Non Conventional Machining Processes

Advanced Production
Processes
Module 3: Non conventional Machining

Processes
Non conventional Machining Process
Non conventional Machining Process is a special

type of machining process in which there is no direct
contact between the tool and workpiece. In non
conventional machining a form of energy is used to
remove unwanted material from a given workpiece.
Requirements of developing non
conventional machining process:
 Machining of hard material
 Forming complex parts
 Required better surface finish and negligible
tolerance
 Workpiece is too slender and flexible to clamp
 Workpiece is heat sensitive or temperature can change
internal properties of workpiece
Different Non conventional machining processes
Electrical Discharge Machining
Electrical Discharge Grinding
Electro Chemical Machining
Abrasive Jet Machining
Laser Beam Machining
Wire cut Electric Discharge Machining
Ultra Sonic Machining
Electrical Discharge Machining
EDM (also known as “Spark machining”) is a electro
thermal non conventional machining process where
electrical energy is used to generate electric spark and
material removal mainly occurs due to thermal energy
of spark. This electrical spark used as the cutting tool
to cut the workpiece and produce desired shape. This
process is done by high frequency current through
electrode and workpiece.
EDM is mainly used to machine difficult to machine
material and high strength temperature resistant
alloys
EDM can be used to machine difficult geometries in
small batches or even on job-shop basis
Work material to be machined by EDM has to be
electrically conductive
Main Components of EDM:
Electric power supply

Workpiece and tool
Dielectric medium
Servo control unit
Working principle:
Working principle:
EDM works on the basic principle of spark generation
and metal removal by spark erosion and
vaporization. The spark generated by this process
produces heat which remove metal by erosion and
vaporization
Tool and workpiece should be conductive
The process takes place in dielectric fluid
Working process:
Working process:
Tool and workpiece are submerged in dielectric fluid.
 A servo mechanism is used which maintain a very
small gap between workpiece and tool(25-75 micron).
This gap is desirable for arc formation, is about the
thickness of human hair
A high frequency current is supplied to electrode
which produces a spark between the tool and work.
This spark generate high temperature in work cavity.
The metal removed from the workpiece de to erosion
and vaporization
Dielectric fluid - functions:
It works as an insulating material during the charging
of the condenser and get ionized at proper voltage
for spark generation
The fluid act as a vehicle to drive away
microchips, preventing them from sticking to the
surface of workpiece
It act as coolant for the workpiece and tool
Example:- transformer oil, spirite(white), oil and
kerosene etc
Dielectric fluid - requirements:
Optimum viscosity
Should be non reactive with workpiece, container and
tool material
Non expensive, easily available and non inflammable
Should not produce toxic gases during operation
Should be a hydrocarbon compound
Tool- requirements:
Low erosion rate
Good work to tool wear ratio
Good electrical conductivity
Good machinability
Low electrical resistance
High melting point
High rate of electron emission
Eg:- copper, tungsten alloy, cast iron, steel, graphite
Tool wear:
While applying EDM the tool or cathode also erodes
which is not desirable. It is unavoidable but remains in
tolerable limit as the wear of the cathode is much less
than the anode
Wear ratio for
Brass – 1:1
Metallic electrodes – 3:1 or 4:1
Graphite(high melting point electrode) – 5:1-50:1
Advantages:
It can be used to machine any material that is

electrically conductive
It is independent of the hardness of workpiece, hence
hardened workpiece can be machined easily
It can easily machine thin fragile section such as
webs or fins without deforming the part
Complex die sections and moulds are
produced accurately, faster and at lower price
Advantages:
It does not involve contact between the tool and

workpiece. So delicate sections and work material can
be machined easily without any distortion
It can machine complex shapes which is not
manufactured by the conventional machine tools
It is burr free process
It can produce tappered holes
Disadvantages:
The slow rate of material removal

For economic production, the surface finish specified
should not be too fine
The additional time and cost used for
creating electrodes for EDM
Reproducing sharp corners on the workpiece is
difficult due to electrode wear
Power consumption is high
Disadvantages:
Excessive tool wear occurs during machining

Tool wear limits accuracy and surface finish of metal
Only good conductors of electricity can be
machined by EDM
Applications:
It is mostly used for mould making and in die industries

