Electrical

ECD - electrochemical deburring

ECDG - electrochemical discharge grinding
ECG - electrochemical grinding
ECH - electrochemical honing
ECM - electrochemical machining
ECP - electrochemical polishing
ECS - electrochemical sharpening
ECT - electrochemical turning
ES - electro-stream
STEM - shaped tube electrolytic machining
Thermal
EBM - electron beam machining
EDG - electrical discharge grinding
EDM - electrical discharge machining
EDS - electrical discharge sawing
EDWC - electrical discharge wire cutting
LBM - laser beam machining
LBT - laser beam torch
PBM - plasma beam machining

Chemical
CHM - chemical machining
ELP - electropolish
PCM - photochemical machining
TCM - thermochemical machining
TEM - thermal energy machining
While many processes are available, only the most
commercially important processes are discussed here



Mechanical Energy Processes
Ultrasonic machining (USM)
Abrasives contained in a slurry are driven at high velocity
against the work by a tool vibrating at low amplitude (.003in)
and high frequency (20-100khz)
The tool oscillates in a direction perpendicular to the
workpiece surface and is fed slowly into the workpiece so that
the shape of the tool is formed in the part

The action of the abrasives impinging against the work surface
performs the cutting
Tool materials - soft steel, stainless steel
Abrasive materials - boron nitride, boron carbide, aluminum
oxide, silicon carbide and diamond
The vibration amplitude should be set approximately equal to
the grit size, and the gap size should be maintained at about
two times the grit size

Electrochemical Machining Processes
Electrochemical machining (ECM)
It removes metal from an electrically conductive workpiece by
anodic dissolution, in which the shape of the workpiece is
obtained by a formed electrode tool in close proximity to, but
separated from the work by a rapidly flowing electrolyte
Underlying principle: material is deplated from the anode and
deposited onto the cathode in the presence of an electrolyte
bath

The difference in ECM is that the electrolyte bath flows
rapidly between the two poles to carry off the deplated
material
The electrode tool, usually made of copper, brass or stainless
steel, is designed to posses approximately the inverse of the
desired final shape of the part
Gap distance: usually from 0.003 - 0.030 in
A water solution of sodium chloride is commonly used as the
electrolyte

Electrolyte serves for:
Carrying off the material that has been removed from the
workpiece
Removing hear and hydrogen bubbles created in the
chemical reactions of the process
Removed material in the form of microscopic particles must be
separated from the electrolyte through centrifuge,
sedimentation or other means
Large amount of electrical power is required to perform ECM

Voltage is kept relatively low to minimize arcing across the gap
Use when:
The material is very hard or difficult to machine or
Where the workpiece geometry is difficult or impossible
to accomplish by conventional machining methods
Typical ECM applications
Die sinking
Multiple hole drilling
Holes that are not round
Deburring

Advantages:
Little surface damage to the work part
No burrs as in conventional machining
Low tool wear
Relatively high metal removal rates for hard and
difficult to machine metals
Disadvantages
Significant cost of electrical power to drive the
operation
Problems of disposing of the electrolyte sludge
Chemical Engraving
A chemical machining process used for making flat panels that
have lettering and/or artwork on one side
Can be used to make raised or recessed lettering by reversing
the portions of the panel to be etched
Masking done by either photoresist or screen resist methods
Filling operation to apply paint or other coating follows
etching
Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology, Fifth Edition, by Serope Kalpakjian and Steven R. Schmid.
ISBN 0-13-148965-8. 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
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.
Photochemical Machining (PCM)
Chemical machining in which the photoresist masking method
is used
Employed in metalworking when close tolerances and/or
intricate patterns are required
Used extensively in electronics industry (makes VLSI possible)
Photoresist materials in current use are sensitive to UV light,
but not other wavelengths
No need to carry out process in a darkroom
Anisotropy: depth of cut d divided by undercut u; reciprocal of
the etch factor
A=1/F
e
= d/u
A: degree of anisotropy
F
e
: etch factor

Application Considerations
Workpart Geometry Features
Very small holes - (below 0.005 in. in diameter) use LBM
Holes with large depth/diameter ratios - (d/D > 20) use
ECM and EDM
Nonround holes - use EDM and ECM
Narrow slots that are not straight - use EBM, LBM, wire
EDM, WJC and AWJC
Micromachining - use PCM, LBM and EBM
Shallow pockets and surface details in flat parts - use CHM
and its variations
Creation of special contoured shapes for mold and die
applications - (die sinking) use EDM and ECM
Work Materials
Performance of Nontraditional Processes
Nontraditional processes are generally used when conventional
methods are not practical or economical