PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

LECTURE-4
UNIT-4
Presented By:
Jagdip Chauhan
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
Guru Jambheswar University of Science & Technology, Hisar
EDM:
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is one of the most widely used non-
traditional machining 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 workpiece by a series of discrete electrical sparks between the
workpiece and the electrode.
The traditional machining processes rely on harder tool or abrasive material to
remove the softer material whereas non-traditional machining 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.
WORKING PRINCIPLE:
EDM SETUP:
COMPONENTS OF A TYPICAL EDM MACHINE
REQUIREMENTS OF A DIELECTRIC FLUID:
An ideal dielectric fluid should have the following properties:
• Sufficient and stable dielectric strength
• De-ionize rapidly
• Low viscosity and good wetting capacity
• Chemically neutral
• Flash point should be high
• Not emit toxic vapours or have unpleasant odour
• Maintain these properties in varying temperatures, contamination by wear debris
and products of decomposition
• Economical and easily available
COMMONLY USED DIELECTRIC FLUIDS:

• Hydrocarbon fluids – transformer oil, paraffin oil,

kerosene, lubricating oils
• Silicone based oils
• De-ionized water
 FLUSHING:
• Method in which the dielectric fluid flows between the tool and the work gap
• Efficiency of machining depends to a greater extent on the efficiency of flushing
• Choice of flushing method depends upon the workpiece size and
geometry
• Methods of flushing:
1. Suction
2. Pressure
3. Jet
4. Alternating forced flushing
5. Ultrasonic vibration of electrodes
6. Rotating electrode flushing
NEED FOR FILTERING:
• To avoid changes in insulation qualities
• Increase in the pollution of dielectric results in
decrease in the breakdown intensity of the field
• Affects the reproduction accuracy of the process
ELECTRODES USED:
An ideal electrode material should have the following characteristics
to serve as a good tool:
• Good conductor of electricity and heat
• Easily machinable to any shape at a reasonable cost
• Produce efficient MRR from the workpieces
• Resist the deformation during the erosion process
• Exhibit low electrode (tool) wear rates
• Available in a variety of shapes
ELECTRODE MATERIALS:
• Graphite
• Copper
• Copper graphite
• Brass
• Zinc alloys
• Steel
• Copper tungsten
• Silver tungsten
• Tungsten etc.,

Methods used for making the electrodes: conventional machining, casting, metal spraying
and press forming.
TOOL WEAR:
• Need for tool wear knowledge:
Essential for determining the electrode size and number of electrodes – economics
• Definition of Tool wear: Partial removal of the tool material form the tool surface while
machining the workpiece due to the discharge spark produced between the tool and the
workpiece
• How it takes place : Due to the sparking action, the intense heat generated near the zone melts
and evaporates the materials in the sparking zone.
• Tool wear can be minimized by using a tool material that has a high melting point and high
thermal conductivity. Also by properly configuring the tool design, tool wear can be minimized
• Wear ratio: Ratio of the material removed from the work to the material removed from the tool
• Electrode wear is a function of factors such as:
• Polarity, Thermal conductivity, Melting point of electrode, Duration and intensity of spark
discharges, Types of power supplies used, Type of work material used in relation to the tool
material, Dielectric flow in the machining zone.
 POWER GENERATOR CIRCUITS:
Functions:
• To supply adequate voltage to initiate and maintain the discharge
• To adjust the discharge current intensity
• To adjust the discharge duration
• To control recurring rhythm of the discharge

