Basics of Manufacturing

Processes and Common Materials

• Moulding/Casting
• Material removal/cutting
• Forming
• Fabrication
• Surface Finishing and coating
 Moulding/Casting processes
(Primary processes)
• Casting (by pouring melt into mould)
– Sand casting (expendable mould)
– Shell moulding
– Investment casting (e.g.. lost-wax process)
– permanent mould casting (multi-use mould)
• For plastics (polymers) compression
moulding, injection moulding, blow
forming, vacuum forming)
 Material removal methods
(chips of material removed for obtaining final shape)
• Mechanical machining (conventional)
– Turning on lathe (cylindrical or flat shapes)
– Milling on milling machines (flat or other
shapes)
– Drilling holes (diameter to depth ratio up to
2.5)
– Boring of large holes (e.g. engine cylinders)
– Sawing (hacksaw or power saw)
(Normally castings have to be machined to
finish. Machining is a secondary process.)
 Material removal methods(ctd.)
• Non-conventional methods
– Etching (masking and chemically dissolving)
– Electropolishing (finishing process)
– Electro-chemical machining (die cavities)
– electro-discharge machining EDM spark
erosion)
– wire cutting (similar to EDM)
– water jet machining (leather, glass sheet)
– laser beam machining
 Deformation based methods
• Hot bulk forming (e.g. mammoty blades)
– forging (hand, drop or machine forging)
– rolling (e.g. steel sections (L,I,H), sheet metal,
calendering of thermo plastic sheet 0.3 - 1 mm)
– extrusion (forcing through die, e.g. PVC tubes)
• Cold forming
– wire drawing (e.g. copper wire)
– deep drawing (drinking tumblers)
– sheet metal spinning (e.g. aluminium pots)
 Fabrication processes
• welding
– oxy-acetylene (e.g. carbide or gas cylinders)
– electric arc (thick sections), TIG, MIG (for Al)
– soldering, brazing (copper, silver, aluminium)
– adhesive bonding (e.g. shoe upper to sole, glass
fibre reinforced plastic products, e.g. boats)
– mechanical joining (press fit, shrink fit, nut &
bolt, riveting, sewing, studs, screws semi-
permanent assembly)
 Surface Finishing processes
• Cleaning
– abrasive cleaning
– barrel finishing or tumbling
– vibratory finishing
– compounds
– sanding
– wire brushing
– buffing
– electro polishing
 Coating processes
• Painting (hand, spray, dip for batch
production)
• chemical conversion of surface
(e.g.oxidising)
• Anodizing (using electrolytic bath)
• Electro plating (Gold or chrome plating)
• Chemical or physical vapour deposition
(hard cutting tools)
 Selection of Materials
Criteria
• mechanical properties
• special properties:
– corrosion
– wear resistance
– thermal, electrical, magnetic, fatigue, damping,
dampening, appearance
• cost of material and manufacturing process
(considerations of economic availability)
 Types of Materials
Metals
• Iron (Wrought iron, cast iron)
• Carbon steels (mild, medium carbon and high
carbon steels)
• Alloy steels (stainless steel)
• Copper and copper-based alloys (brass, bronze)
• Aluminium and aluminium alloys (duralumin - Al-
Cu 2017 and 2024 aircrafts)
• Titanium alloys
Plastics (Thermo and thermo setting)

Thermo plastics (and their properties)

• ABS - acrilonytrile, butadiene and styrene
(low weight, good strength, chemical
resistance)
• Acrylics (transparent, colours, high impact
e.g. Perspex)
• Cellulose acetate (good insulation, easily
moulded, affected by alcohols and alkalis)
Thermoplastics ctd..
• Cellulose acetate butyrate: higher impact
resistance, withstands rough usage
• Ethyl cellulose: high electrical and impact
resistance, tough at low temperatures
• Fluorocarbons (low coeff. of friction e.g.
Teflon, non-lubricated bearings, non-stick
pans)
• Nylon (polyamides) - low friction, abrasion
resistance - used for bearings, ropes)
Thermoplastics ctd…
• Polycarbonates (high strength & toughness,
dimensional stability)
• Polyethylenes (inexpensive, low strength, good
chemical and electrical resistance, used for
grocery bags, sheeting, tubes and wire insulation)
• Polystyrenes (low water absorption, best
dielectric, brittle, burns readily, e.g. Styrofoam)
• Vinyls (resistance to water and tear, thin films to
rigid forms used, used for floor and wall covering,
also polyvinyl chloride - PVC)
Thermosetting plastics (and their
properties)
• Epoxies (good strength, toughness,
chemical resistance, cures at room
temperature, used as adhesives, bonding
agents and fibre laminates)
• Melamines ( excellence resistance to heat,
water, chemicals, translucent and opaque
colours, used for tableware, treating cloth
and paper
Thermosetting plastics ctd…
• Phenolics (oldest of plastics but widely used,
easily moulded but brittle, opaque colours, sheet,
rod, tube and laminates)
• Polyesters (strong, environmental resistance, used
for boat and car bodies, pipes, ducts, textiles,
adhesives, laminates)
• silicones (chemically inert, low moisture, used as
sealants, cosmetic surgery)
• Urea-formaldehyde (similar to phenolics, used for
translucent lighting fixtures)