Unit 5

Unconventional Machining
Contents
 Need & Benefits
 Application & Working
 EDM
 ECM
 LBM
 EBM
 USM
 AJM
 WJM
 Introduction to Hybrid Machining

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 Non-Traditional Machining
 Traditional machining is mostly based on removal of materials using tools that are
harder than the materials
 New and novel materials because of their greatly improved chemical, mechanical and
thermal properties are sometimes impossible to machine using traditional machining
processes
 Traditional machining methods are often ineffective in machining hard materials like
ceramics and composites or machining under very tight tolerances
 The need to avoid surface damage that often accompanies the stresses created by
conventional machining. Example- Aerospace and Electronics industries
Need and Benefits of Non-Traditional Machining
There is need of non-traditional machining over conventional machining in following areas
 Conventional machining sufficed the requirement of the industries
 Requirement of Intricate and innovative geometrical design of products and
components
 Requirement of desired dimensional accuracy, tolerances and surface finish
 Machining of composites (harder materials)
 Deep hole with small hole diameter – 1.5 mm hole with l/d = 20
 Low stress induced machining
 Difficult to machine material – like Inconel, Ti-alloyes or carbides

Classification of non-traditional processes

 Mechanical Processes: Erosion of the work material by a high velocity stream of
abrasives or fluids (or both)
 USM (Ultrasonic Machining)
 AJM (Abrasive Jet Machining)
 WJM (Water Jet Machining) and AWJM (Abrasive Water Jet Machining)
 Thermal Processes: The thermal energy is applied to a very small portion of the work
surface, causing that portion to be removed by fusion and/or vaporization of the
material. The thermal energy is generated by conversion of electrical energy
 EBM (Electron Beam Machining)
 LBM (Laser Beam Machining)
 PAM (Plasma Arc Machining)
 EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) WEDM (Wire Electrical Discharge
Machining)
 Electrical Chemical Processes: Mechanism of reverse of electroplating

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  ECM (Electro Chemical Machining)
 EDG (Electrical Discharge Grinding)
 EJD (Electro Jet Drilling)
 Chemical Processes: Most materials are susceptible to chemical attack by certain acids
or other etchants. In chemical machining, chemicals selectively remove material from
portions of the work part, while other portions of the surface are protected by a mask
 Chemical Milling
 Photo Chemical Machining

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 EDM
Introduction
 EDM is a electro-thermal process which makes use of spark discharges to erode the
material from the work piece surface
 The cavity formed in EDM is a replica of the tool shape used as the erosions occur in the
confined area
 The material removal in EDM takes place through a rapid series of electrical discharges
 These discharges pass between the electrode and the work piece being machined
 The fine chips of material removed from the work piece gets flushed away by the
continuous flowing dielectric fluid
 The repetitive discharges creates a set of successively deeper craters in the work piece
until final shape is produced
Set-up: Construction
 In this process the work piece and tool are submerged into a non-conducting, dielectric
fluid which is separated by a small gap (for sparking)
 Dielectric- The dielectric fluid insulates the work piece from the tool and creates the
resistance of electricity flow between the electrodes
 Dielectric fluid should provide an oxygen free machining environment to avoid oxidation
 Dielectric fluid should have enough strong dielectric resistance so that it does not
breakdown electrically too easily but at the same time ionize when electrons collide
with its molecule
 Dielectric fluid should be thermally resistant during sparking
 The dielectric fluid may be typical hydrocarbon oil (kerosene oil) or de-ionized water
 It also helps in cooling down the tool and work piece, clears the inter-electrode gap
(IEG) and concentrates the spark energy to a small cross-sectional area under the
electrode
 Generally the tool is connected to the negative terminal of the generator and the work
piece is connected to positive terminal

 Characteristics of electrode tool material: easy manufacturability, cheaper, higher

density, higher thermal conductivity, higher electrical conductivity, higher melting point

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  Common electrode tool material- graphite, electrolytic oxygen free copper, brass, cast
iron
Working Principle
 As the two electrodes come closer to one another the electric field intensity increases
beyond the strength of the dielectric enabling it to break and thereby allow the current
to flow between the two electrodes
 As a result of this effect intense heat gets generated near the zone which melts and
evaporates the material in the sparking zone
 As the flow of current is momentarily stopped some fresh dielectric liquid particles
come in position between the inter-electrode gap which restores the insulating
properties of the dielectric

