM)
It is a type of advanced water jet machining that uses abrasives as a medium. The
following is a detailed explanation of Abrasive Water Jet Machining.
Abrasive particles dissolve in the water and are ejected at a high velocity from the
nozzle.
•
EBM (Electron Beam Machining) Process:
When the electron gun is given a very high voltage power supply, it produces very highvelocity electrons in all directions.
All of these high-velocity electrons are gathered and shaped into a beam of electrons
with a cross-section area less than 0.05 millimetre square using a magnetic lens or
deflector.
•
LBM (Laser Beam Machining) Process:
When the laser gun is powered up, it produces extremely high-intensity electromagnetic
waves in the form of a laser beam, and when they strike a workpiece, the
electromagnetic wave energy is transformed to heat energy by surface phenomena
such as radiation heat transfer.
Additive Manufacturing
This type of manufacturing is commonly referred to as 3D printing. It involves the use
of layers that are built up upon each other to create shapes and patterns in a threedimensional process using a special piece of equipment, such as a 3D printer, the
incredible form freedom of additive manufacturing allows you to make highly optimized
parts that are prohibitively expensive, if not impossible, to make with other processes.
Plasma arc machining (PAM)
Most metals, including those that cannot be cut successfully with an oxyacetylene
torch, can be cut with this method. The PAM technique has been used to cut aluminum
alloys up to six inches (15 centimeters) thick and stainless steel up to four inches (10
centimeters) thick using heavy-duty torches. Flat plate profile cutting, stainless steel
groove cutting, and massive, hardened steel turning on lathes are all applications for
this procedure.
Need of Non-Traditional Machining Process
Steel alloy strength has increased fivefold as a result of ongoing R&D. In the aerospace
industry, the need for high strength at high temperatures while remaining lightweight led
to the development and use of hard titanium alloys, nimonic alloys, and other HSTR
alloys. The ultimate tensile strength has increased by up to 20 times.
The development of cutting tools with hardnesses ranging from 80 to 85 HRC that could
not be machined economically using traditional methods led to the development of nontraditional machining methods.
•
High-tech industries such as aerospace, nuclear power, wafer fabrication, and
automobiles are increasingly using high-strength temperature resistant (HSTR)
alloys (with a high strength-to-weight ratio) and other difficult-to-machine
materials such as titanium, SST, mnemonics, ceramics, and semiconductors.
These alloys can no longer be machined using traditional methods.
•
Production and processing of parts with complicated shapes (in HSTR and other
difficult to machine alloys) are difficult, time-consuming, and uneconomical using
conventional machining methods.
•
Innovative geometric design of products and factors made of exotic matter and
face finish cannot be economically produced through conventional machining.
The following are some examples of where NTM processes are preferred
over traditional machining processes:
•
Low Stress Grinding – Electrochemical Grinding is preferred over
conventional grinding
•
Deep hole with small hole diameter – for example, 1.5 mm hole with
l/d = 20
•
Composites Machining
Disadvantages of non-conventional machining
processes
Below are the limitations of non-conventional machining:
•
Initial or setup costs are high.
•
Labor with a high level of ability is necessary.
•
The metal removal rate is lower.
•
Machining necessitates more power.
•
It is not cost-effective for large-scale manufacturers.
Conclusion
Machining processes or machine tools are categorized into conventional
and non-conventional processes. The non-conventional is just the new
ways of machining while the convention is the old method of machining
which we listed to turning, drilling, grinding, shaping, planning, etc. That
is all for this article where the definition, applications, purpose, diagram,
types, operations, advantages, and disadvantages of the machining process
are being discussed.