School of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

1
Chapter – Two
Non-traditional machining processes
[MEng 3192] By : Haileyesus Dessie (MSc)
NON-TRADITIONAL MACHINING
AND THERMAL CUTTING
PROCESSES
1. Mechanical Energy Processes

2. Electrochemical Machining Processes

3. Thermal Energy Processes

4. Chemical Machining

5. Application Considerations
 Non-traditional Processes Defined
A group of processes that remove excess material by various
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 methods
Importance of Non-traditional 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
Classification of Non-traditional Processes
 Mechanical - typical form of mechanical action is 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 usually 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
 Mechanical Energy Processes

 Ultrasonic machining

 Water jet cutting

 Abrasive water jet cutting

 Abrasive jet machining

 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

Ultrasonic Machining

Figure Ultrasonic machining.

 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
 Water Jet Cutting (WJC)
 Uses high pressure, high velocity stream of water
directed at work surface for cutting

Figure Water jet cutting.

 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)

 WJC Advantages

 No crushing or burning of work surface

 Minimum material loss

 No environmental pollution

 Ease of automation
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 it exits nozzle
 Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM)

 High velocity stream of gas containing small abrasive

particles

Figure Abrasive jet machining (AJM).

 AJM Application Notes

 Usually performed manually by operator who directs

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)
 Electrochemical Machining Processes
 Electrical energy 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)

 Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

Material removal by anodic dissolution, using electrode

(tool) in close proximity to work but separated by a
rapidly flowing electrolyte

Figure
Electrochemical
machining (ECM).
 ECM Operation

Material is deplated from anode workpiece (positive

pole) and transported to a cathode tool (negative pole)
in an electrolyte bath

 Electrolyte flows rapidly between two poles to carry

off deplated material, so it does not plate onto tool

 Electrode materials: Cu, brass, or stainless steel

 Tool has inverse shape of part

 Tool size and shape must allow for the gap

 Process Physics in ECM

 Based on Faraday's First Law: amount of chemical

change (amount of metal dissolved) is proportional to
the quantity of electricity passed (current x time)

V= C l t

where V = volume of metal removed; C = specific

removal rate which work material; l = current; and t
time
 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, since rotating drill is not used
in ECM
 No burrs created – no residual stress
 Electrochemical Deburring (ECD)

 Adaptation of ECM to remove burrs or sharp corners

on holes in metal parts produced by conventional
through-hole drilling

Figure Electrochemical deburring (ECD).

 Electrochemical Grinding (ECG)
 Special form of ECM in which grinding wheel with
conductive bond material augments anodic dissolution of
metal part surface

Figure
Electrochemical
grinding (ECG)
Applications and Advantages of ECG
 Applications:

 Sharpening of cemented carbide tools

 Grinding of surgical needles, 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
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
 Thermal Energy Processes

 Electric discharge machining

 Electric discharge wire cutting

 Electron beam machining

 Laser beam machining

 Plasma arc machining

 Conventional thermal cutting processes

 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:

1. Electric discharge machining

2. Wire electric discharge machining

 Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)

Figure Electric discharge machining (EDM): (a) overall setup, and (b) close-up
view of gap, showing discharge and metal removal.
 EDM Operation
 One of the most widely used nontraditional processes

 Shape of finished work surface produced by a shape of

electrode tool

 Sparks occur across a small gap between tool and

work

 Requires dielectric fluid, which creates a path for each

discharge as fluid becomes ionized in the gap
 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
 EDM Applications
 Tooling for many mechanical processes: molds for
plastic injection molding, extrusion dies, wire
drawing dies, forging and heading dies, and sheet
metal 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
 Wire EDM

 Special form of EDM uses small diameter wire as

electrode to cut a narrow kerf in work

Figure Electric discharge wire cutting (EDWC).

 Operation of Wire EDM
 Work is fed slowly past wire along desired cutting
path, like 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
 Wire EDM

Figure Definition of kerf and overcut in electric discharge wire cutting.

