Special machining

processes
• In recent years the metallurgical side of the
engineering industry has developed and
introduced new metals, such as the nimonic
alloys, and the titanium alloys, some of these are
harder, stronger and more temperature resistant
than the older materials.
• This has led to the development and application of
new metal removing processes.
 Cont’d

• One group of the special machining

processes can be classed under electrical
machining processes. These are:
• Electrical discharge machining
• Electrical machining and
• Electrochemical grinding
The advantages of electrical machining:

• Tool forces do not increase as the work

metal gets harder.
• Economic metal removal rate does not
decrease as the work metal gets harder
and
• Tool material does not have to be harder
than the work metal.
Limitation
• The w/p must be an electrical conductor.
 Electrical Discharge Machining (E.D.M)
• two electrodes used to produce the spark;
one electrode being the tool and the other
electrode being the work.
• work is made positive and the tool
negative,( hence giving max. metal
removal rate to the work and min. wear
rate to the tool.)
Electrical Discharge Machining
(E.D.M)
 Cont’d

• As tool (negative electrode) is fed in to the work

piece causing sparking to occur between the
closest point of approach between the tool and
the work.
• As it enters the work, sparking occurs equally
across the whole area of the tool front face
causing the tool form to be reproduced upon the
work.
• Machining, or metal removal, is possible
because of repetitive sparks of short duration
 Electro Chemical Machining (E.C.M)

• The process makes use of the principle of

electrolysis.
• In effect, the process is the reverse of
electroplating
• the work material must be an electrical
conductor.
 Cont’d

Faraday’s Laws of Electrolysis

• “The weight of substance produced during
electrolysis is directly proportional to the
current which passes, the length of time of
the electrolysis process, and the
equivalent weight of the material which is
deposited
 Cont’d

• the object to be plated is the negative electrode

(cathode) may be steel. The positive electrode is
called anode and will be made of copper.
• The liquid electrolyte is a solution of copper
sulphate (CuSo4).
• When the current is passed, into electrodes, the
electric potential between the plates dissociate
the (CuSo4) in to positive copper ions and
negative So4 ions.
• The Cu ions are attracted to the cathode are
deposited as metal.
Cont’d
 Cont’d

• The So4 ions are attracted to the

anode where they attack the copper,
hence causing more CuSo4 to be
formed.
• This replaces that removed from the
solution by the electric process
 Principle of E.C.M.

• In this case the reverse of electroplating is

applied, so the w/p becomes the anode,
and the tool the cathode.
• Therefore, the work loses metal, but
before it can be plated on to the tool, the
dissolved metal is pumped away by the
flow ing electrolyte.
E.C.M.
 Cont’d

•unlike EDM, it not necessary for the work

to be submerged in the liquid solution;
• electrolyte is pumped around at light
speed.
•no tool to the work contact unlike EDM;
• there is no tool wear, giving very long
tool life
 Cont’d

• As the tool does not wear, away during

machining, it is not necessary to have a servo
control system.
Electrolyte serves two purposes:
• It is necessary the electrolytic process to work
• It removes the heat generated in the cutting
zone due to the flow of high current.
 Electro Chemical Grinding (E.C.G)

• E.C.M. has been adapted in several ingenious

ways and can simulate most of the conventional
machining processes. For example
• Electrochemical milling
• Electrochemical shaping
• Electrochemical honing and
• Electro chemical Grinding
 Cont’d

• widely used for the grinding of tungsten

carbide tool tips.
• higher metal removal rates are possible,
particularly upon hard materials without
inducing grinding cracks.
• The process is more economical (if the
abrasive is expensive, like diamond grit)
 Cont’d

Electrochemical Grinding
 Cont’d

• The work (anode) and wheel (cathode) do not

make direct contact with each other because
they are kept apart by the insulating abrasive
particles which is protruded from the face of the
grinding wheel.
• A constant gap of 0.025 mm is maintained into
which a stream of electrolyte is directed.
• The electrolyte is carried past the work surface
at high speed by rotary action of the grinding
wheel.
 Ultrasonic machining

