Name – Jatin Pandey

Roll No. – 2K18/CEME/20

Batch – Mechanical Engineering

Production Technology -II

Assignment – Advancement in Machining Processes

Submitted to Sh. P.K.Jain

S.No. TOPIC NAME Page No.

(1) Introduction 2
Classification of Advance Machining
(2) 2
Processes
Ultrasonic Machining (USM)
(3) 3-4

Water Jet Machining (WJM)

(4) 4-5

Abrasive Water-Jet Cutting (AWJM)

(5) 5-6

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

(6) 6-7

Laser–Beam Machining (LBM)

(7) 7-8

Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

(8) 9 -10
References

(1)

Introduction
Rapid technological advancement after Second World War has led to the development of
ultra-hard, high-strength, high-temperature-resistant, difficult-to-machine materials for their
increasing demand in technological advanced industries like aerospace, automotive, marine,
power plants, missile, and turbine industries. Producing complicated geometries, least
metallurgical transformations, and maintaining high dimensional accuracy in products made
of such materials become extremely difficult with the conventional machining processes
which necessitate the development of newer concepts in machining science.
Advancement of machining processes broadly classified into following groups below.
 Advanced Machining Processes
 Hybrid Machining Processes
 Processing of Advanced Materials
 Surface Integrity Evaluation
 Experimental Design
 Modelling of Machining Processes
Classification of Advance Machining Processes
Advance 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.
Extremely hard and brittle materials are difficult to machine by traditional machining
processes such as turning, drilling, shaping and milling. Advance machining processes, also
called Non-traditional manufacturing processes, are employed where traditional machining
processes are not feasible, satisfactory or economical due to special reasons as outlined
below.
 Very hard fragile materials difficult to clamp for traditional machining
 When the work piece is too flexible or slender
 When the shape of the part is too complex
The common Advance machining processes are described in this section.

(2)

 Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

USM is mechanical material removal process or an abrasive process used to erode holes or
cavities on hard or brittle workpiece by using shaped tools, high frequency mechanical
motion and an abrasive slurry. USM offers a solution to the expanding need for machining
brittle materials such as single crystals, glasses and polycrystalline ceramics, and increasing
complex operations to provide intricate shapes and workpiece profiles. It is therefore used
extensively in machining hard and brittle materials that are difficult to machine by traditional
manufacturing processes. The hard particles in slurry are accelerated toward the surface of
the workpiece by a tool oscillating at a frequency up to 100 KHz - through repeated
abrasions, the tool machines a cavity of a cross section identical to its own. The beauty of
USM is that it can make non round shapes in hard and brittle materials. A schematic
representation of USM is shown in Figure.

For an effective cutting operation, the following parameters need to be carefully considered:
 The machining tool must be selected to be highly wear resistant, such as high-carbon
steels.
 The abrasives (25-60 mm in dia.) in the (water-based, up to 40% solid volume) slurry
includes: Boron carbide, silicon carbide and aluminum oxide.
Thus, volume of work material removal rate (Q)
QαVZν
where, V = volume of the work material removal per impact, Z = number of particles making
impact per cycle, ν = frequency
Advantage of USM
USM process is a non-thermal, non-chemical, creates no changes in the microstructures,
chemical or physical properties of the workpiece and offers virtually stress free machined
surfaces.
 · Any materials can be machined regardless of their electrical conductivity
 · Especially suitable for machining of brittle materials
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 · Machined parts by USM possess better surface finish and higher structural integrity.
 · USM does not produce thermal, electrical and chemical abnormal surface
Some disadvantages of USM
 · USM has higher power consumption and lower material-removal rates than traditional
 fabrication processes.
 · Tool wears fast in USM.
 · Machining area and depth is restraint in USM.
 Water Jet Machining (WJM)
Water jet cutting can reduce the costs and speed up the processes by eliminating or reducing
expensive secondary machining process. Since no heat is applied on the materials, cut edges
are clean with minimal burr. Problems such as cracked edge defects, crystallization,
hardening, reduced weldability and machinability are reduced in this process.
Water jet technology uses the principle of pressurizing water to extremely high pressures, and
allowing the water to escape through a very small opening called “orifice” or “jewel”. Water
jet cutting uses the beam of water exiting the orifice to cut soft materials. This method is not
suitable for cutting hard materials. The inlet water is typically pressurized between 1300 –
4000 bars. This high pressure is forced through a tiny hole in the jewel, which is typically
0.18 to 0.4 mm in diameter. A picture of water jet machining process is shown in Figure.