It is used in prototype manufacturing in aerospace,
automobile and electronic industries
It is used for coinage die making
It is used to create small holes in variety of applications
It is used to disintegrate parts which cannot be
disintegrate easily such as broken tools (studs, bolts, drill
bit and taps) from the workpiece
Electro Chemical Machining
ECM is a non conventional machining

process widely used in many industries due
to its advantages
This process is inverse of electro plating, metal
is removed from anode (workpiece) into
electrolyte
Principle
Electrochemical machining works on the principle of
Faraday’s law of electrolysis which state that if two
electrodes are placed in a container which is filled
with a conductive liquid or electrolyte and high
ampere DC voltage applied across them, metal can be
depleted form the anode (Positive terminal) and
plated on the cathode (Negative terminal)
Principle
In this machining process, tool is connected with the
negative terminal of battery (tool as cathode) and
workpiece is connected with the positive terminal of
battery (work as anode). They both are placed in a
electrolyte solution with a small distance. When the
DC current supplied to the electrode, metal removed
from workpiece.
In ECM the electrolyte is so chosen that there is no
plating on tool and shape of tool remain unchanged.
Generally NaCl in water is taken as electrolyte
Equipment
Equipment
Power supply
In electrochemical machining process, a high value of
direct current around 40000A and low value of
potential difference around 10-25V is desirable
Electrolyte supply and cleaning system
It consist piping system, storage tank, pump, control
valve, pressure gauge, heating or cooling coil etc. In
the ECM, the metal removed from workpiece form
sludge which should be removed form electrolyte
Equipment
Tool and Tool feed system
Tool is made by an anti-corrosive material because it
has to withstand in corrosive environment for long
time. It should also have high thermal conductivity
and easily machinable
Work piece and work holding system
In this process, work piece should be well electrically
conductive. The work holding devices should have
non-conductive property
Working
Electrochemical machining works inverse as
electroplating process. Metal is removed form anode
into electrolyte and convert into slag form by reacting
opposite ions available in electrolyte
In ECM, the electrolyte is so chosen that there is no
plating on tool and shape of tool remain unchanged.
Generally NaCl in water is taken as electrolyte
The tool is connected to negative terminal and work is
connected to positive terminal
Working
When the current passes through the
electrode, reaction occur at anode or
workpiece and at the cathode or tool.
To understand proper working let’s take an example of
machining low carbon steel
 Due to potential difference ionic dissociation take
place in electrolyte
NaCl ↔ Na+ + Cl-
H2O ↔ H+ + OH-
Working
 When the potential difference applied between the work
piece and tool, positive ions (H+ ions) move towards the
tool and negative ions (OH- ions) towards the work piece
 As the hydrogen ion reaches the tool, it takes some
electron from it and converts into gas form. This gas goes
into environment
 When the hydrogen ions take electrons from tool, it creates
lack of electron in mixture. To compensate it ferrous ions
(Fe2+)will be created at the work piece (anode) which gives
equal amount of electrons in mixture
Working
2H+ + 2e- ↔ H2 ↑ at Cathode
Fe ↔ Fe2+ + 2e- at Anode
 These Ferrous ions react with opposite chlorine ions
or hydroxyl ions and get precipitate in form of sludge
Fe2+ + 2Cl- ↔ FeCl2
Fe2+ + 2(OH-)↔ Fe(OH)2
FeCl2 + 2(OH-) ↔ Fe(OH)2 + Cl2
 This will give iron into electrolyte and complete the
machining process. This machining process gives higher
surface finish because machining is done atom by atom
Advantages
It can machine very complicated surface
A single tool can be used to machining large number
of work-piece. Theoretically no tool wear occur
Machining of metal is independent on strength
and hardness of tool
ECM gives very high surface finish
Disadvantages
High initial cost of machine
Design and tooling system is complex
Fatigue property of machined surface may reduce
Nonconductive material cannot be machined
Blind hole cannot be machined from ECM
Space and floor area requirement is high compare to
conventional machining
Application
ECM is used to machining disk or turbine rotor blade
It can be used for slotting very thin walled collets
ECM can be used to generate internal profile of
internal cam
Production of satellite rings and connecting rod,
machining of gears and long profile etc
Abrasive Jet Machining
This machining process works on the basic
principle of abrasive erosion. If a high velocity
abrasive particles strikes on a hard or brittle
work piece, it removes some metal at the
striking surface. This metal removal process
takes place due to brittle fracture of metal and
also due to micro cutting by abrasive particle