 The solid particles (debris) are carried away by the flowing dielectric
 The sparks occur at spots where the tool and the work piece surfaces are closest and
since the spots change after each spark (because of the material removal after each
spark), the spark travels all over the surfaces
 The results in uniform removal of material, hence exact shape get reproduced on the
work piece surface

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Material removal mechanism (thermo-electric phenomena)

 An intense electric field develops in the gap between electrode and work piece
 There are some contaminants inside the dielectric fluid which build a high conductivity
bridge between the electrode and work piece
 When the voltage increases the bridge and dielectric fluid between the work piece and
electrode heat up
 The dielectric is ionized to form a spark channel. The temperature and pressure rapidly
increase and a spark is generated
 A small amount of material is evaporated on the electrode and work piece at the spark
contact point
 Bubbles rapidly expand and explode during sparking until the voltage is turned off.
 Next the heating channel collapses and the dielectric fluid enters into the gap in order to
flush away the molten metal particles
Material removal rate depends on following factors
 Peak amperage or intensity of the spark
 Length of the ON time
 OFF time influences the speed and stability
 Duty cycle: percentage of ON time relative to total cycle time
 Gap distance: smaller the gap better is the accuracy and slower is the material
removal rate
Surface finish
 Surface roughness in EDM would increase with increase in spark energy

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  Surface finish can be improved by decreasing working voltage, working current and
pulse on time
Flaws in EDM: Taper cut and overcut
 In EDM the spark occurs between the two nearest point on the tool and work piece
 Thus machining may occur on the side surface as well as leading to overcut and taper
cut
 Taper cut can be prevented by suitable insulation of the tool
 Overcut can be prevented as it is inherent to the EDM process, but the tool design can
be done can be done in such a way so that same gets compensated

Advantages of EDM
 Any materials that are electrically conductive can be machined by EDM
 Materials regardless of their hardness, strength, toughness and microstructure can be
machined easily
 The tool (electrode) and work piece are free from cutting forces
 Edge machining and sharp corners are possible in EDM process
 The tool making is easier as it can be made from softer and easily formable materials
like copper, brass and graphite
 The process produces good surface finish, accuracy and repeatability
 It is a burr free process
 Hard die materials with complicated shapes can be machined easily with good surface
finish and
 Due to presence of dielectric fluid, there is very little heating of the bulk material

Limitations of EDM
 MRR is low, making the process economical only for very hard and difficult to machine
materials

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  Re-cast layers and micro-cracks are inherent features of the EDM process thereby
making surface quality poor
 The EDM process is not suitable for non conductors
 Rapid electrode wear makes the process more costly
 Surface produced by EDM generally have a matt type appearance, requiring further
polishing to attain a glossy finish

Applications of EDM
 Hardened steel dies, stamping tools, wire drawing and extrusion dies, forging dies,
intricate mould cavities are made by EDM process
 EDM being a non-contact type of machining process, it is very well suited for making
fragile parts which cannot take the stress of machining- electronic components, printer
parts, honeycomb shapes
 Deep cavities, slots and ribs can be easily made by EDM
 Micro-EDM process can successfully produce, micro-pins, micro-nozzles and micro-
cavities

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Wire Electric Discharge Machining

 This is a variation of the electrical discharge machining

 It works on the same principle as EDM
 The main difference is that instead of a shaped tool an endless wire is employed which
acts as an electrode
 The discharge takes place between the wire and the work piece and as the cutting
proceeds the wire is traversed forward thereby making a slot through the entire
thickness of the work piece
 The wire diameter may vary from 0.075 mm to 0.3 mm
 The wire passes through the gap with a speed of 2 to 150 m/s
 The wire may be of copper, brass, tungsten or molybdenum
 Application: Manufacturing of punches, dies, stripper plates and for making electrodes
for the EDM process

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 ECM

Introduction

 Electro-chemical machining is a method of removing metal by an electrochemical

process
 It is used for machining extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to
machine using conventional methods
 This process is used for electrically conductive materials
 External or internal cavities can be created by this process in hard steel such as titanium,
Hastelloy, Inconel and Carbide
 ECM is opposite to electroplating process because it removes material instead of
depositing
 ECM is similar to EDM where a high current is passed between the tool (cathode) and
the work piece (anode) through a conductive fluid (electrolyte)
 In ECM there is no tool wear
 ECM is based fundamentally on electrolysis phenomena
 Electrolysis: it is a chemical phenomenon that occurs between two conductors dipped in
a suitable solution (electrolyte) when electric current is passed between them

