ME245: Manufacturing Engineering

Non traditional Machining

Dr. Yan Wang

Dr. Dal Koshal
Contact: y.wang5@brighton.ac.uk
Tel: 01273 642328

Non-Traditional Processes Defined

A group of processes that remove excess material

by various techniques involving chemical,
electrical, mechanical and thermal energy (or
combinations of these energies)
They do not use a sharp cutting tool in the
conventional sense
Developed since World War II in response to new
and unusual machining requirements that could
not be satisfied by conventional methods

Limitations of Conventional Machining

Processes
Machining processes that involve chip
formation have a number of limitations
Large amounts of energy
Unwanted distortion
Residual stresses
Burrs
Delicate or complex geometries may be
difficult or impossible

 Non-traditional machining (NTM) processes

have several advantages
Complex geometries are possible
Extreme surface finish
Tight tolerances
Delicate components
Little or no burring or residual stresses
Brittle materials with high hardness can be
machined
Microelectronic or integrated circuits (IC)
are possible to mass produce

Importance of Nontraditional Processes

Need to machine newly developed metals and
non-metals with special properties that make
them difficult or impossible to machine by
conventional methods
Need for unusual and/or complex part
geometries that cannot readily be accomplished
by conventional machining
Need to avoid surface damage that often
accompanies conventional machining

Classification of Nontraditional Processes

Chemical chemical etchants selectively remove material
from portions of workpart, while other portions are protected
by a mask
Electrical - electrochemical energy to remove material
(reverse of electroplating)
Mechanical - typical form of mechanical action is erosion of
work material by a high velocity stream of abrasives or fluid
(or both)
Thermal thermal energy usually applied to small portion
of work surface, causing that portion to be fused and/or
vaporized

Chemical Machining Processes

Chemical milling or industrial etching
uses baths of temperature-regulated
etching chemicals to remove material to
create an object with the desired shape.
It was developed from armor-decorating.
The process essentially involves bathing
the cutting areas in a corrosive chemical
known as an etchant, which reacts with
the material in the area to be cut and
causes the solid material to be dissolved;
Inert substances known as maskants are
used to cover the specific areas that are
not machined.

Chemical Milling

Figure 27.2 (a) Missile skin-panel section contoured by chemical milling to improve the
stiffness-to-weight ratio of the part. (b) Weight reduction of space-launch vehicles by the
chemical milling of aluminum-alloy plates. These panels are chemically milled after the plates
first have been formed into shape by a process such as roll forming or stretch forming. The
design of the chemically machined rib patterns can be modified readily at minimal cost.

Chemical-Machining

Figure 27.3 (a) Schematic illustration of the chemical-machining process. Note that no
forces or machine tools are involved in this process. (b) Stages in producing a profiled
cavity by chemical machining; note the undercut.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Chemical

Machining
Advantages
Process is relatively
simple
Does not require highly
skilled labor
Induces no stress or
cold working in the
metal
Can be applied to almost
any metal
Large areas
Virtually unlimited
shape
Thin sections

Disadvantages
Requires the handling
of dangerous
chemicals
Disposal of
potentially harmful
byproducts
Metal removal rate is
slow

Photochemical machining (PCM)

A chemical milling process used to fabricate sheet metal components
using a photoresist and etchants to corrosively machine away
selected areas.
Photo etching can produce highly complex parts with very fine
detail accurately and economically.
The tooling is inexpensive and quickly produced. This makes the
process useful for prototyping and allows for easy changes in mass
production.
It maintains dimensional tolerances and does not create burrs or
sharp edges. It can make a part in hours after receiving the drawing.
PCM can be used on virtually any commercially available metal or
alloy, of any hardness.
It is limited to materials with a thickness of 0.02mm to 2mm).

http://www.precisionmicro.com/194/photo-etching/3-minute-process-video

Electrical- Electrochemical Machining Processes

Electrical energy used in combination with

chemical reactions to remove material
Reverse of electroplating
Work material must be a conductor
Processes:
Electrochemical machining (ECM)
Electrochemical grinding (ECG)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzmVrJAIhew

Electrochemical Machining

Electrochemical machining (ECM) removes material by anodic

dissolution with a rapidly flowing electrolyte
The tool is the cathode and the workpiece is the anode

