ME 350 – Lecture 21 – Chapter 26

NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING PROCESSES

1. Mechanical Energy Processes (USM, WJC, AJM)
- high velocity stream of abrasives or fluid (or both)
2. Electrochemical Processes (ECM)
- reverse of electroplating
3. Thermal Processes (EDM, Wire EDM, EBM, LBM, PAC)
- vaporizing of a small area of work surface
4. Chemical Processes (CHM, Chemical Blanking, PCM)
- chemical etching of areas unprotected by “maskant”
Nontraditional machining is characterized by material
removal that:
 Nontraditional Processes Used When:

1. Material is either very hard, brittle or both; or

material is very ductile:

2. Part geometry is complex or geometric

requirements impossible with conventional
methods:

3. Need to avoid surface damage or contamination

that often accompanies conventional machining:
1. Mechanical Energy Processes

• Ultrasonic machining (USM)

• Water jet cutting (WJC)

• Abrasive jet machining (AJM)

1a) Ultrasonic Machining (USM)

Abrasives in a slurry are driven at high velocity against

work by a vibrating tool (low amplitude & 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
USM Applications
• Used only on hard and brittle work materials:

• Shapes include non-round holes, holes along a

curved axis
• “Coining operations” - pattern on tool is
imparted to a flat work surface
• Produces virtually stress free shapes
• Holes as small as 0.076 mm have been made
1b) Water Jet Cutting (WJC)

• Uses high pressure, high

velocity stream of water
directed at work surface
for cutting
 WJC Applications
• Usually automated using CNC or industrial robots
• Best used to cut narrow slits in flat stock such as:

• Not suitable for:

• When used on metals, you need to add to the
water stream:
• Smallest kerf width about 0.4 mm for metals, and
0.1mm for plastics and non-metals.
• More info: http://www.waterjets.org/index.html
WJC Advantages
• No crushing or burning of work surface
• Minimum material loss
• No environmental pollution
• Ease of automation
1c) Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM)
High velocity gas stream containing abrasive
particles (aka: sand blasting or bead blasting)

– Normally used as a finishing process rather than

cutting process (e.g. gas sandpaper)
– Applications: deburring, cleaning, and polishing.
2. Electrochemical Machining Processes
• Electrical energy used
in combination with
chemical reactions to
remove material
• Reverse of:

• Work material must be Courtesy of AEG-Elotherm-Germany

a:
• Feature dimensions
down to about 10 μm
 Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

Material removal by anodic dissolution, using

electrode (tool) in close proximity to work but
separated by a rapidly flowing electrolyte
ECM Operation
Material is deplated from anode workpiece
( pole) and transported to a cathode tool
( pole) in an electrolyte bath
• Electrolyte flows rapidly between two poles to
carry off deplated material, so it does not:

• Electrode materials: Cu, brass, or stainless steel

• Tool shape is the:
– Tool size must allow for the gap
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
• No burrs created – no residual stress

Schuster et al, Science 2000 Trimmer et al, APL 2003

Material Removal Rate of ECM
• Based on Faraday's First Law: rate of metal dissolved is
proportional to the current
MRR = Aƒr = ηCI
where I = current; A = frontal area of the electrode (mm2),
ƒr = feed rate (mm/s), and η = efficiency coefficient
M
C= = specific removal rate with work material;
n rF

M = atomic weight of metal (kg/mol)

r = density of metal (kg/m3),
F = Faraday constant (Coulomb)
n = valency of the ion;
 Equations for ECM (Cont’)

Gap, g

• Resistance of Electrode:

g Area, A
R =r
A
r is the resistivity of the
electrolyte fluid (Ohm∙m)
 Example: ECM through a plate

• Aluminum plate, thickness t = 12 mm;

• Rectangular hole to be cut:
L = 30mm, W = 10mm
10mm
• Applied current: I = 1200 amps. 30mm
• Efficiency of 95%,

Determine how long it will take to cut the hole?