Working Principle: Mechanism of metal removal in ECM

 The working principle of ECM is shown in the figure where work piece and tool are the
anode and cathode respectively
 In the electrolytic cell a constant potential difference usually of about 10 V is applied
across them
 A suitable electrolyte is chosen

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 In order to remove the products of machining the electrolyte is pumped through the
gap between the two electrodes
 The rate at which metal is then removed from anode (work piece) is approximately in
inverse proportion to the distance between the electrodes
 As the machining is proceeds there is a simultaneous movement of the cathode (tool)
towards the anode (work piece)
 The width of the gap along the electrode length will gradually tend towards a steady-
state value
 Under such conditions a shape which is roughly complementary to that of the cathode
will be reproduced on the anode
 The electrochemical machining system has the following modules: Power supply,
electrolyte filtration and delivery system, tool feed system and working tank

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Advantages of ECM
 No heat affected zone is formed
 Harder metals than the tool can be machined
 The hardness of the material does not affect the material removal rate
 Complex shape can be machined on hard materials
 No tool wear occurs
 Burr-free products are obtained in this process
 There is no tool to work piece contact
 There is no cutting forces therefore clamping is not required except for controlled
motion of the work piece
 The products obtained are free from physical and thermal strains
 High surface quality along with high dimensional accuracies are attainable

Limitations of ECM
 The cost of tooling is high
 Energy consumption is high. Power consumption is more as the ECM processes operates
at high current and relatively low voltages (5-15 V)
 The saline electrolyte poses a risk of corrosion to the tool, work piece and the
equipment
 The electrode design is complex and has initial cost however it has a longer life

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Material Removal Rate: Modeling
 MRR is an important characteristic to evaluate efficiency of a non-traditional machining
process
 In ECM material removal takes place due to atomic dissolution of work material
 Electrochemical dissolution is given by Faraday’s laws
 First Law: states that the amount of electrochemical dissolution of deposition is
proportional to amount of charge passed through the electrochemical cell, which is
expressed as
mQ
where m = mass of material dissolved or deposited
Q = amount of charge passed
 Second Law: states that the amount of material deposited or dissolved further depends
on electrochemical equivalence (ECE) of the material that is again the ratio of the
atomic weight and valency
A
m  ECE 
v
QA
thus m 
v
where F = Faraday's constant = 96500 coulombs
itA
 m
Fv
m iA
 MRR  
t F  v
where i  current and   density of material

Applications
 Die Sinking

 Profiling and contouring

 Trepanning

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 Grinding
 Drilling

 Micro-machining

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 LBM
Laser Beam Machining
Introduction
 Laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
 Laser beam machining is a technology that uses a laser beam (narrow beam of intense
monochromatic light) to cut required shapes or profile in almost all types of materials
 In this process output of a high power laser beam is directed in a programmed manner
towards the material required to be cut
 The high amount of heat thus generated either melts or vaporizes away the material at
the focused region
 The process can be used to make precise holes in thin sheets and materials
Various Lasing materials
 Ruby laser
 Nd-glass lasers
 Nd-YAG laser
 Helium-Neon laser
 Argon
 CO2 laser
Mechanism of material removal/Cutting using laser beam

 Place the work piece on the table. As there is absence of cutting forces, fewer work
holding devices are needed
 The focal point of the laser in intentionally focused onto the surface of the work piece
for providing the heat in a concentric manner
 Due to striking of laser beam heat is generated at the work piece surface and as a result
the material vaporizes instantly, producing kerf in the material
 The movement of machine axis is controlled through the computer control which helps
to achieve the required profiles of the work piece
 Heat affected zone (HAZ) is minimal in laser as compared to flame cutting
 To clear the molten metal that has yet not vaporized or clogged on the surface of the
work piece the assist gas (inert gas) under pressure is passed on to the work piece
Schematic of laser cutting
 When power is supplied by the PFN (pulse-forming network), an intense pulse of
light (photons) is released through one end of the crystal rod
 The laser light will pass on through the shutter assembly to the angled mirror
and down through the focusing lens to the work piece

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  The laser light beam is coherent and has a very high energy content
 When focused on the desired surface, laser light creates intense heat which can
be further used for welding, cutting and drilling applications

Advantages
 The ability to cut almost all the materials
 No limit to cutting paths as the laser point can move in any paths
 No cutting lubricants are required