 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
 Wire EDM Application

Irregular outline cut from a solid slab by

wire EDM (photo courtesy of LeBland
Makino Machine Tool Co.).
 Electron Beam Machining (EBM)
 Uses high velocity stream of electrons focused on
workpiece surface to remove material by melting and
vaporization

Figure Electron beam

machining (EBM).
 EBM Operation

 EB gun accelerates a continuous stream of electrons

to about 75% of light speed

 Beam is focused through electromagnetic lens,

reducing diameter to as small as 0.025 mm (0.001 in)

 On impinging work surface, kinetic energy of

electrons is converted to thermal energy of extremely
high density which melts or vaporizes material in a
very localized area
 EBM Applications

 Works on any material

 Ideal for micromachining

 Drilling small diameter holes - down to 0.05 mm

(0.002 in)

 Cutting slots only about 0.025 mm (0.001 in.) wide

 Drilling holes with very high depth-to-diameter ratios

 Ratios greater than 100:1

 Laser Beam Machining (LBM)
 Uses the light energy from a laser to remove material
by vaporization and ablation

Figure Laser beam machining

(LBM).
 Laser
Laser = Light amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation"
 Laser converts electrical energy into a highly coherent
light beam with following properties:
 Monochromatic (single wave length)
 Highly collimated (light rays are almost perfectly
parallel)
 These properties allow laser light to be focused, using
optical lenses, onto a very small spot with resulting
high power densities
 LBM Applications

 Drilling, slitting, slotting, scribing, and marking

operations

 Drilling small diameter holes - down to 0.025 mm

(0.001 in)

 Generally used on thin stock

 Work materials: metals with high hardness and

strength, soft metals, ceramics, glass and glass epoxy,
plastics, rubber, cloth, and wood
 Laser beam cutting operation

Laser beam cutting operation

performed on sheet metal (photo
courtesy of PRC Corp.).
 Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC)
 Uses plasma stream operating at very high
temperatures to cut metal by melting

Figure Plasma arc cutting

(PAC).
 Operation of PAC

 Plasma = a superheated, electrically ionized gas

 PAC temperatures: 10,000C to 14,000C (18,000F

to 25,000F)

 Plasma arc generated between electrode in torch and

anode workpiece

 The plasma flows through water-cooled nozzle that

constricts and directs stream to desired location
 Applications of PAC

 Most applications of PAC involve cutting of flat

metal sheets and plates

 Hole piercing and cutting along a defined path

 Can be operated by hand-held torch or automated

by CNC

 Can cut any electrically conductive metal

 Most frequently cut metals: carbon steel, stainless

steel, aluminum
 Air Carbon Arc Cutting
Arc is generated between a carbon electrode and metallic
work, and high-velocity air jet blows away melted
portion of metal

 Can be used to form a kerf to sever a piece, or to

gouge a cavity to prepare edges of plates for welding

 Work materials: cast iron, carbon steel, alloy steels,

and various nonferrous alloys

 Spattering of molten metal is a hazard and a

disadvantage
 Other Arc Cutting Processes

 Not as widely used as plasma arc cutting

and air carbon arc cutting:

 Gas metal arc cutting

 Shielded metal arc cutting

 Gas tungsten arc cutting

 Carbon arc cutting

 Oxyfuel Cutting (OFC) Processes

Use heat of combustion of fuel gases combined

with exothermic reaction of metal with oxygen

 Popularly known as flame cutting

 Cutting torch delivers a mixture of fuel gas and

oxygen and directs a stream of oxygen to
cutting region
 Operation of OFC Processes

 Primary mechanism of material removal is

chemical reaction of oxygen with base metal

 Especially in cutting ferrous metals

 Purpose of oxyfuel combustion is to raise the

temperature to support the reaction

 Commonly used to cut ferrous metal plates

 OFC Fuels

 Acetylene (C2H2)

 Highest flame temperature

 Most widely used but hazardous

 MAPP
(methylacetylene-propadiene - C3H4)

 Propylene (C3H6)

 Propane (C3H8)
 OFC Applications
 Performed manually or by machine

 Manual operation, examples of applications:

 Repair work

 Cutting scrap metal

 Trimming risers from sand castings

 Machine flame cutting allows faster speeds and greater

accuracies

 Machine operation often CNC controlled to cut

profiled shapes
 Chemical Machining (CHM)

