Conventional Machining Process

Conventional Machining Process includes the removal of chips in a material by applying

a force on a work material using wedge-shaped cutting which is harder than the work material
under machining condition. In other words, it involves changing the shape of a work piece using
an implement made of a harder material. It uses conventional methods to machine hard metals
and alloys. By using conventional process, means that it increases demand of time and energy.
Thus, increase in cost. In some other cases, conventional machining process may not be feasible.
Conventional machining uses mechanical energy during the process. Examples of conventional
machining process are turning, boring, milling, shaping, broaching, slotting, grinding etc.
The characteristic of conventional machining process are the following. Conventional
machining process forms macroscopic chip by shear deformation. A physical tool may be present
in conventional process. Cutting tool is harder than work piece at room temperature and in any
machining conditions. Material removal takes place by the use of mechanical energy. It involves
the direct contact of tool and work piece. Conventional machining process has lower accuracy
and surface finish compared to non-conventional. Economically, conventional machining process
is suitable for every type of material. The tool life is less due to high surface contact and wear.
Higher waste of material is formed due to high wear. Noisy operations mostly cause sound
pollutions. Conventional process has lower capital cost. The equipment used is easy to set-up.
Skilled or unskilled operator is required. In general, conventional machining is manual to
operate.
Conventional machining cannot produce prototype parts very efficient and
economically.
Turning is a metal cutting process used for the generation of cylindrical surfaces.
Typically the workpiece is rotated on a spindle and the tool is fed into it radially, axially or both
ways simultaneously to give the required surface. The term turning, in the general sense, refers to
the generation of any cylindrical surface with a single point tool. More specifically, it is often
applied just to the generation of external cylindrical surfaces oriented primarily parallel to the
workpiece axis. The generation of surfaces oriented primarily perpendicular to the workpiece
axis are called facing. In turning, the direction of the feeding motion is predominantly axial with
respect to the machine spindle. In facing a radial feed is dominant. Tapered and contoured
surfaces require both modes of tool feed at the same time often referred to as profiling.
In general, turning is characterized by steady conditions of metal cutting. Except at the
beginning and end of the cut, the forces on the cutting tool and the tool tip temperature are
essentially constant. For the special case of facing, the varying cutting speed will affect the tool
tip temperature. Higher temperatures will be encountered at the larger diameters on the
workpiece. However, since cutting speed has only a small effect on cutting forces, the forces
acting on a facing tool may be expected to remain almost constant during the cut.

A variety of other machining operations can be performed on a lathe in addition to

turning and facing. Single point tools are used in most operations performed on a lathe. Short
descriptions of six additional lathe operations are the following. Chamfering is a process where
the tool is used to cut an angle on the comer of a cylinder. Parting is where the tool is fed radially
into rotating work at a specific location along its length to cut off the end of a part. Threading
another operation in which a pointed tool is fed linearly across the outside or inside surface of
rotating parts to produce external or internal threads. Boring is a process of enlarging a hole
made by a previous process. A single-point tool is fed linearly and parallel to the axis of rotation.
Drilling: Producing a hole by feeding the drill into the rotating work along its axis. Drilling can
be followed by reaming or boring to improve accuracy and surface finish. Knurling is a metal
forming operation used to produce a regular cross-hatched pattern in work surfaces.
Milling is the machining process of using rotary cutters to remove material from a
workpiece by advancing (or feeding) in a direction at an angle with the axis of the tool. A
milling machine is so named because it may be adapted to a very wide range of milling
operation. The table of milling machine is mounted on a circular swiveling bag which has degree
graduation and the table can be swiveled to any angle up to 45 on either side of the normal
position. The table can be swiveled about a vertical axis and set at an angle other than right
angles to the spindle. Slotting is the operation of production of key ways, grooves and slots of
varying shapes and size can be performed in a milling machine by using a mills cutter a metal
slitting saw.
Grinding is the only economical method of cutting hard material like hardened steel. It
produces very smooth surface, suitable for bearing surface. Surface pressure is minimum in
grinding. It is suitable for light work, which will spring away from the cutting tool in the other
machining processes. The types of grinding operation are Ruff or precision, which includes
Grinding Snagging and Off-hand; Precision Grinding, which includes surface grinding,
cylindrical grinding, center less grinding, form and profile grinding, and plunge cut grinding.
Grinding Process Grinding is an abrasive machining process that uses a grinding wheel as the
cutting tool. Surface Grinding Surface grinding uses a rotating abrasive wheel to remove
material, creating a flat surface. Cylindrical Grinding Cylindrical grinding, which is also called
center-type grinding, is used to grind the cylindrical surfaces and shoulders of the workpiece.
Internal grinding is used to grind the internal diameter of the workpiece. Tapered holes
can be ground with the use of internal grinders that can swivel on the horizontal. Form grinding
is a specialized type of cylindrical grinding where the grinding wheel has the exact shape of the
final product. The grinding wheel does not traverse the workpiece. Plunge cut grinding is used to
grind workpieces which have projections or shoulders, multiple diameters or other irregular
shapes which preclude the use of through feed grinding.
Planing is a manufacturing process of material removal in which the workpiece
reciprocates against a stationary cutting tool producing a plane or sculpted surface. Planing is