Types:
• Several basic types of electrical circuits are available to provide
pulsating DC to EDM machines
• No one particular type is suitable for all machining conditions
PROCESS PARAMETERS:
• Discharge energy
• Capacitance
• Dielectric fluid
• Deionization
• Frequency
• Overcut
• Material removal rate (MRR)
• Heat affected zone (HAZ)
• Electrode wear
 ADVANTAGES:
• Can be employed to machine any material (hard, tough, brittle, exotic etc.,) provided it has
some minimum electrical conductivity
• Matte finish obtained during EDM minimizes polishing time required
• EDM enables choosing of better die materials without worrying about its machining
problems
• Dies manufactured by EDM are free of burrs and have higher life as compared to dies made by
conventional methods – it permits the use of more durable die materials such as carbide,
hardened steel etc.,
• Can be used to produce shapes which are extremely difficult to make otherwise – squares, D
holes, splines, narrow slots and grooves, blended features etc.,
• No mechanical force acts as in conventional machine. Hence the process can be employed to
machine thin and fragile components without any damage due to such forces
• High aspect ratio
• High accuracy
 DISADVANTAGES:
• Low material removal rates
• Electrodes consumable
• Limited to electrically conductive workpieces
• Produces recast layer and HAZ
• Complex electrodes can require long lead times for fabrication
• Lacks flexibility for quick changes in hole shapes
APPLICATIONS:
• EDM is by far the most widely used machining process among the non-
conventional machining methods
• EDM has long been employed in the automotive, aerospace, mould, tool
and die making industries
• It has also made a significant inroad in the medical, optical, dental and
jewellery industries, and in automotive and aerospace R&D areas
 APPLICATIONS:
The process can be used economically for the following applications on
workpieces, which are good conductors of electricity:
• For machining dies for moulding, casting, forging, coining, stamping, extruding,
forging, header, wire drawing, blanking, etc.,
• For drilling fine deep holes (aspect ratio > 30) such as in fuel injector nozzles or
drilling of fine deep holes through hardened ball bearing.
• For machining hydraulic valve spools
• For slitting of hard alloys
• For manufacture of fragile components which cannot be machined by conventional
processes due to high tool forces
APPLICATIONS:

• For milling of heat treated materials such as tool steels – EDM allows
tool steels to be treated to full hardness before machining, avoiding the
problems of dimensional variability which are characteristic of post-
treatment.
• For EDM of advanced ceramics
• For machining of metal matrix composites (MMC) and particle
reinforced MMC (PRMMC)
• Micro-EDM – capable of not only micro-holes and micro shafts as small
as 5mm in diameter but also complex 3D micro cavities.
• Removal of broken taps, drills, studs, reamers, pins etc.
I am done
Thank You
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
LECTURE-5
UNIT-4
Presented By:
Jagdip Chauhan
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
Guru Jambheswar University of Science & Technology, Hisar
What is Wire EDM?
EDM (Electrical discharge machining), also known as spark machining or
spark eroding, is a manufacturing process of creating a desired part from the
metal sheet by using electrical discharges (sparks). There are three types of
EDM: Sinker EDM, Wire EDM, and Fast hole drilling EDM. Wire EDM, also
known as wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) or wire-cut EDM,
involves using a thin single-strand metal conductive wire, like brass, along
with de-ionized water allows the wire to cut through metal with the heat from
electrical sparks.
 WEDM INTRODUCTION:

• Differs from conventional EDM in that a thin, 0.05-0.3mm dia wire performs
as the electrode

• Unlike conventional EDM, the workpiece in WEDM is almost never

submerged in dielectric fluid. Instead, a localized stream is used

• Advantage of using water as a dielectric – high MRR, no fire hazard –

yielding for unattended machining
WEDM SETUP:
 HOW DOES WIRE EDM WORK?
In wire EDM machining, the material is removed from the workpiece by a
series of rapidly recurring current discharges between the wire or the electrode
and the workpiece, they are separated by a dielectric liquid. Wire EDM can
easily cut hard conductive material and produce complex parts with high
precision. The dielectric is used to prevent short circuits in the sparking
process and remove the waste material.
 PRINCIPLE OF WIRE EDM:
• The spark theory on a wire EDM is basically is same as that of the EDM
process.
• In wire EDM, the conductive materials are machined with a series of
electric discharges (sparks) that are produced between an accurately
positioned moving wire (the electrode) and the work piece.
• High frequency pulses of AC or DC current is discharged from the wire to
the workpiece with a very small spark gap through an insulated dielectric
fluid.
 PRINCIPLE OF WIRE EDM:

• The heat of electric spark estimated at around 15,000 – 21,000

Fahrenheit, erodes away a tiny bit of material that is vaporized
and melted from the work piece (some of the wire material is also
eroded away).
• These particles (chips) are flushed away from the cut with the
stream of de-ionized water through the top and bottom flushing
nozzles.
WEDM SETUP:
 MAJOR COMPONENTS OF WIRE EDM:

• Computerised Numerical Control (CNC)

• Power supply
• Mechanical section
• Dielectric system
REQUIREMENTS OF A DIELECTRIC FLUID:
An ideal dielectric fluid should have the following properties:
• sufficient and stable dielectric strength
• de-ionize rapidly
• low viscosity and good wetting capacity
• Chemically neutral
• Flash point should be high
• Not emit toxic vapours or have unpleasant odour
• Maintain these properties in varying temperatures, contamination by wear debris
and products of decomposition
• Economical and easily available
COMMONLY USED DIELECTRIC FLUIDS:

• Hydrocarbon fluids – transformer oil, paraffin oil,

kerosene, lubricating oils
• Silicone based oils
• De-ionized water
NEED FOR FILTERING:
• To avoid changes in insulation qualities
• Increase in the pollution of dielectric results in
decrease in the breakdown intensity of the field
• Affects the reproduction accuracy of the process
WIRE ELECTRODE MATERIALS:
• Copper wire
• Brass wire
• Coated or stratified wire
• Molybdenum wire
• Tungsten wire
• Zinc wire
• Wire spool ranging from 0.002 to 0.012 in. in diameter which travel
continuously from spool to take up spool so new wire always in spark area.
• Electrode wear and MRR from workpiece depend on:
• Electrical and thermal conductivity of material, melting point and intensity of
electrical pulses.
CHARACTERISTICS OF WIRE ELECTRODE:
• High electrical conductivity
• High melting point
• High tensile strength
• Good thermal conductivity
• Produce efficient metal removal from workpiece
 PROCESS PARAMETERS:
• Pulse duration
• Pulse interval
• Servo voltage
• Peak current
• Gap voltage
• Dielectric flow rate
• Wire feed Rate
• Wire tension
 PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS:
• Surface roughness
• MRR
• Kerf (width of cut)
• Wire wear ratio
Main Characteristics & Features Of WEDM Machining:
1. There is no obvious mechanical cutting trace in WEDM machining. No matter how hard and
rigid the processed materials are, they can be processed perfectly, but. non-metallic conductive
materials cannot be processed.

2. The cutting seam produced by wire EDM is narrow and the amount of metal erosion is
relatively small, which is conducive to the reuse of processing materials.

3. It can process small hole materials and machining parts with complex shapes, but it can not
process blind holes.

4. In the process of WEDM, there may be deformation or cracks on the surface of the
workpiece, so heat treatment and rough machining should be carried out properly before
WEDM, so as to improve the accuracy of WEDM by consuming the performance of
processing materials and blank shape defects.
Main Characteristics & Features Of WEDM Machining:

5. Wire EDM technology has low loss of electrode wire and high
machining precision.

6. When machining too thick materials by wire cutting, it will make it

difficult for the working fluid to enter and fill the gap of discharge, which
will affect the machining accuracy or cause the surface roughness of
machining materials.