Material removal through contact with a strong chemical

etchant

 Processes include:

 Chemical milling

 Chemical blanking

 Chemical engraving

 Photochemical machining

 All utilize the same mechanism of material removal

 Steps in Chemical Machining

1. Cleaning - to insure uniform etching

2. Masking - a maskant (resist, chemically resistant to

etchant) is applied to portions of work surface not to
be etched

3. Etching - part is immersed in etchant which

chemically attacks those portions of work surface
that are not masked

4. Demasking - maskant is removed

 Maskant in Chemical Machining

 Materials: neoprene, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene,

and other polymers

 Masking accomplished by any of three methods:

 Cut and peel

 Photographic resist

 Screen resist
 Cut and Peel Maskant Method

 Maskant is applied over entire part by dipping,

painting, or spraying

 After maskant hardens, it is cut by hand using a

scribing knife and peeled away in areas of work
surface to be etched

 Used for large workparts, low production quantities,

and where accuracy is not a critical factor
 Photographic Resist Method

 Masking materials contain photosensitive chemicals

 Maskant is applied to work surface and exposed to

light through a negative image of areas to be etched

 These areas are then removed using photographic

developing techniques

 Remaining areas are vulnerable to etching

 Applications:

 Small parts produced in high quantities

 Integrated circuits and printed circuit cards

 Screen Resist Method
 Maskant applied by “silk screening” methods

 Maskant is painted through a silk or stainless steel

mesh containing stencil onto surface areas that are not
to be etched

 Applications:

 Between other two masking methods

 Fabrication of printed circuit boards

 Etchant

 Factors in selection of etchant:

 Work material

 Depth and rate of material removal

 Surface finish requirements

 Etchant must also be matched with the type of

maskant to insure that maskant material is not
chemically attacked
 Material Removal Rate in CHM

 Generally indicated as penetration rates, mm/min

(in/min), since rate of chemical attack is directed into
surface

 Penetration rate is unaffected by surface area

 Typical penetration between 0.020 and 0.050 mm/min

(0.0008 and 0.002 in./min)
 Undercut in CHM
 Etching occurs downward and sideways under the
maskant

Figure Undercut in chemical machining.

 Chemical Milling

Figure Sequence of processing steps in chemical milling: (1)

clean raw part, (2) apply maskant, (3) scribe, cut, and peel
the maskant from areas to be etched, (4) etch, and (5)
remove maskant and clean to yield finished part.
Applications of Chemical Milling

 Remove material from aircraft wing and fuselage

panels for weight reduction

 Applicable to large parts where substantial amounts

of metal are removed

 Cut and peel maskant method is used

 Chemical Blanking

Uses chemical erosion to cut very thin sheetmetal

parts - down to 0.025 mm (0.001 in) thick and/or for
intricate cutting patterns

 Conventional punch and die does not work because

stamping forces damage the thin sheetmetal, or
tooling cost is prohibitive, or both

 Maskant methods are either photoresist or screen

resist
Figure Parts made by chemical blanking (photo courtesy of Buckbee-Mears
St. Paul).
Photochemical Machining (PCM)

 Uses photoresist masking method

 Applies to chemical blanking and chemical engraving

when photographic resist method is used

 Used extensively in the electronics industry to

produce intricate circuit designs on semiconductor
wafers

 Also used in printed circuit board fabrication

 Possible Part Geometry Features

 Very small holes

 Holes with large depth-to-diameter ratios

 Holes that are not round

 Narrow slots in slabs and plates

 Micromachining

 Shallow pockets and surface details in flat parts

 Special contoured shapes for mold and die

applications
 Work Materials
 As a group the nontraditional processes can be
applied to metals and non-metals

 However, certain processes are not suited to

certain work materials

 Several processes can be used on metals but not

nonmetals:

 ECM

 EDM and wire EDM

 PAM
 For more, Please Read Your Textbook!!!

Mikell P. Groover - Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing_

Materials, Processes, and Systems (7th edition)-John Wiley &
Sons Inc. (2019)

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