Ideal CAl = 3.44×10-2 mm3/amp∙s
- other ‘C’ values in Table 26.1
Solution:
3. Thermal Energy Processes - Overview

• Very high temperatures, but only:

– Material is removed by:

• Problems and concerns:

– Redeposition of vaporized metal

– Surface damage and metallurgical damage to the

new work surface

– In some cases, resulting finish is so poor that

subsequent processing is required
3. Thermal Energy Processes

• Electric discharge machining (EDM)

• Electric discharge wire cutting (Wire EDM)
• Electron beam machining (EBM)
• Laser beam machining (LBM)
• Plasma arc cutting or machining (PAC)
 3a) Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)

• One of the most widely used nontraditional processes

• Shape of finished work is inverse of tool shape
• Sparks occur across a small gap between tool and work
• Holes as small as 0.3mm can be made with feature
sizes (radius etc.) down to ~2μm
Work Materials in EDM

• Work materials must be:

• Hardness and strength of work material are:

• Material removal rate depends primarily on:

• Applications:
– Molds and dies for injection molding and forging
– Machining of hard or exotic metals
– Sheetmetal stamping dies.
3b) Wire EDM

• EDM uses small diameter wire as electrode to

cut a narrow kerf in work – similar to a:
 Material Removal Rate of EDM
• Weller Equation (Empirical);

Maximum rate: RMR = KI

1.23
Tm
where K = 664 (°C1.23∙mm3/amp∙s);

I = discharge current; Tm = melt

temp of work material While cutting, wire is

• Actual material removal rate: continuously advanced

between supply spool
MRR = vf ∙h∙wkerf
and take-up spool to:

where vf = feed rate; h = workpiece

thickness; wkerf = kerf width

Wire EDM Applications
• Ideal for stamp and 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
 3c) Electron Beam Machining (EBM)

• Part loaded inside a

vacuum chamber

• Beam is focused through

electromagnetic lens,
reducing diameter to as
small as 0.025 mm

• Material is vaporized in a
very localized area
EBM Applications

• 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
• Disadvantage: slow and expensive
3d) Laser Beam Machining (LBM)
• Generally used for:
drilling, slitting,
slotting, scribing,
and marking
operations
• Holes can be
made down to
0.025 mm
• Generally used on
thin stock material
 3e) Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC)
• Uses plasma stream at
very high temperatures to
cut metal 10,000C to
14,000C
• Plasma arc generated
between electrode in torch
and workpiece
• The plasma flows through
water-cooled nozzle that
constricts and directs
plasma stream to desired
location
 Applications of PAC
• Most applications of PAC involve
cutting of 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:

• Hole sizes generally larger than 2 mm

 4. Chemical Machining (CHM)

CHM Process:
• Cleaning - to insure uniform etching
• Masking - a maskant (resist, chemically resistant to etchant)
is applied to portions of work surface not to be etched
• Patterning of maskant
• Etching - part is immersed in etchant which chemically
attacks those portions of work surface that are not masked
• Demasking - maskant is removed
 Maskant - Photographic Resist Method
• Masking materials contain photosensitive chemicals
• Maskant is applied to work surface (dip coated, spin
coated, or roller coated) 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 on thin stock produced in high quantities
– Integrated circuits and printed circuit cards
Material Removal Rate in CHM
• Generally indicated as penetration rates, i.e. mm/min.
• Penetration rate unaffected by exposed surface area
• Etching occurs downward and under the maskant
d
• In general, , Etch Factor: Fe=
u
(see Table 26.2 pg 637)
Chemical Blanking
• Uses CHM to cut very thin
sheetmetal parts - down to
0.025 mm thick and/or for
intricate cutting patterns

• Conventional punch and

die does not work because
stamping forces damage Parts made by chemical
the thin sheetmetal, or blanking (photo courtesy of
Buckbee-Mears St. Paul).
tooling cost is prohibitive
CHM Possible Part Geometry Features
• Very small holes
• 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
Quotes:

• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,

then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle
• If you want others to be happy, practice
compassion. If you want to be happy, practice
compassion. - Dalai Lama
• When the heart grieves over what it has lost,
the spirit rejoices over what it has left. - Sufi
Epigram
• A great pleasure in life is doing what people
say you cannot do. - Walter Bagehot