Principles of Machining

Advanced Machining
Processes

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Types of Advanced Machining

Processes

Chemical Machining
Electrochemical Machining
Electrical Discharge Machining
Wire EDM
Laser Beam Machining
Electron Beam Machining
Plasma Arc Cutting
Ultrasonic Machining
Water Jet Machining
Abrasive Jet Machining
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The Need for Advanced Machining

Processes

Traditional machining processes

Advanced machining processes

Material removal by mechanical means, such as chip

forming, abrasion, or micro-chipping
Utilize chemical, electrical, and high-energy beams

The following cannot be done by traditional processes:

Workpiece strength and hardness very high, >400HB

Workpiece material too brittle, glass, ceramics, heattreated alloys
Workpiece too slender and flexible, hard to clamp
Part shape complex, long and small hole
Special surface and dimensional tolerance requirements

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Typical Parts
Skin

panel for missiles and aircraft

Turbine blades, nozzles, sheet metal,
small-diameter deep holes, dies, thick
metallic and nonmetallic parts

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Chemical Machining
(Chem Milling)
Chemicals

are used to dissolve

material
Masks are used to control attack
Most common use is circuit boards
and plates for printing (Sunday
comics and rotogravure)
Cutting speed of 0.0025-0.1
mm/minute very slow
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Chemical Machining

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Electrochemical Machining
(ECM)

Combines chemical attack and electrical attack

High material removal rate
Masking is used to control attack
Conforming electrodes are to control shape
Commonly used for aircraft parts such as airfoil
shapes
Normally followed by abrasive finishing or laser
peening to remove partially adhering particles
Works with a wide variety of metals

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Electrochemical Machining

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Electrical Discharge
Machining (EDM)

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Electrical Discharge
Machining
Successive electric arcs melt tiny droplets
from surface of workpiece
Frozen droplets must be flushed away
Electrodes are made from graphite,
copper or copper-tungsten alloy
Material removed from electrode by arc
Recast layer of approximately 0.001 in
depth left on surface
Secondary process such as chemical
machining used to remove recast layer

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Wire EDM

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Wire EDM

Uses fine brass wire

Wire is used once
Easily computer controlled
Cutting path must contain straight lines
Slow cutting speed
Wire breakage is a problem
Shallower recast layer than conventional EDM

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Laser Beam Machining

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Laser Beam Machining

Direct laser beam against surface of

workpiece, as in laser welding
Successive pulses from laser gun vaporize
tiny bits of workpiece
Location of laser beam controlled by
computer
Workpiece need not be conductive
Cuts are tapered
Gotta trap overshoot from laser beam
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Laser Beam Machining (cont)

Produces

large remelt zone

Can produce holes as small as 0.0002
diameter
Can produce deep holes
Used to produce cooling holes in
blades/vanes for jet engines

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Electron Beam Machining

Workpiece

placed in vacuum chamber

High-voltage electron beam directed
toward workpiece
Energy of electron beam melts/
vaporizes selected region of workpiece
Electron beam moved by deflection coils
Similar process to EB welding
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Electron Beam Machining

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Plasma Arc Cutting

Plasma is a stream of ionized gas

Typical temperatures are very high
Same process as plasma welding, without filler
metal
Torch movement controlled by computer
Power requirements depend on material being
cut, plus depth of cut
Recast layer is deeper than with other processes

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Ultrasonic Machining
Abrasive

slurry flows over top of

workpiece (loose particles)
Cutting tool vibrated by ultrasonic energy
Abrasive particles between tool and
workpiece do the machining
Works well with hard, brittle workpieces

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Water Jet Machining

Narrow

jet of water directed, at high

pressure and velocity, against surface of
workpiece
Jet of water erodes surface of workpiece,
thereby cutting workpiece
Computer control to achieve shape

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Water Jet Machining

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Abrasive Jet Machining (Dry)

Similar

to sand blasting, except that a

very narrow jet of air/abrasive particles
achieves localized cutting
Computer used to position jet

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Abrasive Jet Machining

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Nanofabrication Methods

Typically used in the semiconductor

industry
Combines the lithography technique of
chemical machining with an atomic force
microscope
May incorporate plasma cutting, reduced
to nano scale

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Economics of Advanced Machining

Processes

High cost of equipment, which typically

includes computer control
May use hard tooling, soft tooling, or both
Low production rates
Can be used with difficult-to-machine
materials
Highly repeatable
Typically requires highly skilled operators

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Cincinnati Area Advanced

Machining Companies

Graphel Wire EDM and Electrodes

Sermatech-Lehr Precision Electrochemical
Machining
Andrews Laser Works Laser Cutting, Welding and
Drilling
Meyer Tool Laser Drilling and EDM
Barnes Aerospace EDM Grinding of Honeycomb
Cincinnati, Inc Laser and Plasma Arc Machines
Enginetics EB Welding
Elano Electrochemical Machining

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