7. WEDM can be processed by CNC programming technology, and its

processing parameters can be precisely adjusted to realize full-automatic
processing.
ADVANTAGES:

• No electrode fabrication required

• No cutting forces
• Unmanned machining possible
• Die costs reduced by 30-70%
• Cuts hardened materials
 ADVANTAGES:
• Easier to obtain a smooth surface finish without contact between tool and
part
• Utilizes a relatively compact workspace
• Accurate, predictable and repeatable
• Can meet the tight tolerance requirements in low volume production
• Cost-effective and highly efficient
DISADVANTAGES:
• High capital cost
• Recast layer
• Electrolysis can occur in some materials
• Slow cutting rates
• Not applicable to very large workpieces
APPLICATIONS:
• Machining of press-stamping dies is simplified because the punch, die, punch plate and
stripper all can be machined from a common CNC program
• overall fabrication time is reduced when compared to EDM
• Die life is also increased by as much as 7-10 times since clearances can be controlled
very accurately
• Machining of extrusion dies and dies for powder metal compaction
• Fabrication of EDM electrodes is simplified because both roughing and finishing
electrodes can be made from the same basic program using scaling feature
• Fabrication of grinding wheel form tools, profile gauges and templates
• To produce small prototype lots of stampings if the final stamping die configuration has
not yet been determined
 Q&A

I am done
Thank You
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
LECTURE-6
UNIT-4
Presented By:
Jagdip Chauhan
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
Guru Jambheswar University of Science & Technology, Hisar
EBM:
Electron beam machining is a thermal process used for metal removal during the
machining process. In the electron beam machining, electrical energy is used to
generate the electrons with high energy. In the Electron Beam Machining process,
a high velocity focused beam of electrons are used to remove the metal from the
workpiece. These electrons are traveling at half the velocity of light i.e., 1.6 x
108 m / s. This process is best suited for the micro-cutting of materials.
EBM is used for the machining of the brittle & hard materials which are cannot
be machined by conventional machining. It is suitable for the machining of the
small parts.
It stands at the forefront of precision manufacturing technologies, offering a
remarkable capability to shape and cut materials with extraordinary accuracy and
precision and minimal thermal impact.
 PRINCIPLE OF EBM :

