NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING AND

THERMAL CUTTING PROCESSES

1. Mechanical Energy Processes
2. Electrochemical Machining Processes
3. Thermal Energy Processes
4. Chemical Machining
5. Application Considerations

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Nontraditional Processes Defined

• A group of processes that remove excess material

by techniques involving mechanical, thermal,
electrical, or chemical energy (or combinations of
these energies)
• They do not use a sharp cutting tool in the conventional
sense
• Developed since World War II in response to new and
unusual machining requirements that could not be
satisfied by conventional machining methods

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Importance of
Nontraditional Processes
• Need to machine newly developed metals and
non‑metals with special properties that make them
difficult or impossible to machine by conventional
methods
• Need for unusual and/or complex part geometries
that cannot readily be accomplished by
conventional machining
• Need to avoid surface damage that often
accompanies conventional machining

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Classification of Nontraditional
Processes
• Mechanical ‑ mechanical erosion of work material by
a high velocity stream of abrasives or fluid (or both)
• Electrical ‑ electrochemical energy to remove material
(reverse of electroplating)
• Thermal – thermal energy applied to small portion of
work surface, causing that portion to be fused and/or
vaporized
• Chemical – chemical etchants selectively remove
material from portions of workpart, while other
portions are protected by a mask
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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Mechanical Energy Processes
• Ultrasonic machining
• Water jet cutting
• Abrasive water jet cutting
• Abrasive jet machining
• Abrasive flow machining

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Ultrasonic Machining (USM)
• Abrasives contained in a slurry are driven at high
velocity against work by a tool vibrating at low
amplitude and high frequency
• Tool oscillation is perpendicular to work surface
• Abrasives accomplish material removal
• Tool is fed slowly into work
• Shape of tool is formed into part

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Ultrasonic Machining

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
USM Applications
• Hard, brittle work materials such as ceramics, glass,
and carbides
• Also successful on certain metals, such as stainless
steel and titanium
• Shapes include non-round holes, holes along a
curved axis
• “Coining operations” - pattern on tool is imparted
to a flat work surface

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Water Jet Cutting (WJC)

• Uses high pressure,

high velocity
stream of water
directed at work
surface for cutting

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
WJC Applications

• Usually automated by CNC or industrial robots

to manipulate nozzle along desired trajectory
• Used to cut narrow slits in flat stock such as
plastic, textiles, composites, floor tile, carpet,
leather, and cardboard
• Not suitable for brittle materials (e.g., glass)

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
WJC Advantages
• No crushing or burning of work surface
• Minimum material loss
• No environmental pollution
• Ease of automation

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
(AWJC)
• When WJC is used on metals, abrasive particles must
be added to jet stream usually
• Additional process parameters: abrasive type, grit
size, and flow rate
• Abrasives: aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, and
garnet (a silicate mineral)
• Grit sizes range between 60 and 120
• Grits added to water stream at about 0.25 kg/min
(0.5 lb/min) after stream exits nozzle

garnet

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM)

• High velocity stream of gas containing small

abrasive particles

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
AJM Application Notes
• Usually performed manually by operator who aims
nozzle
• Normally used as a finishing process rather than
cutting process
• Applications: deburring, trimming and deflashing,
cleaning, and polishing
• Work materials: thin flat stock of hard, brittle
materials (e.g., glass, silicon, mica, ceramics)

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
deburring

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rinciples of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Electrochemical Machining
Processes
• A group of processes in which electrical energy is
used in combination with chemical reactions to
remove material
• Reverse of electroplating
• Work material must be a conductor
• Processes:
• Electrochemical machining (ECM)
• Electrochemical deburring (ECD)
• Electrochemical grinding (ECG)

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

• Material removal by
anodic dissolution,
using electrode (the
tool) in close
proximity to work but
separated by a rapidly
flowing electrolyte

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
ECM Applications
• Die sinking - irregular shapes and contours for
forging dies, plastic molds, and other tools
• Multiple hole drilling - many holes can be drilled
simultaneously with ECM
• Holes that are not round
• Rotating drill is not used in ECM
• Deburring

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Electrochemical Deburring (ECD)

• Adaptation of ECM to remove burrs or sharp

corners on holes in metal parts produced by
conventional through‑hole drilling

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Electrochemical Grinding (ECG)

• Special form of ECM in which grinding wheel with conductive bond

material augments anodic dissolution of metal part surface

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Applications and
Advantages of ECG
• Applications:
• Sharpening of cemented carbide tools
• Grinding of surgical needles and other thin-wall tubes,
and fragile parts
• Advantages:
• Deplating responsible for 95% of metal removal
• Because machining is mostly by electrochemical action,
grinding wheel lasts much longer

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Thermal Energy Processes -
Overview
• Very high local temperatures
• Material is removed by fusion or vaporization
• Physical and metallurgical damage to the new work
surface
• In some cases, resulting finish is so poor that
subsequent processing is required

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Thermal Energy Processes
• Electric discharge machining
• Electric discharge wire cutting
• Electron beam machining
• Laser beam machining
• Plasma arc machining
• Conventional thermal cutting processes

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Electric Discharge Processes
• Metal removal by a series of discrete electrical
discharges (sparks) causing localized temperatures
high enough to melt or vaporize the metal
• Can be used only on electrically conducting work
materials
• Two main processes:
• Electric discharge machining
• Wire electric discharge machining

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Electric Discharge Machining
(EDM)
• (a) Setup of process and (b) close‑up view of gap, showing
discharge and metal removal

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Work Materials in EDM

• Work materials must be electrically

conducting
• Hardness and strength of work material are
not factors in EDM
• Material removal rate depends on melting
point of work material

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
EDM Applications
• Tooling for many mechanical processes: molds for
plastic injection molding, extrusion dies, wire
drawing dies, forging and heading dies, and
sheetmetal stamping dies
• Production parts: delicate parts not rigid enough to
withstand conventional cutting forces, hole drilling
where hole axis is at an acute angle to surface, and
machining of hard and exotic metals

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Wire EDM

• Special form of EDM that uses a small diameter

wire as electrode to cut a narrow kerf in work

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Operation of Wire EDM
• Work is fed slowly past wire along desired path
• Similar to a bandsaw operation
• CNC used for motion control
• While cutting, wire is continuously advanced
between supply spool and take‑up spool to
maintain a constant diameter
• Dielectric required, using nozzles directed at
tool‑work interface or submerging workpart

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Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Wire EDM

• Definition of kerf and overcut in electric discharge wire cutting

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
Wire EDM Applications
• Ideal for stamping die components
• Since kerf is so narrow, it is often possible to fabricate
punch and die in a single cut
• Other tools and parts with intricate outline shapes,
such as lathe form tools, extrusion dies, and flat
templates

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e
 Wire EDM
Application
• Irregular outline cut from
a solid slab by wire EDM
(photo courtesy of
Makino).

©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover,

Principles of Modern Manufacturing 5/e