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Manufacturing:
Non-traditional Machining
When people hear the word
"machining" they generally think
of machines that utilize mechanical energy
to remove material from the work piece.
Milling machines, saws and lathes are some
of the most common machines using mechanical
energy to remove material. The tool makes
contact with the work piece and the resulting
shear causes the material to flow over the
tool. All traditional forms of metal cutting
use shear as the primary method of material
removal. However, there are other sources
of energy at work.
Chemical energy has a significant
effect on every turning operation. Think
of the effect that different kinds of coolants
have on the cutting action of a tool. Some
amount of chemical energy is being used
in most metal cutting operations. All forms
of manufacturing use more than one type
of energy.
The category of nontraditional
machining covers a broad range of technologies,
including some that are used on a large
scale, and others that are only used in
unique or proprietary applications. These
machining methods generally have higher
energy requirements and slower throughputs
than traditional machining, but have been
developed for applications where traditional
machining methods were impractical, incapable,
or uneconomical.
Nontraditional machining
can be thought of as operations that do
not use shear as their primary source of
energy. For example, abrasive water jet
operations use mechanical energy, but material
is removed by erosion.
Non traditional machining
methods are typically divided into the following
categories:
- Mechanical - Ultrasonic
Machining, Rotary Ultrasonic Machining,
Ultrasonically Assisted Machining
- Electrical - Electrochemical
Discharge Grinding, Electrochemical Grinding,
Electrochemical Honing,Hone-Forming, Electrochemical
Machining, Electrochemical Turning, Shaped
Tube Electrolytic Machining, Electro-Stream
- Thermal - Electron
Beam Machining, Electrical Discharge Machining,
Electrical Discharge Wire Cutting, Electrical
Discharge Grinding, Laser Beam Machining.
- Chemical - Chemical
Milling, Photochemical Machining
These machine tools were
developed primarily to shape the ultrahard
alloys used in heavy industry and in aerospace
applications and to shape and etch the ultrathin
materials used in such electronic devices
as microprocessors.
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