Advantages of water jet cutting

 There is no heat generated in water jet cutting; which is especially useful for cutting
tool steel and other metals where excessive heat may change the properties of the
material.
 Unlike machining or grinding, water jet cutting does not produce any dust or particles
that are harmful if inhaled.
 Other advantages are similar to abrasive water jet cutting.
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Disadvantages of water jet cutting

 One of the main disadvantages of water jet cutting is that a limited number of
materials can be cut economically.
 Thick parts cannot be cut by this process economically and accurately
 Taper is also a problem with water jet cutting in very thick materials. Taper is when
the jet exits the part at different angle than it enters the part, and cause dimensional
inaccuracy.

 Abrasive Water-Jet Cutting (AWJM)

Introduction
Abrasive water jet cutting is an extended version of water jet cutting; in which the water jet
contains abrasive particles such as silicon carbide or aluminium oxide in order to increase the
material removal rate above that of water jet machining. Almost any type of material ranging
from hard brittle materials such as ceramics, metals and glass to extremely soft materials such
as foam and rubbers can be cut by abrasive water jet cutting. The narrow cutting stream and
computer controlled movement enables this process to produce parts accurately and
efficiently. This machining process is especially ideal for cutting materials that cannot be cut
by laser or thermal cut. Metallic, non-metallic and advanced composite materials of various
thicknesses can be cut by this process. This process is particularly suitable for heat sensitive
materials that cannot be machined by processes that produce heat while machining.
The schematic of abrasive water jet cutting is shown in Figure which is similar to water jet
cutting apart from some more features underneath the jewel; namely abrasive, guard and
mixing tube. In this process, high velocity water exiting the jewel creates a vacuum which
sucks abrasive from the abrasive line, which mixes with the water in the mixing tube to form
a high velocity beam of abrasives.

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Advantages of abrasive water jet cutting

 · In most of the cases, no secondary finishing required
 · No cutter induced distortion
 · Low cutting forces on workpieces
 · Limited tooling requirements
 · Little to no cutting burr
 · Typical finish 125-250 microns
 · Smaller kerf size reduces material wastages
 · No heat affected zone
 · No cutter induced metal contamination
 · Eliminates thermal distortion
 · Precise, multi plane cutting of contours, shapes, and bevels of any angle.

Limitations of abrasive water jet cutting

 · Cannot drill flat bottom
 · Cannot cut materials that degrades quickly with moisture

 Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is one of the most widely used Advancemachining
processes. The main attraction of EDM over traditional machining processes such as metal
cutting using different tools and grinding is that this technique utilizes thermoelectric process
to erode undesired materials from the work piece by a series of discrete electrical sparks
between the work piece and the electrode.
The traditional machining processes rely on harder tool or abrasive material to remove the
softer material whereas Advancemachining processes such as EDM uses electrical spark or
thermal energy to erode unwanted material in order to create desired shape. So, the hardness
of the material is no longer a dominating factor for EDM process. A schematic of an EDM
process is shown in Figure , where the tool and the workpiece are immersed in a dielectric
fluid.

(6)

Working principle of EDM

As shown in Figure, at the beginning of EDM operation, a high voltage is applied across the
narrow gap between the electrode and the workpiece. This high voltage induces an electric
field in the insulating dielectric that is present in narrow gap between electrode and
workpiece. This cause conducting particles suspended in the dielectric to concentrate at the
points of strongest electrical field. When the potential difference between the electrode and
the workpiece is sufficiently high, the dielectric breaks down and a transient spark discharges
through the dielectric fluid, removing small amount of material from the workpiece surface.
The volume of the material removed per spark discharge is typically in the range of
10−6 ¿ 10−6 m m3 .
The material removal rate, MRR, in EDM is calculated by the following formula:
MRR = 40 I / T m (c m3/min)
1.23

Where, I is the current amp,

T m is the melting temperature of workpiece in ℃

Advantages of EDM
The main advantages of DM are:
 · By this process, materials of any hardness can be machined;
 · No burrs are left in machined surface;
 · One of the main advantages of this process is that thin and fragile/brittle components
can be machined without distortion;
 · Complex internal shapes can be machined

Limitations of EDM
The main limitations of this process are:
 This process can only be employed in electrically conductive materials;
 Material removal rate is low and the process overall is slow compared to conventional
machining processes;
 Unwanted erosion and over cutting of material can occur;
 Rough surface finish when at high rates of material removal.