When the high-velocity beam of electrons in a vacuum

chamber strikes the workpiece, its kinetic energy is converted
into heat. This concentrated heat raises the temperature of
workpiece material and vaporizes a small amount of it,
resulting in the removal of material from the workpiece.
 TYPES OF ELECTRON BEAM MACHINING:
• There are two types of EBM machining process
1. Thermal EBM- The Beam is used to heat the material up to the
point where it is selectively vaporized.
2. Non-Thermal EBM- This utilizes the beam to cause a chemical
reaction.
Construction of EBM:
•The schematic arrangement of Electron Beam Machining (EBM) is shown in Fig.
•It consists of an electron gun, diaphragm, focusing lens, deflector coil, work
table, etc.
•To avoid collision of accelerated electrons with air molecules, a vacuum is
required. So, the entire EBM setup is enclosed in a vacuum chamber, which
carries a vacuum of the order 10−5 to 10−6 mm of mercury. This chamber carries
a door, through which the workpiece is placed over the table. The door is then
closed and sealed.
•The electron gun is responsible for the emission of electrons, which consists of
the following three main parts.
EBM Set up:
COMPONENTS OF EBM MACHINE:
This machining process is consists of the following
components:
1) Power supply: Power supply provides the high
voltage in range of 50 kV-200 kV to the electron
gun for the acceleration of the electrons to the
200,000 km/s. The positive terminal of the power
supply is connected to the anode and the negative
terminal is connected to the cathode.
2) Electron gun: It is source of the electron beam
which is consists of the tungsten filament,
cathode, control grid, anode.
COMPONENTS OF EBM MACHINE:
A) Tungsten filament:- The tungsten filament is made of the tungsten material which coverts
the electrical energy into heat energy. When power starts to flow across the electron gun,
this tungsten filament generates heat, due to which the heated cathode generates an electron
beam.
B) Cathode:- Cathode is the source of electrons. The negative terminal of the power source is
connected to the cathode. When the filament gets on, the cathode emits the electron beam.
C) Control grid:- Control grid is the nickel cylinder having 15 mm length & diameter of 15
mm, which is located after the cathode. It has drilled hole of 0.25 mm for the flow of
electron beam through it. The control grid is negatively biased, hence it controls the flow of
electron beam.
D) Anode:- The anode is connected to the positive terminal of the power source. Anode
accelerates the electron beam passing through the electron gun at about 2000,000 km/s
which is 65% of the speed of the light.
COMPONENTS OF EBM MACHINE:
3) Tungsten Diaphragm: The tungsten diaphragm removes the stray electrons from the electron
beam.
4) Focusing lens: It is an electromagnetic lens which shapes the divergence of electron beam and
focus it on the work-piece surface. The focusing lens is made up of copper wire coils into the
iron pole pieces.
5) Deflector coil: It is the magnetic coil located below the focusing lens which bends the electron
beam to directly falls it on the desired point of work-piece surface.
6) Work-piece Table: Work-piece table firmly holds the work-piece on it. It can move in x, y & z
axes as per requirement.
7) Optical viewing system: It is a system to check whether the process is under control or not.
8) Vacuum chamber: EBM process is done in the vacuum chamber to avoid any air entering probability
so Electron Beam Machining is required to be carried out in the vacuum. Because air can decrease the
velocity of the electron beam, hence electron beam machining requires a vacuum during the entire
operation.
9) Electronic system: An electronic system that controls the size and movement of the beam.
EBM WORKING:
This advanced machining process works in the following manner:
a] Electron emission: When high voltage power supply (In range of 50 kV-200
kV) starts flow towards electron gun, tungsten filament converts this electrical
energy into the heat energy. The tungsten filament becomes hot around,
2000°C. This heated tungsten filament heats the cathode. Due to heat, the
cathode starts emitting electrons.
b] Controlling and accelerating electrons: After the cathode, this electron beam goes
through the control grid. It controls the flow of electron beam. The electron beam
from the control grid is then passed to the anode. The anode accelerates this electron
beam at about 200,000 km/s which is 65% of the speed of the light.
c] Removing stray electrons: The high velocity electron beam then passed through
the tungsten diaphragm, that removes the stray electrons from the high velocity
electron beam.
EBM WORKING:
d] Focusing and bending the beam: After the tungsten diaphragm, the electron beam passes
through a focusing lens. The focusing lens reduces the diverging of the high velocity electron beam
and focuses it on the work-piece surface. The focused electron beam from the focusing lens goes
through a deflector coil, which bends the beam to fall directly to the required point on the work-
piece surface. This high velocity electron beam impinges onto the work-piece surface, where its
kinetic energy converts into heat energy. This heat melts and vaporizes the material from the work-
piece surface.
This process is carried out in repeated pulses of short duration. The pulse frequency may range
from 1 to 16,000 Hz and duration may range from 4 to 65,000 microseconds. By alternately
focusing and turning off the electron beam, the cutting process can be continued as long as it is
needed.
A suitable viewing device is always incorporated with the machine. So, it becomes easy for the
operator to observe the progress of the machining operation.
Therefore, in such way machining is carried out in electron Beam Machining with the help of high
velocity electron beam.
PROCESS PARAMETERS :

The parameters which have a significant influence on the beam

intensity and metal removal rate are given below :