• It is a very specialized metal removal process

being mainly confined to the drilling of circular or
non-circular holes in exceptionally brittle
materials.
• Fine drilling holes 0.01mm in diameter
• very brittle electrically non-conducting materials
such as glass and ceramics, and the semi-
precious stones such as sapphires.
 Cont’d

• The principles of operation are that of

Using a tool vibrating at ultrasonic speeds,
frequencies to the order of 20000Hz
(human ear is unable to detect above
15000Hz).
• An amplitude of 0.05mm used.
• In operation, the tool cannot be seen to be
reciprocating or vibrating.
 Cont’d

Fig. 1 0 Ultrasonic Machining

 Cont’d
• The tool vibrates against the work surface
while abrasive slurry is fed between the tool-
cutting surface and the work;

• the loose abrasive in slurry is hammered

into the work surface, the material being
removed by the chipping action of each
abrasive particle.
 Cont’d

• Feed rates of the tool through the work are

low (being up to a maximum of 0.1mm/s.)

• The abrasive used is usually boron

carbide in a very fine grain size,
suspended in water to give the slurry.
• The water also acts as a coolant;
• Silicon carbide in paraffin has also been
used.
 Electron Beam Machining (E.B.M)

• The process uses a high energy beam of

electrons which can be focused magnetically
upon a very small area (0.003mm diameter).
• The kinetic energy of the beam (half the velocity
of light, i.e., 160,000 km/s) is converted into heat
energy up on striking the work piece, and raises
it temperature locally in that very small area to
above boiling point.
• Hence, the material is vaporized on very fine
holes could be drilled in difficult materials such
as sapphire
 Cont’d

Fig. 11.Electron Beam Machining

 Laser Beam Machining (L.B.M.)

• A laser is a device which generates, amplifies

and emits a concentrated beam of light energy,
• several times brighter than the light emitted
by the sun,
• L.B.M. is similar to E.B.M., both processes
utilize a high energy beam, can be focused upon
a small area.
• in fact, the nature of the beams is entirely
different.
 Laser beam machining

• Laser beam machining

Laser beam machining

 Cont’d

• The simulation lam shown in fig.7 above is a

tungsten-halogen or krypton-are flash lamp with
a power source of 250 to 1000 watts. This is
located near the gas medium (or solid crystal
rod in the case of a solid-state laser).
• The light from the lamp is reflected and focused
onto the gas by mirrors located inside the
discharge tube. “Optical pumping” process
excites the atoms in the laser medium (gas) and
raises them to a high energy level.
 Cont’d

• This results in the emission of a highly

amplified light beam. In turn the light beam
from the laser is focused onto the work
piece.
• CO2 lasers have been found especially
useful for processing plastic materials.
 Cont’d

Some comparison between E.B.M

and L.B.M.
• laser needs no vacuum.
• Power densities are greater for lasers
than electron beam.
 Plasma Jet Machining (P.J.M.)

• All gases burning at high temperature are

ionized gases, and the use of oxygen-acetylene
and other similar gases like plasma torches are
similar for metal cutting, but the chemical energy
of the flame temperature is increased by the
addition of electrical means.
• Compare plasma temperatures of 16500°C
with oxyacetylene temperatures of 3000°C.
 Cont’d

• In a plasma gun, an inert gas such as argon is

passed through a small chamber in which an arc
is maintained.
• Electrons flow from the cathode to the anode,
ionizing the gas.
• The gas molecules then disassociate using large
amounts of thermal energy to be librated.
• The ionized gases are forced through the nozzle
of the plasma fun.
 Cont’d

In principle there are two main types of

plasma systems:
• The transferred arc and
• The no-transferred arc
Cont’d
 END

END OF CLASS

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