 Laser–Beam Machining (LBM)

Laser-beam machining is a thermal material-removal process that utilizes a high-energy,
coherent light beam to melt and vaporize particles on the surface of metallic and non-metallic
work pieces. Lasers can be used to cut, drill, weld and mark. LBM is particularly suitable for
making accurately placed holes. A schematic of laser beam machining is shown in Figure
Different types of lasers are available for manufacturing operations which are as follows:
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 C O2(pulsed or continuous wave): It is a gas laser that emits light in the infrared region. It
can provide up to 25 kW in continuous-wave mode.
 Nd:YAG: Neodymium-doped Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (Y 3 A l5 O 12) laser is a solidstate
laser which can deliver light through a fibre-optic cable. It can provide up to 50 kW power in
pulsed mode and 1 kW in continuous-wave mode.

Advantage of laser cutting

 · No limit to cutting path as the laser point can move any path.
 · The process is stress less allowing very fragile materials to be laser cut without any
 support.
 · Very hard and abrasive material can be cut.
 · Sticky materials are also can be cut by this process.
 · It is a cost effective and flexible process.
 · High accuracy parts can be machined.
 · No cutting lubricants required
 · No tool wear
 · Narrow heat effected zone
Limitations of laser cutting
 · Uneconomic on high volumes compared to stamping
 · Limitations on thickness due to taper
 · High capital cost
 · High maintenance cost
 · Assist or cover gas required

 Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

Electrochemical machining is one of the most
(8) unconventional machining processes. The
process is actually the reverse of electroplating with some modifications. It is based on the
principle of electrolysis. In a metal, electricity is conducted by free electrons but in a solution
the conduction of electricity is achieved through the movement of ions. Thus the flow of
current through an electrolyte is always accompanied by the movement of matter. In the
ECM process the work-piece is connected to a positive electrode and the tool to the negative
terminal for metal removal.
The dissolution rate is more where the gap is less and vice versa. This is because the current
density is inversely proportional to the gap. Now, if the tool is given a downward motion, the
work surface tends to take the same shape as that of the tool, and at a steady state the gap is
uniform. Thus the shape of the tool is represented in the job.

Electrochemistry of ECM process

The electrolysis process is governed by the following two laws proposed by Faraday.
(1)The amount of chemical change produced by an electric current, that is, the amount of any
material dissolved or deposited, is proportional to the quantity of electricity passed.
(2)The amounts of different substances dissolved or deposited by the same quantity of
electricity are proportional to their chemical equivalent weights.
Material removal rate, MRR, in electrochemical machining:
MRR = C .I. h (cm3/min)
C: specific (material) removal rate (e.g., 0.2052 cm3/amp-min for nickel);
I: current (amp);
h: current efficiency (90–100%).
Advantages of ECM
 The components are not subject to either thermal or mechanical stress.
 Fragile parts can be machined easily as there is no stress involved.
 ECM deburring can debur difficult to access areas of parts.
 High surface finish (up to 25 μm) can be achieved by ECM process.
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 Deep holes can be made by this process.

Limitations of ECM
 ECM is not suitable to produce sharp square corners or flat bottoms because of the
tendency for the electrolyte to erode away sharp profiles.
 ECM can be applied to most metals but, due to the high equipment costs, is usually
used primarily for highly specialized applications.

References
1) NPTEL/Mechanical Engineering/ Advances in Manufacturing processes/
Lecture Series- https://nptel.ac.in/courses/112/104/112104028/
2) Advancement in manufacturing process /Rupinder Singh
https://www.scientific.net/book/advancement-in-manufacturing-
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processes/978-3-03826-735-5