1. Beam current.
2. Pulse duration
3. Control of spot diameter
4. Control of focal distance of the magnetic lens.
EBM CHARACTERISTICS:
• The characteristics of the EBM are as follows:-
• Power supply in range of 50 kV-200 kV.
• Capacity of 4000 holes per second.
• Velocity of electron beam, about 200,000 km/sec.
• Beam current in range of 200 micro-ampere to 1 Ampere.
• Pulse generation by control grid which is negatively biased with
pulse duration around 50 microseconds to 15 milliseconds.
• It can produce small diameters hole of 0.1 mm to 1.4 mm.
 ADVANTAGES:
• Electron beam machining has the following advantages :
• It is an excellent process for micro finishing (milligram/ s).
• Very small holes can be machined in any type of material to high accuracy.
• Holes of different sizes and shapes can be machined.
• There is no mechanical contact between the tool and the workpiece.
• It is a quicker process. Harder materials can also be machined at a faster rate than conventional
machining.
• Electrical conductor materials can be machined
• The physical and metallurgical damage to the workpiece is very less.
• This process can be easily automated.
• Extremely close tolerances are obtained.
• Brittle and fragile materials can be machined.
DISADVANTAGES:
1.The metal removal rate is very slow.
2.The cost of equipment is very high.
3.It is not suitable for large workpieces.
4.High skilled operators are required to operate this machine.
5.High specific energy consumption.
6.A little taper produced on holes.
7.Vacuum requirements limit the size of the workpiece.
8.It is applicable only for thin materials.
9.At the spot where the electron beam strikes the material, a small amount of
recasting and metal splash can occur on the surface. It has to be removed afterward
by abrasive cleaning.
10.It is not suitable for producing perfectly cylindrical deep holes
APPLICATIONS:
• EBM is mainly used for micro-machining operations on thin materials. These
operations include drilling, perforating, slotting, and scribing, etc.
• Drilling of holes in pressure differential devices used in nuclear reactors, aircraft
engines, etc.
• It is used for removing small broken taps from holes.
• Micro-drilling operations (up to 0.002 mm) for thin orifices, dies for wire
drawing, parts of electron microscopes, injector nozzles for diesel engines, etc.
• A micromachining technique known as “Electron beam lithography” is being
used in the manufacture of field emission cathodes, integrated circuits, and
computer memories.
• It is particularly useful for machining of materials of low thermal conductivity
and high melting point.
MATERIAL APPLICATION:
 LASER BEAM MACHINING (LBM):
• Laser Beam Machining (LBM) is a form of machining process in
which laser beam is used for the machining of metallic and non-
metallic materials. In this process, a laser beam of high energy is made
to strike on the workpiece, the thermal energy of the laser gets
transferred to the surface of the w/p (workpiece). The heat so produced
at the surface heats, melts and vaporizes the materials from the w/p.
Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation is called
LASER.
WORKING PRINCIPLE :
It works on the principle that when a high energy laser beam strikes the
surface of the workpiece. The heat energy contained by the laser beam gets
transferred to the surface of the w/p. This heat energy absorbed by the surface
heat melts and vaporizes the material from the w/p. In this way the machining
of material takes place by the use of laser beam.
 TYPES OF LASER:

On the basis of the media used for the production of the laser it is classified as:
• Gas Lasers: In these types of laser, gases are used as the medium to produce
lasers. The commonly used gases are He-Ne, argon and Co2.
• Solid State Lasers: The media of the solid-state lasers are produced by
doping a rare element into a host material. Ruby laser is an example of solid-
state laser in which ruby crystal is used as medium for the generation of laser
beam.
COMPONENTS OF LBM
Laser Machining consists of the following Main Parts:
•Power Supply
•Capacitor
•Flash Lamps
•Reflecting Mirror
•Laser Light Beam
•Ruby Crystal
•Lens
•Workpiece
Power Supply: The electric current or power is supplied to the system. A high voltage power system is
used in laser beam machining. It will give initial power to the system after that reaction starts in a laser
that will machine the material. There is a high voltage supply so that pulses can be initiated easily

Capacitor: During the major portion of the cycle, a capacitor bank charges and releases the energy
during the flashing process. The capacitor is used for the pulsed mode for charging and discharging.

Flash Lamps: It is the electric arc lamp that is used to produce extremely intense production of white
light which is a coherent high-intensity beam. It is filled with gases that ionize to form great energy that
will melt and vaporizes the material of the workpiece.

