Principles of Machining

Advanced Machining Processes

www.mindsover.com

Types of Advanced Machining Processes

Chemical Machining Electrochemical Machining Electrical Discharge Machining Wire EDM Laser Beam Machining Electron Beam Machining Plasma Arc Cutting Ultrasonic Machining Water Jet Machining Abrasive Jet Machining
www.mindsover.com

The Need for Advanced Machining Processes

Traditional machining processes

Material removal by mechanical means, such as chip forming, abrasion, or micro-chipping Utilize chemical, electrical, and high-energy beams Workpiece strength and hardness very high, >400HB Workpiece material too brittle, glass, ceramics, heat-treated alloys Workpiece too slender and flexible, hard to clamp Part shape complex, long and small hole Special surface and dimensional tolerance requirements
www.mindsover.com

Advanced machining processes

The following cannot be done by traditional processes:

Typical Parts

Skin panel for missiles and aircraft Turbine blades, nozzles, sheet metal, small-diameter deep holes, dies, thick metallic and nonmetallic parts

www.mindsover.com

Chemical Machining (Chem Milling)

Chemicals are used to dissolve material Masks are used to control attack Most common use is circuit boards and plates for printing (Sunday comics and rotogravure) Cutting speed of 0.0025-0.1 mm/minute very slow
www.mindsover.com

Chemical Machining

www.mindsover.com

Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

Combines chemical attack and electrical attack High material removal rate Masking is used to control attack Conforming electrodes are to control shape Commonly used for aircraft parts such as airfoil shapes Normally followed by abrasive finishing or laser peening to remove partially adhering particles Works with a wide variety of metals

www.mindsover.com

Electrochemical Machining

www.mindsover.com

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

www.mindsover.com

Electrical Discharge Machining

Successive electric arcs melt tiny droplets from surface of workpiece Frozen droplets must be flushed away Electrodes are made from graphite, copper or copper-tungsten alloy Material removed from electrode by arc Recast layer of approximately 0.001 in depth left on surface Secondary process such as chemical machining used to remove recast layer
www.mindsover.com

10

Wire EDM

www.mindsover.com

11

Wire EDM

Uses fine brass wire Wire is used once Easily computer controlled Cutting path must contain straight lines Slow cutting speed Wire breakage is a problem Shallower recast layer than conventional EDM

www.mindsover.com

12

Laser Beam Machining

www.mindsover.com

13

Laser Beam Machining

Direct laser beam against surface of workpiece, as in laser welding Successive pulses from laser gun vaporize tiny bits of workpiece Location of laser beam controlled by computer Workpiece need not be conductive Cuts are tapered Gotta trap overshoot from laser beam
www.mindsover.com

14

Laser Beam Machining (cont)

Produces large remelt zone Can produce holes as small as 0.0002 diameter Can produce deep holes Used to produce cooling holes in blades/vanes for jet engines

www.mindsover.com

15

Electron Beam Machining

Workpiece placed in vacuum chamber High-voltage electron beam directed toward workpiece Energy of electron beam melts/ vaporizes selected region of workpiece Electron beam moved by deflection coils Similar process to EB welding
www.mindsover.com

16

Electron Beam Machining

www.mindsover.com

17

Plasma Arc Cutting

Plasma is a stream of ionized gas Typical temperatures are very high Same process as plasma welding, without filler metal Torch movement controlled by computer Power requirements depend on material being cut, plus depth of cut Recast layer is deeper than with other processes

www.mindsover.com

18

Ultrasonic Machining

Abrasive slurry flows over top of workpiece (loose particles) Cutting tool vibrated by ultrasonic energy Abrasive particles between tool and workpiece do the machining Works well with hard, brittle workpieces

www.mindsover.com

19

Water Jet Machining

Narrow jet of water directed, at high pressure and velocity, against surface of workpiece Jet of water erodes surface of workpiece, thereby cutting workpiece Computer control to achieve shape

www.mindsover.com

20

Water Jet Machining

www.mindsover.com

21

Abrasive Jet Machining (Dry)

Similar to sand blasting, except that a very narrow jet of air/abrasive particles achieves localized cutting Computer used to position jet

www.mindsover.com

22

Abrasive Jet Machining

www.mindsover.com

23

Nanofabrication Methods

Typically used in the semiconductor industry Combines the lithography technique of chemical machining with an atomic force microscope May incorporate plasma cutting, reduced to nano scale

www.mindsover.com

24

Economics of Advanced Machining Processes

High cost of equipment, which typically includes computer control May use hard tooling, soft tooling, or both Low production rates Can be used with difficult-to-machine materials Highly repeatable Typically requires highly skilled operators

www.mindsover.com

25

Cincinnati Area Advanced Machining Companies

Graphel Wire EDM and Electrodes Sermatech-Lehr Precision Electrochemical Machining Andrews Laser Works Laser Cutting, Welding and Drilling Meyer Tool Laser Drilling and EDM Barnes Aerospace EDM Grinding of Honeycomb Cincinnati, Inc Laser and Plasma Arc Machines Enginetics EB Welding Elano Electrochemical Machining

www.mindsover.com

26