Equipment
Equipment
Gas Propulsion System
The main purpose of gas propulsion system is to
provide clean and dry, high velocity air or gas for
machining. This system consists of compressor, air
filter and drier
Abrasive feeder
Abrasive feeder is used to provide abrasive particles in
mixing chamber. It is fed through a sieve
Equipment
Abrasive
These are the main particles which take part in
machining process. These particles should have high
metal removal rate and accuracy. The most common
abrasive particles used are aluminium oxide, silicon
carbide, boron carbide etc. The selection of abrasive
particle is depends upon material of work piece, speed
of machining, and machining environment
Equipment
Cutting Nozzle
To direct the abrasive particle on work piece cutting
nozzles are used. They are usually made by tungsten
carbide. They are available in both circular and square
cross section
Machining Chamber
It is fully closed air tight chamber which controls the
concentration of abrasive particle around work piece.
This is equipped with a vacuum dust collector which
collect used abrasive particle and removed material
from mixing chamber
Working
The basic concept of abrasive jet machining is abrasive
erosion or metal cutting by high velocity abrasive
particle
 First gas or air is compressed into gas compressor
 Now this compressed gas send to filtration unit, where
dust and other suspended particle removed from it
 This clean gas sends to drier, which absorb
moisture from it
 Now this clean and dry gas sends to mixing chamber
where abrasive feeder feed abrasive particle in it. The
abrasive particle is about 50 micro meter grit size
Working
 Now this clean and dry gas sends to mixing chamber
where abrasive feeder feed abrasive particle in it. The
abrasive particle is about 50 micro meter grit size
 This high pressuring abrasive carried gas send to nozzle
where its pressure energy converted into kinetic energy.
The velocity of abrasive particle leaving the nozzle is
about 200m/s
 The standoff distance between work piece and nozzle is
about 2mm
 Now these high velocity abrasive particles impinge on
work piece and remove the material by micro cutting
action as well as brittle fracture of the work material
Advantages
High surface finish
It can machine heat sensitive material
It is free from vibration
Initial cost is low compare to other non-traditional
processes
Thin section can be machined easily
Disadvantages
Low metal removal rate
Abrasive particle can embedded into work piece
mostly in soft metals
Nozzle life is limited so it needs frequently
replacement
Abrasive particle cannot be reuse in this
process
It cannot use for machine soft and ductile
material
Application
It is used in drilling and cutting of hardened metals
It is used for machining brittle and heat sensitive
material like glass, quartz, sapphire, mica, ceramic etc
It is used to manufacture electronic devices
It is used in deburring small holes and some
critical zones in machine parts
Laser Beam Machining
The word laser stands for Light Amplification
by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
This machining process works on basic property
of laser. It uses a laser beam, which is a narrow,
monochromatic high intense light which can cut
or machine any metal and non-metal. It can use
to cut any material irrespective of hardness of
work piece. It can also use to cut diamond which
is hardest known material on earth
Equipment
Equipment
Power Supply
It provides the energy for excitation of electron from
lower energy level to higher energy level
Laser Discharge Tube
The laser material filled in lased discharge tube. The
excitation of electron and come back to its original
state process takes place in it. It’s one side is
partially transparent for laser opening and other
side is 100% reflected. It is situated between flash
lamp
Equipment
Laser Material
There are many different type of laser material available
but in later machining mostly CO2(Pulsed or continuous
waves) and Nd: YAG is Used. Carbon die oxide is a laser
material that emits light in infrared region. It can provide
up to 25 KW power in continuous wave mode. The other
one is called Neodymium doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet
is a solid state laser which can delivery light through
optical fiber. It can generate about 50 KW power in pulsed
mode and 1 KW power in continuous mode
Focusing Lens
A focusing lens is used in laser machining operation. It is a
convex lens focusing at work piece
Working
As we know in LBM, laser energy is used to remove
metal from workpiece. Its process can be summarized as
follow
First laser material CO2 or other gases filled into laser
discharge tube
Now switch on the power supply which is connected
to
flash lamp. This lamps produce light energy which is
used
to excite electrons of atom
The atoms of laser material absorb energy from the light
energy produced by flash lamp. It leads jump of orbital
electron of atom form low energy level to high energy
level

