MM 361: Advanced Manufacturing

Faculty of Science Technology and Environment

School of Engineering and Physics

Final Examination
Semester 1 2018

Face to Face

Duration of Exam: 3 hours + 10 minutes

Reading Time: 10 minutes
Writing Time: 3 hours

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper carries 100 marks.

2. Answer any five out of six questions.
3. Check to see that you have a complete question paper - 3 pages
4. Write your answers in the answer booklet provided and start each
question on a fresh page.
5. This exam is worth 50% of your final marks.
6. Drawings and sketches may be completed in pencil however all
calculations and written work must be completed in ink.
7. All required data are provided, if you feel anything is necessary and is
missing you can assume and highlight your assumption with justification.
Question 1
A. Identify the functions of gates in injection molds. (6 marks)

B. Determine the rotational speed of the extruder screw to achieve a volumetric flow
rate of 86 cm3/s for an extruder barrel of 2.7 m length and 120 mm diameter. The
screw channel depth is 8.5 mm and pitch is 90 mm. The viscosity of the polymer
melt is 115 Pa.s., and the head pressure is 5 MPa. (14 marks)

Question 2
A. Explain the significance of rapid tooling in manufacturing. (6 marks)

B. Using fused deposition modelling, a prototype of a tube with square cross section
as shown in Fig. 2, is to be fabricated. The layer thickness is to be 0.1 mm and the
width of the extrudate deposited on the surface of the part is 2 mm. The extruder
workhead moves in the x-y plane at a speed of 120 mm/s. A delay of 7 s is
experienced between each layer to reposition the workhead. Estimate the time
required in hours to build the part. (9 marks)

Fig. 2: FDM Model

C. A 200 mm deep hole that is 30 mm in diameter is being produced by electro

chemical machining. A high production rate is more important than machined
surface quality. Therefore, it is noted that the maximum current density can be
given is 8 A/mm2 and the maximum material removal rate is 12 mm/min. Estimate
the maximum current and the time required to perform this operation. (5 marks)

Question 3
Identify and list all the process variables that influence the rate of metal removal in
abrasive jet machining; among those variables discuss any four in detail as how it
influences the metal removal rate. (20 marks)

Question 4
A. The designer of a polar configuration robot is considering a portion of the
manipulator consisting of a rotational joint connected to its output link. The
output link is 550 mm long. The accuracy of the joint-link combination, expressed
as a linear measure at the end of the link which results from rotating the joint, is
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 specified as 0.8 mm. The mechanical inaccuracies of the joint result in a
repeatability error are ±0.04° of rotation. It is assumed that the link is perfectly
rigid, so there are no additional errors due to deflection. Show that the specified
accuracy can be achieved given the repeatability error. (10 marks)

B. Explain the use of the following codes in CNC machining operations (i) G00, (ii)
G71, (iii) M03 (iv) F200 (v) G41. (10 marks)

Question 5
A. With the help of a suitable sketch discuss why there is density variation in the
compacting of powders and explain how it can be reduced. (10 marks)

B. Estimate the number of particles in a 500 g sample of iron powder if the particle
shape is spherical and the particle size is 75 m. The density of iron is 7.86 g/cm3.
(7 marks)

C. A coarse copper powder is compacted in a mechanical press at a pressure of 310

MPa, as a result the copper density after compaction is measured to be 7 g/cm3.
During sintering, the green part shrinks an additional 7%. What is the final
density? (3 marks)

Question 6
A. Explain the two distinct characteristics of nanoscale structures as compared to
macroscale and even microscale structures. (4 marks)

B. How can laser be used in sheet metal forming process, explain? (4 marks)

C. What is product life cycle management (PLM) in computer integrated

manufacturing? Explain the core issues that are addressed by PLM. (12 marks)

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