Reflecting Mirror: Reflecting Mirror are two main types of internal and external. Internal mirrors also
called a resonator that is used to generate maintain and amplify the laser beam. It is used to direct the
laser beam towards the workpiece.

Laser Light Beam: It is the beam of radiation produced by the laser through the process of optical
amplification based on the coherence of light created by the bombarding of active material.
Ruby Crystal: Ruby laser produces a series of coherent pulses which is deep red
in color. It achieves by the concept of population inversion. It is a three-level
solid-state laser.

Lens: Lenses are used to focus the laser beam onto the workpiece. First laser light
will enter into the expanding lens and then into the collimating lens which makes
the light rays parallel and the expanding lens expands the laser beams to the
desired size.

Workpiece: The workpiece can be metallic or non-metallic. In this machining

process, any material can be machined.
HOW LASER IS PRODUCED:
A high voltage power supply is applied across the flash tube. A capacitor is used to operate the flash
tube at pulse mode.
As the flash is produced by the flash tube, it emits light photons that contain energy.
These light photons emitted by the flash tube is absorbed by the ruby crystal. The photons absorbed
by the atoms of the ruby crystals excite the electrons to the high energy level and population inversion
(situation when the number of exited electrons is greater than the ground state electrons) is attained.
After short duration, this excited electron jumps back to its ground state and emits a light photon. This
emission of photon is called spontaneous emission,
The emitted photon stimulates the excited electrons and they start to return to the ground state by
emitting two photons. In this way two light photons are produced by utilizing a single photon. Here the
amplification (increase) of light takes place by stimulated emission of radiation.
Concentration of the light photon increases and it forms a laser beam.
100 % reflecting mirror bounces back the photons into the crystal. Partially reflecting mirror reflects
some of the photons back to the crystal and some of it escapes out and forms a highly concentrated laser
beam. A lens is used to focus the laser beam to a desired location.
 WORKING OF LASER BEAM MACHINING:

A very high energy laser beam is produced by the laser machines. This laser
beam produced is focused on the workpiece to be machined.
When the laser beam strikes the surface of the workpiece, the thermal energy of
the laser beam is transferred to the surface of the w/p this heat, melts, vaporizes
and finally removes the material form the workpiece. In this way laser beam
machining works.
ADVANTAGES:
It can be focused to a very small diameter.
It produces a very high amount of energy, about 100 MW per square mm of area.
It is capable of producing very accurately placed holes.
Laser beam machining has the ability to cut or engrave almost all types of
materials, when traditional machining process fails to cut or engrave any material.
Since there is no physical contact between the tool and workpiece. The wear and
tear in this machining process is very low and hence it requires low maintenance cost
This machining process produces object of very high precision. And most of the
object does not require additional finishing
It can be paired with gases that help to make cutting process more efficient. It
helps to minimize the oxidation of w/p surface and keep it free from melted of
vaporized materials.
It has the ability to engrave or cut almost all types of materials. But it is best suited
for the brittle materials with low conductivity
DISADVANTAGES:
High initial cost. This is because it requires many accessories which are
important for the machining process by laser.
Highly trained worker is required to operate laser beam machining machine.
Low production rate since it is not designed for the mass production.
It requires a lot of energy for machining process.
It is not easy to produce deep cuts with the w/p that has high melting points
and usually cause a taper.
High maintenance cost.
APPLICATION:
1. The laser beam machining is mostly used in automobile, aerospace,
shipbuilding, electronics, steel and medical industries for machining complex
parts with precision.
2. In heavy manufacturing industries, it is used or drilling and cladding, seam
and spot welding among others.
3. In light manufacturing industries, it is used for engraving and drilling other
metals.
4. In the electronic industry, it is used for skiving (to join two ends) of circuits
and wire stripping.
5. In medical industry, it is used for hair removal and cosmetic surgery.
I am done
Thank You