Working
This laser light collected by the focus lens and directed
toward the work piece
Now the laser impinging on work piece and start
machining process by melting or vaporize material
from contact surface
Advantages
It can cut all material
No tooling cost because no physical tool is required
It produces finish part or high surface finish
Micro holes can be drilled accurately
Complex shape can be machined easily because
laser can be move in any path
Very hard material can be cut through laser beam
machining
High accuracy can be achieved
It can be easily automated and flexible
Disadvantages
It is uneconomical when high volume of same shape to
be cut compare to stamping
High capital and maintenance cost
It cannot use to produce blind hole
Laser can leads to safety hazards
Application
Used to drill small hole of diameter about 0.005 mm in
refectory and ceramic materials
It is used in drilling and cutting for both metals
and non-metals
It is extensively used in electronic and automotive
industries
It is mostly used in aerospace industries
Used to machine complex profile where machining by
tool is not possible
Ultra Sonic Machining
It works on the same principle of
ultrasonic welding.
This machining uses ultrasonic waves to produce
high frequency force of low amplitude, which act
as driving force of abrasive. Ultrasonic machine
generates high frequency vibrating wave of
frequency about 20000 to 30000 Hz and
amplitude about 25-50 micron. This high
frequency vibration transfer to abrasive particle
contains in abrasive slurry. This leads indentation
of abrasive particle to brittle work piece and
removes metal from the contact surface
Equipment
Equipment
Power Source
As we know, this machining process requires high
frequency ultrasonic wave. So a high frequency high
voltage power supply require for this process. This unit
converts low frequency electric voltage (60 Hz) into
high frequency electric voltage (20k Hz)
Transducer
As we know, transducer is a device which converts
electric single into mechanical vibration
Equipment
Booster
The mechanical vibration generated by transducer is
passes through booster which amplify it and supply
to the horn
Tool
The tool used in ultrasonic machining should be such
that indentation by abrasive particle does not lead to
brittle fracture of it. Thus the tool is made by tough,
strong and ductile materials like steel, stainless steel
etc
Equipment
Tool holder or Horn
As the name implies this unit connects the tool to
the transducer. It transfers amplified vibration from
booster to the tool
Abrasive Slurry
A water based slurry of abrasive particle used as
abrasive slurry in ultrasonic machining. Silicon
carbide, aluminum oxide, boron carbide are used as
abrasive particle in this slurry. A slurry delivery and
return mechanism is also used in USM
Working
In this machining material is removed by indentation
of abrasive particle on work-piece. It works as follow
First the low frequency electric current passes through
electric supply. This low frequency current converts
into high frequency current through some electrical
equipment
This high frequency current passes through
transducer. The transducer converts this high
frequency electric single into high frequency
mechanical vibration
Working
This mechanical vibration passes through booster. The
booster amplify this high frequency vibration and
send to horn
Horn which is also known as tool holder, transfer this
amplified vibration to tool which makes tool vibrate at
ultrasonic frequency
As the tool vibrates, it makes abrasive particle to
vibrate at this high frequency. This abrasive particle
strikes to the work piece and remove metal form it
Advantages
Hard material can be easily machined by this method
No heat generated in work so there is no problem of
work hardening or change in structure of work piece
Non-conductive metals or non-metals, which cannot
be machined by ECM of EDM can be machined by it
It does not form chips of significant size
Disadvantages
It is quite slower than other mechanical process
Tool wear is high because abrasive particle affect both
work-piece and tool
It can machine only hard material. Ductile metal
cannot be machine by this method
It cannot be used to drill deep hole
Application
This machining is used to machine hard and brittle
material like carbide, ceramic, glass etc
This is used in machining of die and tool of drill,
wire drawing machine etc
It is used to cut diamond in desire shape
Used in fabrication of silicon nitrite turbine blade
It is used in machining of non-conductive hard
material which cannot be machined by ECM or EDM
due to poor conductivity

Non Conventional Machining Processes

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Advanced Production

Module 3: Non conventional Machining

Non conventional Machining Process is a special

Electric power supply

It can be used to machine any material that is

It does not involve contact between the tool and

The slow rate of material removal

Excessive tool wear occurs during machining

It is mostly used for mould making and in die industries

ECM is a non conventional machining

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