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Electrochemical Machining
Advantages
ECM is well suited for the
machining of complex twodimensional shapes
Delicate parts may be
made
Difficult-to machine
geometries
Poorly Machinable
materials may be
processed
Little or no tool wear

Disadvantages
Initial tooling can be
time consuming
and costly
Environmentally
harmful by-products

Parts Made by Electrochemical Machining

Figure 27.7 Typical parts made by electrochemical machining. (a) Turbine blade made
of nickel alloy of 360 HB. Note the shape of the electrode on the right. (b) Thin slots
on a 4340-steel roller-bearing cage. (c) Integral airfoils on a compressor disk.

Knee Implants

Figure 27.8 (a) Two total knee replacement systems showing metal implants
(top pieces) with an ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene insert (bottom
pieces). (b) Cross-section of the ECM process as applies to the metal implant.
Source: Courtesy of Biomet, Inc.

Electrochemical
Grinding (ECG)

Combines electrochemical machining with conventional grinding.

Grinding wheel in which an insulating abrasive, such as diamond
particles, is set in a conducting material. This wheel becomes the
cathode tool .
Deplating responsible for 95% of metal removal. Because machining is
mostly by electrochemical action, grinding wheel lasts much longer
Suitable in grinding very hard materials where wheel wear can be very
high in traditional grinding.

Electric Discharge
Machining (EDM)

One of the most widely used nontraditional processes

Shape of finished work surface produced by a shape of
electrode tool
Sparks occur across a small gap between tool and work
Requires dielectric fluid, which creates a path for each
discharge as fluid becomes ionized in the gap
Work materials must be electrically conducting
Hardness and strength of work material are not factors in EDM
Material removal rate depends on melting point of work
material;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1D5DLWWMp8

EDM Applications
Tooling for many mechanical
processes: molds for plastic
injection molding, extrusion
dies, wire drawing dies, forging
and heading dies, and sheet
metal stamping dies
Production parts: delicate
parts not rigid enough to
withstand conventional cutting
forces, hole drilling where hole
axis is at an acute angle to
surface, and machining of hard
and exotic metals

Electrical-Discharge Machining Process

Figure 27.10 (a) Schematic illustration of the electrical-discharge machining process. This is one of the
most widely used machining processes, particularly for die-sinking applications. (b) Examples of cavities
produced by the electrical-discharge machining process, using shaped electrodes. Two round parts (rear)
are the set of dies for extruding the aluminum piece shown in front (c) A spiral cavity produced by EDM
using a slowly rotating electrode similar to a screw thread. (d) Holes in a fuel-injection nozzle made by
EDM; the material is heat-treated steel. Source: (b) Courtesy of AGIE USA Ltd.

Stepped Cavities Produced by EDM Process

Figure 27.11 Stepped cavities produced with a square electrode by the EDM
process. The workpiece moves in the two principle horizontal directions (x y), and
its motion is synchronized with the downward movement of the electrode to produce
these cavities. Also shown is a round electrode capable of producing round or
elliptical cavities. Source: Courtesy of AGIE USA Ltd.

Wire EDM

Special form of EDM uses small diameter wire as electrode to cut a

narrow kerf in work
Work is fed slowly past wire along desired cutting path, like a
bandsaw operation
CNC used for motion control
While cutting, wire is continuously advanced between supply spool
and take-up spool to maintain a constant diameter
Dielectric required, using nozzles directed at tool-work interface or
submerging workpart
Ideal for stamping die components.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBueWfzb7P0

Wire EDM

(a)

(b)

Figure 27.13 (a) Cutting a thick plate with wire EDM. (b) A computercontrolled wire EDM machine. Source: Courtesy of AGIE USA Ltd.
Manufacturing,
Engineering &

Advantages and Disadvantages of EDM

Advantages
Applicable to all
materials that are fairly
good electrical
conductors
Hardness, toughness,
or brittleness of the
material imposes no
limitations
Fragile and delicate
parts

Disadvantages
Produces a hard
recast surface
Surface may contain
fine cracks caused
by thermal stress
Fumes can be toxic