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  As there is an absence of direct contact between the tool and work piece, thus no forces
are induced and as a result it is not necessary to provide the work holding devices to
hold the system
 The fragile materials are easy to cut on a laser without any support
 There is no tooling cost or associated wear costs due to it
 Laser produces high quality cuts without extra finishing requirements
Limitations
 Lasers processes involve high capital investments and high operating costs
 Laser holes are tapered to some extent (approximately 1% of the drill depth)
 It cannot drill blind holes to precise depths. Hence there is limitation on its thickness
 Reflected laser lights can lead to safety hazards
 Assist or cover glasses are required for safety purposes
 Heat affected through the lasers may change the mechanical properties of the metallic
materials and alloys
Applications
 LBM is used for making very accurate sized holes as small as 5 microns in metals,
ceramics and composites without warpage
 It is widely used for fine and accurate drilling and cutting of metallic and non -metallic
materials
 This process is widely used by Electronic and automotive industries

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 EBM
Electron Beam Machining
Introduction
 EBM and LBM are thermal processes considering the mechanism of material removal
 However, in EBM electrical energy is used to generate high-energy electrons where as in
LBM electrical energy is used to generate high-coherent photons
 These two processes (EBM and LBM) are often classified as electro-optical-thermal
processes
Process: Material removal
 Electron beam is generated in an electron beam gun
 Electron beam gun provides high velocity electrons over a small spot size (10-100
microns)
 Electron beam machining is required to be carried out in vacuum, otherwise the
electrons would interact with the air molecules, thus they would loose their energy and
cutting ability
 Thus the work piece to be machined is located under the electron beam and is kept
under vacuum
 The high energy electron beam is made to impinge on the work piece, the kinetic energy
of the high velocity electrons is converted to heat energy as the electrons strike the
material
 Due to high power density instant melting and vaporization starts and melt gradually
 Holes can be drilled in thin sheets using a single pulse, for thicker plates, multiple pulses
would be required

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Electron Beam Machining Equipment
 Electron beam gun consists of cathode generally made of tungsten or tantalum
 Such cathode filaments are heated to a temperature of around 2500°C
 Such heating leads to thermo-ionic emission of electrons which is further enhanced by
maintaining very low vacuum within the chamber of electron beam gun
 The electrons generated by cathode gets attracted by anode section during this
electrons attain very high speed (close to speed half of speed of light)
 After the anode electron beam passes through a series of magnetic lenses and apertures
 The magnetic lenses shape the beam and try to reduce the divergence
 Apertures allow only the convergent electrons to pass. This way apertures and lenses
improve the quality of electron beam
 Then the electron beam passes through the final section of the electromagnetic lens and
deflection coil
 The electromagnetic lens focuses the electron beam to a desired spot
 The deflection coil can manoeuvre the electron beam through by a small amount to
improve shape of machined holes
 Work piece is mounted on a CNC table so that holes of any shape can be machined using
CNC control
 One of the major requirements of EBM operation of electron beam gun is maintenance
of desired vacuum
 Level of vacuum within the gun is of the order of 10 -4 to 10-6 Torr. Vacuum is maintained
by using a combination of rotary pump and diffusion pump

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Advantages
 EBM provides very high drilling rates when small holes with large aspect ratio are to be
drilled
 It can almost any material irrespective of their mechanical properties
 As it applies no mechanical cutting force, work holding cost is very less
 Fragile and brittle materials can also be processed
 Heat affected zone in EBM is less due to shorter pulses
 EBM can provide holes of any shape by combining beam deflection using
electromagnetic coils and the CNC table with high accuracy
Limitations
 High capital cost of equipment and necessary regular maintenance of equipments
 Highly skilled operator is required
 Interaction of the electron beam with the work piece surface produces hazardous X-ray,
hence shielding is necessary
 Vacuum is essentially required
 Very high voltage is required to accelerate the electrons
Applications
 EBM is particularly suitable for producing small diameter holes
 It is specially adopted for micro-machining
 Machining of thin materials, cutting of slots
 Used in electronics industry

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 USM
Ultrasonic Machining
Introduction
 USM is a mechanical material removal process
 It is used to erode material in the form of fine holes and cavities in hard or brittle work
piece through the use of formed tools, vibrations of high frequency along with the use
of a suitable abrasive slurry mix
 USM is suitable for machining brittle materials such as glass, ceramics, and
semiconductors
 USM is non-thermal and non-chemical process which creates no change in the
properties of work piece
 Cutting is performed by the abrasive particles which are suspended in the slurry (fluid)
 Material removal takes place through the abrading action of the grit loaded slurry which
circulates between the tool and the work piece
 Small amplitudes and high frequency of vibrations are given to the tool typically in the
range of 10-20 microns and 20-40 kHz
 Material removal takes place in the form of fine grains by shear deformation
 Ultrasonic machine equipment

