Dr.

Sanjeev Sharma
Professor,
Department of Mech. Engg.
CEC, Landran
INTRODUCTION
 Manufacturing processes can be broadly divided into
two groups :
 Primary manufacturing processes
Example: Casting, forming, powder metallurgy

 Secondary manufacturing processes

Example: Material removal processes (Turning,
drilling, boring, broaching, milling, shaping etc.)
 Material removal processes once again can be divided
into mainly two groups :

I. Conventional Machining Processes

II. Non-Traditional Manufacturing Processes
 Conventional Machining Processes mostly remove
material in the form of chips by applying forces on the
work material with a wedge shaped cutting tool that is
harder than the work material under machining
condition.

 Such forces induce plastic deformation within the

work piece leading to shear deformation along the
shear plane and chip formation.
 Thus the major characteristics of conventional
machining are:
 Generally macroscopic chip formation by shear
deformation
 Material removal takes place due to application of
cutting forces – energy domain can be classified as
mechanical.
 Cutting tool is harder than work piece at room
temperature as well as under machining conditions
 Non Traditional Machining (NTM) Processes on the
other hand are characterised as follows:

 The tool need not be harder than the work piece

material. For example, in EDM, copper is used as the
tool material to machine hardened steels.

 No contact between tool and workpiece.

 Volume of metal removal is less.

Introduction
 The era of conventional machining, used the machine
tools like lathe, shaper and milling machines where
the carbon steel was used as a cutting tool which
further improved when high speed steel (HSS) tools
were introduced.

 Machining is an inherent pre requisite manufacturing

process to shape any machine component.
 There has been a rapid growth in the development of
harder and difficult to- machine metals and alloys such
as HSTR, Titanium, SS, Nimonics, Fiber- reinforced
composites, Stellites( cobalt based alloys), Ceramics
etc.

 Conventional machining processes is un economical for

such materials and the degree of accuracy and surface
finish attainable is poor.

 Producing complicated geometries in such materials

becomes extremely difficult with the traditional
methods
 The combination of the material properties and the
job dimensions is such that it makes the use of
traditional processes impossible .

 Apart from the situations cited, higher production

rate and economic requirements may demand the
use of non - traditional (or unconventional)
machining processes.

 The basic objective of all machining operations is to

remove the excess material to obtain the desired
shape and size.
 Yet in the past 50 years, different non- traditional
manufacturing processes have been invented and
successfully implemented in production .

 Non-traditional manufacturing processes are able to

provide a capability that simply cannot be met with
conventional techniques .

 These non-traditional machining processes are

sometimes applied to increase productivity either by
reducing the number of overall manufacturing
operations required to produce a product or by
performing operations faster than the previously used
method.
 Non-traditional processes are used to reduce the
number of rejects experienced by the traditional
manufacturing method by increasing repeatability,
reducing in-process breakage of fragile work
pieces, or by minimizing detrimental effects on
work piece properties.

 Un-conventional in the sense that conventional

tools are not employed for metal cutting; instead
energy in its direct form is utilised.
Classification of Advanced Machining Processes
 Un-Conventional Machining
The problems faced with the Conventional Machining can be over come by
using Un-Conventional Machining methods
Here tool is softer than the work material

Some of the un-conventional machining processes are:

1. Ultrasonic Machining (USM) - utilizes mechanical energy for material
removal by erosion - for conducting and non-conducting materials
2. Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM) - utilizes mechanical energy for material
removal by erosion - for conducting and non-conducting materials
3. Electrochemical Machining (ECM) - utilizes electrochemical energy for
material removal by ion displacement - used for conducting materials.
4. Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) - utilizes thermal energy
produced by electrical spark for material removal by fusion and
vaporization - used for conducting materials
5. Laser Beam machining (LBM) - utilizes thermal energy produced
by the powerful radiation - used for conducting and non-conducting
materials
6. Electrochemical Discharge Machining (ECDM)
ECDM is a hybrid machining process comprises the techniques of
both electrochemical machining (ECM) and electro discharge
machining (EDM)
This process mainly developed for machining hard, brittle and non-
conducting materials like ceramics, glass etc.,
Process Selection
 To make efficient use of non-conventional machining
processes, it is necessary to know the exact nature of
the machining problem.

 Before selecting the process, the following aspects

must be studied:-
 Physical parameters (Potential, Current, Power, Gap,
Medium) .
 Process of the work material and the shape to be
machined.
 Process capability
 Economic consideration.
NEED FOR NON TRADITIONAL
MACHINING
 Modern manufacturing industries have been demanding hard and
most strong materials with “high strength to weight” ratio such as
titanium, stainless steel, nimonics, fiber-reinforced composites,
ceramics, satellites and difficult to machine alloys.

 This needs development of improved cutting tool materials so that

machining productivity is not hampered.

 Production of complex and intricate shapes with superior surface

finish, close tolerances, higher production rates & economy using such
materials is difficult using old traditional methods.
 To meet such requirements, different kinds of
machining processes, i.e. non-traditional machining
(NTM) or non-conventional machining (NCM)
processes have been employed.
 In non-conventional machining processes, the tool
needs not to be harder than workpiece because there is
always some gap between the tool and the job.
 Some of the major requirements of developing non-
tradition machining processes are as follow.

 Machining too hard material.

 Forming complex parts.
 Required better surface finish and negligible tolerance.
 Work piece is heat sensitive or temperature can change
internal properties of work piece.
 Work piece is too slender and flexible to clamp.
Advantages:

 It provides high accuracy and surface finish.

 No physical tool is used hence, no tool wear occur.

 They do not generate chips or generate microscopic

chips.

 These are quieter in operation.

 It can be easily automated.

 It can machine any complex shape.

Disadvantages:

 High initial or setup cost.

 High skilled labor is required.

 Lower metal removal rate.

 More power required for machining.

 It is not economical for bulk production.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL AND NON CONVENTIONAL
MACHINING PROCESSES
S. Conventional Process Non Conventional Process
No
1 The cutting tool and work piece There is no physical contact
are always in physical contact between the tool and work piece, In
with relative motion with each some non traditional process tool
other, which results in friction wear exists.
and tool wear.
2 Material removal rate is limited by NTM can machine difficult to cut and
mechanical properties of work hard to cut materials like titanium,
material. ceramics, nimonics, SST, composites,
semiconducting materials.
3 Relative motion between the tool Many NTM are capable of
and work is typically rotary or producing complex 3D shapes and
reciprocating. Thus the shape of cavities
work is limited to circular or flat
shapes. In spite of CNC systems,
production of 3D surfaces is still a
difficult task.
4 Machining of small Machining of small cavities,
cavities , slits , blind holes slits and Production of non-
or through holes are circular, micro sized, large
difficult aspect ratio, shall entry angle
holes are easy using NTM
5 Use relative simple and Non traditional processes
inexpensive machinery and requires expensive tools and
Readily available cutting equipment as well as skilled
tools labour, which increase the
production cost significantly
6 Capital cost and Capital cost and maintenance
maintenance cost is low cost is high
7 Traditional processes are Mechanics of Material
well established and removal of Some of NTM
physics of process is well process are still under research
understood
8 Conventional process
Most NTM uses energy in
mostly uses mechanical direct form For example:
energy Lasers, Electron beam in its
direct forms are used in LBM
and EBM respectively.
9 Surface finish and High surface finish(up to 0.1
tolerances are limited by micron) and tolerances (25
machining inaccuracies Microns)can be achieved
10 High metal removal rate. Low material removal rate.