analogous to shaping. The main difference between these two processes is that in shaping the
tool reciprocates across the stationary workpiece. Planing motion is the opposite of shaping.
Both planing and shaping are rapidly being replaced by milling. The mechanism used for this
process is known as a planer. The size of the planer is determined by the largest workpiece that
can be machined on it. The cutting tools are usually carbide tipped or made of high speed steel
and resemble those used in facing and turning.
Broaching is one of the most precise and productive process in the metalworking area and
despite the high costs of tooling, its largely applied in the automobiles industry. The broaching is
a machining operation which uses a tool called broach moving it over the workpiece to remove
material, cutting a predetermined shape. Commonly circular or odd shapes, either internal or
external, are obtained by broaching.
Reaming is a cutting operation with a multi-edged cutting tool which is constantly in
action. Reaming is applied to finish drilled holes accurately to size and with a good surface
finish. Reaming offers the advantage that a greater number of holes can be produced with
consistently good quality. This requires a cutting tool (the reamer) which has exactly the
diameter required has an adequate edge profile (lead, straight/helical-fluted and taper reamers)
and is well sharpened. Reaming calls for a hole that has been exactly pre-machined (good truerunning accuracy and sufficient machining allowance). The use of lubricants will prolong the life
of the tool. Reaming is applied for fitting holes and taper holes.
Tapping is the process of cutting a thread inside a hole so that a cap screw or bolt can be
threaded into the hole. Also, it is used to make threads on nuts. Tapping is done with a tool called
a "Tap". Turning is a lathe operation in which the cutting tool removes metal from the outside
diameter of a workpiece.

Non-Conventional Machining Process

Non-conventional manufacturing processes is defined as a group of processes that
remove excess material by various techniques involving mechanical, thermal, electrical or
chemical energy or combinations of these energies but do not use a sharp cutting tools as it needs
to be used for traditional manufacturing processes.
Non-conventional machining (NCM) techniques, such as electrical discharge machining,
water-jet, electrochemical machining and, to some extent, laser processing have been considered
as ancillary processes and generally been employed when traditional methods have failed to
deliver. The reason for the limited industrial uptake has been related to the general perception of
these being slow processes leaving significant damage on the work-piece surface and subsurface.
Recent advances in generator technologies and process control, however, have been dramatic and
together with the development of new and exotic hard to machine materials including titanium
alloys and nickel based super-alloys, have created numerous opportunities for NCM application
in todays advanced manufacturing.
The overall aim of the NCM theme is to provide efficient, cost-effective solutions for the
manufacture of traditionally difficult to machine materials using state-of-the-art spark erosion
and laser technologies. These processes are generally used when traditional methods are not
technically or economically feasible. Some reasons for this are machining of very hard or tough
materials, machining of very complex shapes, high surface finish and accuracy requirements, and
low cutting forces or clamping forces requirements.
The classification of Non-Conventional Machining depends on the energy used in
removing the material. These includes mechanical, electrochemical, Electro-Thermal, and
Chemical processes. For mechanical processes, it includes Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM),
Ultrasonic Machining (USM), Water Jet Machining (WJM), and Abrasive Water Jet Machining
(AWJM). For electrochemical processes, it includes Electrochemical Machining (ECM), Electro
Chemical Grinding (ECG), and Electro Jet Drilling (EJD). For electro-thermal processes, it
includes Electro-discharge machining (EDM), Laser Jet Machining (LJM) and Electron Beam
Machining (EBM). For chemical processes, it includes Chemical Milling (CHM) and
Photochemical Milling (PCM).
The uses of Non-conventional machining include extremely hard and brittle materials or
Difficult to machine materials are difficult to machine by traditional machining processes; When
the workpiece is too flexible or slender to support the cutting or grinding forces; When the shape
of the part is too complex; Intricate shaped blind hole. For example, square hole of 15 mmx15
mm with a depth of 30 mm; Deep hole with small hole diameter. For example, 1.5 mm hole
with l/d = 20; and for machining of composites.