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Mechanism of Material Removal

 Mechanical abrasion: occurs due to the hammering effect of abrasive particles on work
piece through the tool
 Impact: the freely moving particles impact with a certain velocity on the work piece
resulting in micro chipping
 Erosion: due to cavitation effect of the abrasive slurry erosion of the work surface
occurs
 Chemical: due to fluid employed chemical effect can come into consideration
Advantages
 In USM there is no change in properties of material
 Stressed induced in material is also very less
 Cutting forces are very low
 Work piece is unstressed, undistorted and free from heat effects
 There is no direct contact of the tool and work piece due to slurry used. Surfaces
produced are free from stress and damages
 The process is free from burrs and distortions
 The process is suitable for any materials irrespective of electrical conductivity
 The process is very much suitable for machining brittle materials
Limitations
 Soft materials like lead and plastics are not suitable for machining by the USM
process since they tend to absorb the abrasive particles rather than to chip
under impact
 USM process consumes higher power and has lower material removal rates
compared to traditional fabrication processes
 The tool wear rate in USM process is fast

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  As the USM process continues the lateral wear of the tool increases gradually
and it tends to make holes tapered
 The holes produced in USM have a tendency to break out at the bottom due to
static load and high amplitudes
 While producing deeper holes through USM process, there is ineffective slurry
circulation leading to presence of a fewer active grains under the tool face, due
to this the bottom surfaces of blind holes tend to become slightly concave
Applications
 USM process is used in machining hard and brittle metallic alloys,
semiconductors, glass, ceramics, carbides etc.
 In machining of wire drawing, punching or blanking of small dies
 Drilling small holes in helicopter power transmission shafts and gears
 Machining ceramic substrate for drilling holes in borosilicate glass for the sensors
used in electronic industries

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 AJM
Abrasive Jet Machining
Introduction
 In AJM, abrasive particles are made to impinge on the work material at a high velocity
 The jet of abrasive particles is carried by carrier gas or air
 The high velocity stream of abrasive is generated by converting the pressure energy of
the carrier gas or air to its kinetic energy with the help of nozzle and hence high velocity
jet
 The nozzle directs the abrasive jet in a controlled manner onto the work material so that
the distance between the nozzle and work piece and the impingement angle can be set
desirably
 The high velocity abrasive particles remove the material by micro-cutting action as well
as brittle fracture of the work material
 In AJM generally the abrasive particles of around 50 micron grit size would impinge on
the work material at velocity of 200 m/s from a nozzle of Internal diameter of 0.5 mm
with a stand-off distance of around 2 mm

AJM Equipment
 In AJM, air is compressed in an air compressor and compressed air at a pressure of
around 5 bar is used as the carrier gas
 Gases like CO2 and N2 can also be used as carrier gas which may directly be used from a
gas cylinder
 The carrier gas first passed through a pressure regulator to obtain the desired working
pressure

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  The gas is then passed through an air dryer to remove any residual water vapor
 To remove any oil vapor or particulate contaminant the same is passed through a series
of filters
 Then the carrier gas enters a closed chamber known as mixing chamber
 The abrasive particles enter the chamber from a hopper through a metallic sieve
 The abrasive particles are then carried by the carrier gas to the machining chamber
 The machining is carried out as high velocity abrasive particles are issued from nozzle
onto a work piece traversing under the jet

Process Parameters
 Abrasive
 Material – Al2O3/SiC
 Shape – irregular /spherical
 Size – 10 – 50 microns
 Mass flow rate- 2 -20 gm/min
 Carrier gas
 Composition – air/CO2/N2
 Density- Air- 1.3 kg/m3
 Velocity- 500-700 m/s
 Pressure- 2-10 bar
 Flow rate- 5-30 lpm
 Abrasive jet
 Velocity- 100-300 m/s
 Mixing ratio- mass flow rate of abrasive to gas

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  Stand-off distance- 0.5- 5 mm
 Impingement Angle – 60°-90°
 Nozzle
 Material- Tungsten/Sapphire
 Diameter- (internal) 0.2 – 0.8 mm
 Life- 10-300 hrs

Machining Characteristics
 The material removal rate
 Machining accuracy
 Life of nozzle
Effects of process parameter on MRR