Mechanical NTP: Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

A tool of desired shape vibrates at an ultrasonic

frequency (19 ~ 25 kHz) with an amplitude of around 15
50 m over the workpiece. Generally the tool is pressed
downward with a feed force, F.
Between the tool and workpiece, the machining zone is
flooded with hard abrasive particles generally in the
form of a water based slurry.
As the tool vibrates over the workpiece, the abrasive
particles act as the indenters and indent both the work
material and the tool. The abrasive particles, as they
indent, the work material, would remove the same,
particularly if the work material is brittle, due to crack
initiation, propagation and brittle fracture of the material

Mechanical NTP: Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

Applications: brittle and non conductive materials

http://www.bullentech.com/animation

Mechanical NTP: Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

Abrasives contained in a slurry are driven at

high velocity against work by a tool vibrating at
low amplitude and high frequency
Tool oscillation is perpendicular to work surface
Abrasives accomplish material removal
Tool is fed slowly into work
Shape of tool is formed into part

Mechanical NTP: Water jet cutting

Uses high pressure, high velocity stream of
water directed at work surface for cutting

Water jet cutting.

Mechanical NTP: Water abrasive jet cutting

When WJC is used on metals, abrasive particles must
be added to jet stream usually

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FIsrYzyvlg

Mechanical NTP: Water jet cutting

Applications:
Usually automated by CNC or industrial robots to
manipulate nozzle along desired trajectory
Used to cut narrow slits in flat stock such as plastic,
textiles, composites, floor tile, carpet, leather, and
cardboard
Not suitable for brittle materials (e.g., glass)
Advantages
No crushing or burning of work surface
Minimum material loss
No environmental pollution
Ease of automation

Abrasive
Waterjet
and
Waterjet
examples

Thermal NTM:
Electron Beam
Machining (EBM)

Uses high velocity stream of electrons focused on workpiece surface

to remove material by melting and vaporization
EB gun accelerates a continuous stream of electrons to about 75% of
light speed
Beam is focused through electromagnetic lens, reducing diameter to as
small as 0.025 mm (0.001 in)
On impinging work surface, kinetic energy of electrons is converted to
thermal energy of extremely high density which melts or vaporizes
material in a very localized area
2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e

EBM Applications

Works on any material

Ideal for micromachining
Drilling small diameter holes - down to 0.05 mm
(0.002 in)
Cutting slots only about 0.025 mm (0.001 in.) wide

Drilling holes with very high depth-to-diameter

ratios
Ratios greater than 100:1

Laser Beam
Machining
(LBM)

Uses the light energy from a laser to remove material by

vaporization and ablation
Drilling, slitting, slotting, scribing, and marking operations
Drilling small diameter holes - down to 0.025 mm (0.001 in)
Generally used on thin stock
Work materials: metals with high hardness and strength,
soft metals, ceramics, glass and glass epoxy, plastics,
rubber, cloth, and wood

Laser-Beam
Machining (LBM)
Figure 27.14 (a) Schematic
illustration of the laser-beam
machining process. (b) and (c)
Examples of holes produced in
nonmetallic parts by LBM. (d)
Cutting sheet metal with a laser
beam. Source: (d) Courtesy of
Rofin-Sinar, Inc.

Conventional Machining VS
NonConventional Machining
The cutting tool and workpiece are always in physical contact, with a
relative motion against each other, which results in friction and a
significant tool wear.

In non-traditional processes, there is no physical contact between the

tool and workpiece. Although in some non-traditional processes tool
wear exists, it rarely is a significant problem.

Material removal rate of the traditional processes is limited by the

mechanical properties of the work material. Non-traditional
processes easily deal with such difficult-to-cut materials like
ceramics and ceramic based tool materials, fiber reinforced materials,
carbides, titanium-based alloys.

Continue
In traditional processes, the relative motion between the tool
and work piece is typically rotary or reciprocating. Thus, the
shape of the work surfaces is limited to circular or flat
shapes. In spite of widely used CNC systems, machining
of three-dimensional surfaces is still a difficult task. Most
non-traditional processes were develop just to solve this
problem.
Machining of small cavities, slits, blind or through holes
is difficult with traditional processes, whereas it is a simple
work for some non-traditional processes.
Traditional processes are well established, use relatively
simple and inexpensive machinery and readily available
cutting tools. Non-traditional processes require expensive
equipment and tooling as well as skilled labor, which
increases significantly the production cost.