Material removal may occur with chip formation or even no chip formation may take
place. For example in Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM), chips are of microscopic size and in case
of Electrochemical machining material removal occurs due to electrochemical dissolution at
atomic level. In Non-Traditional Machining (NTM), there may not be a physical tool present. For
example in laser jet machining, machining is carried out by laser beam. However in
Electrochemical Machining there is a physical tool that is very much required for machining. In
NTM, the tool need not be harder than the work piece material. For example, in Electrodischarge Machining (EDM), copper is used as the tool material to machine hardened steels.
Mostly NTM processes do not necessarily use mechanical energy to provide material removal.
They use different energy domains to provide machining. For example, in Ultrasonic Machining
(USM), Water Jet Machining (WJM), and AJM, mechanical energy is used to machine material,
whereas in ECM electrochemical dissolution constitutes material removal.
In Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM), abrasive particles are made to impinge on the work
material at a high velocity. The high velocity abrasive particles remove the material by microcutting action as well as brittle fracture of the work material. In AJM, generally, the abrasive
particles of around 50 m grit size would impinge on the work material at velocity of 200 m/s
from a nozzle of I.D. of 0.5 mm with a stand-off distance of around 2 mm. The kinetic energy of
the abrasive particles would be sufficient to provide material removal due to brittle fracture of
the work piece or even micro cutting by the abrasives.

(left) AJM (right) AJM set-up

Ultrasonic Machining (USM) is used for machining brittle work material. Material
removal primarily occurs due to the indentation of the hard abrasive grits on the brittle work
material. Other than this brittle failure of the work material due to indentation some material
removal may occur due to free flowing impact of the abrasives against the work material and
related solid-solid impact erosion. The tools vibration is the indentation by the abrasive grits.
During indentation, due to Hertzian contact stresses, cracks would develop just below the contact
site, then as indentation progresses the cracks would propagate due to increase in stress and
ultimately lead to brittle fracture of the work material under each individual interaction site
between the abrasive grits and the workpiece. The tool material should be such that indentation

by the abrasive grits does not lead to brittle failure. Thus, the tools are made of tough, strong and
ductile materials like steel, stainless steel and other ductile metallic alloys.

USM Equipment

Abrasive Water Jet Machining (AWJM) is the fastest growing machining process. It is
also one of the most versatile machining processes. AWJM compliments other technologies such
as milling, laser, EDM, plasma and routers. AWJM are true cold cutting process. It has no HeatAffected zone (HAZ), mechanical stresses or operator and environmental hazards. It is not
limited to machining. It is also used in food industry applications. The advantages of Abrasive
Water Jet Machining are extremely fast set-up and programming, theres very little fixturing for
most parts, machine virtually any 2D shape on any material, very low side forces during the
machining, it has almost no heat generated on the part, and its machine thick plates.
Electrochemical machining (ECM) is a method of removing metal by an electrochemical
process. It is normally used for mass production and is used for working extremely hard
materials or materials that are difficult to machine using conventional methods. Its use is limited
to electrically conductive materials.
Electrochemical grinding is a process that removes electrically conductive material by
grinding with a negatively charged abrasive grinding wheel, an electrolyte fluid, and a positively
charged workpiece. Materials removed from the workpiece stay in the electrolyte fluid.
Electrical discharge machining (EDM), sometimes colloquially also referred to as spark
machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking, wire burning or wire erosion, is a manufacturing
process whereby a desired shape is obtained using electrical discharges (sparks).

Laser jet machining is a non-traditional subtractive manufacturing process, a form of

machining, in which a laser is directed towards the work piece for machining. This process uses
thermal energy to remove material from metallic or nonmetallic surfaces.
Chemical milling or industrial etching is the subtractive manufacturing process of using
baths of temperature-regulated etching chemicals to remove material to create an object with the
desired shape.
Photochemical machining (PCM), also known as photochemical milling or photo etching,
is a chemical milling process used to fabricate sheet metal components using a photoresist and
etchants to corrosively machine away selected areas.

Designing using laser machine

Plumb Bob Manufacturing