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Advantages

Limitations
 MRR is low
 Abrasive particles tend to get stick particularly if the work material is ductile
 Tapering occurs due to flaring of jet
 Environmental load is rather high
Applications
 For drilling holes of intricate shapes in hard and brittle materials
 For machining fragile, brittle and heat sensitive materials
 AJM can be used for drilling, cutting, deburring, cleaning and etching
 Micro-machining of brittle materials

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 WJM
Water Jet Machining
Introduction
 There are two variants of Water Jet Machining i.e., WJM (Water Jet Machining) and
AWJM (Abrasive Water Jet Machining)
 In these processes the mechanical energy of water (WJM) and abrasive (AWJM) phases
are used to achieve material removal or machining
 Water is pumped at a sufficiently high pressure 200-400 MPa (2000-4000 bar) using
intensifier technology
 An intensifier works on pressure amplification using hydraulic cylinders of different
cross-sections
 When water is issued at such pressure through a suitable orifice (generally of 0.2- 0.4
mm diameter)
 The pressure energy of water is converted into kinetic energy producing a high velocity
jet (1000 m/s)
 Such high velocity water jet can machine thin sheets/foils of aluminium, leather, textile,
frozen food etc,
 In pure WJM commercially pure water (tap water) is used for machining purpose

Schematic of WJM set-up

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Schematic of AWJM set-up

Application
 Paint removal
 Cleaning
 Cutting soft materials
 Cutting frozen meat
 Textile, leather industry
 Surgery
 Peening
 Cutting
 Pocket milling
 Drilling
 Turning
 Nuclear plant dismantling

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Introduction to Hybrid machining
 Hybrid machining processes combine different processes in order to make products in a
more efficient and productive way
 Hybrid machining processes (HMP) are found to be an effective way for improving
surface integrity, increasing material removal rate, reducing tool wear, reducing
production time and extending applications
 Definition- Hybrid Manufacturing processes are based on the simultaneous and
controlled interaction of process mechanisms and/or energy source/tools havin g a
significant effect on process performance
 HMP combine different energy sources (mechanical, thermal and chemical) and
different generating mechanisms
 Assisted Processes: Laser Assisted Machining (LAM), Vibration Assisted Machining
(VAM), Media Assisted Machining (MAM), Ultrasonic Assisted EDM/ECM, Laser Assisted
Water Jet Machining
 Mixed Processes: EDM/ECM combination, Abrasive-Wire EDM, Laser Cutting-EDM/ECM

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 Unconventional Welding

Contents
 LBW
 USW
 EBW
 Plasma-arc welding
 Diffusion welding
 Explosive welding/cladding

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University Questions
1. What is electron beam machining (EBM)? Explain its working principle and applications
in the field.
2. What is electro-discharge machining (EDM)? Derive the expression for material removal
rate in EDM.
3. What is ultrasonic machining? Explain its working principle and application in the field.
4. What is the function of electrolyte in ECM? Also list the requirement of tool material for
ECM. Enlist the application of ECM.
5. What is the difference between ultrasonic grinding and conventional grinding?
6. What is explosive welding? Explain with neat sketch. Give the advantages, limitations
and its applications.
7. Write short notes on AJM and LBM.
8. Write short notes on spot welding, explosive welding and diffusion welding.
9. Compare between plasma arc machining (PAM) and Ion beam machining (IBM).
10. Describe the working method of USM. Give the function of a transducer and tool cone in
USM.
11. Compare the unconventional machining processes in terms of MRR and application.
12. What is the principle of EDM? Explain the function of dielectric fluid in EDM
13. What is LASER? Explain the principle of LBM.
14. With the help of neat sketch explain the working of EBM.
15. Compare ECM with EDM. Why isn’t ECM as widely used as EDM?
16. What are the applications of ultrasonic machining? Why can very hard material be
better cut by the ultrasonic process than soft ones?
17. Draw a neat sketch of the electrode feeding mechanism used in EDM.
18. How metal removal in EDM is achieved? Discuss any one spark generator used in EDM.
19. Describe the principle of ECM process. What is meant by current density and current
efficiency? What is the object of masking?
20. What is explosive welding? Which explosives are commonly used? Describe an explosive
welding set-up. Will the bond strength between two materials joined by explosive
welding process be as high as that obtained by conventional welding techniques and
why?
21. When will you use reverse polarity in the EDM process and what are its advantages and
disadvantages? Also explain the term wear ratio.

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