What are Non-Traditional Machining? Their Types & Benefits
Non-traditional machining, also known as “non-conventional machining” or “modern machining method,” is a machining method that involves using electricity, heat, light, electrochemical energy, chemical energy, sound energy, and special mechanical energy to remove, deform, change properties, or plate materials.
Traditional tools with a cutting edge perform drilling, boring, cutting, milling, and other conventional machining processes. These traditional machining methods have become obsolete as technology and time have progressed, even though they are the foundation of the machining process.
Well, in this reading, we’ll explore what non-traditional machining is, its applications, diagrams, characteristics, types, advantages, and disadvantages. We’ll also explore the difference between traditional and non-traditional machining.
Let’s begin!
What is Non-Traditional Machining?
Non-traditional machining is an innovative method that addresses the limitations of traditional machining. Ultrasonic Machining, Laser Beam Machining, Water Jet Machining, Abrasive Water Jet Machining, Electron Beam Machining, and others are examples of this machining process.
Modern technology produces items through unconventional, non-traditional, or modern machining processes.
We can use these techniques to machine complicated, micro-surface, and low-stiffness objects made of metal or non-metal materials of any hardness, strength, toughness, or brittleness.
It is possible to use certain technologies for superfinishing, mirror finishing, and nanoscale (atomic) machining simultaneously.
Applications of Non-Traditional Machining
The applications of non-traditional machining are vast due to the variety of types available, each suitable for a specific application. These machining methods find their application in the areas listed below.
Molds and parts with complex-shaped holes and cavities are machinable using certain machining processes. We use them to machine materials with varying properties, such as hard alloys and hardened steel, which can be either hard or brittle.
We use unconventional machining to create deep, fine holes, shaped holes, deep grooves, narrow slits, and thin slices.
We use non-traditional machining methods to design dies, just as we use them to mill hard surfaces. We can use unconventional machining methods to process several hard metals that traditional procedures cannot handle.
The automobile industry also uses non-traditional methods to drill very small-diameter holes in a fuel injection system’s nozzle. Gears can also undergo machining using non-traditional methods.
For machining intricate designs on thin metal sheets, many non-traditional machining processes, such as laser beam machining, are used.
Unconventional machining techniques like abrasive jet machining are useful for cutting fragile materials like glass, ceramics, and quartz.
You can machine a cutting tool using a non-conventional machining process.
The aerospace industry relies heavily on modern machining because it creates complex aircraft parts.
Below are some characteristics of the non-traditional machining process:
Tool materials can have much lower hardness than workpiece materials
You can process the material directly using energy such as electric energy, electrochemical energy, sound energy, or light energy.
During machining, mechanical forces are not visible, and the workpiece rarely exhibits mechanical and thermal deformation, both of which are beneficial to improving machining accuracy and workpiece surface quality.
You can combine various methods to create new process methods, significantly boosting production efficiency and machining precision.
Almost every new source of energy opens up the possibility of a new method of non-traditional machining.
Types of Non-Traditional Machining Processes
Various kinds of non-conventional machining are electromagnetic discharge machining, electrolytic machining, laser machining, electron beam machining, ion beam machining, plasma arc machining, ultrasonic machining, chemical machining, etc.
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)
Discharge machining, also known as electro-erosion machining or EDM, is a non-traditional machining technology that uses electric erosion to etch conductive materials. This process involves a pulse discharge between two poles submerged in a working liquid.
The electro-discharge machine tool serves as the basic equipment for this process. Below are some features of electrical discharge machining:
Machining without cutting force;
No flaws such as burrs, tool marks, grooves, etc.
Able to process materials that are difficult to cut by conventional machining methods and complex-shaped workpieces
Tool electrode materials do not need to be harder than the workpiece material;
Automation is simple when employing electricity machining;
In some applications, it’s necessary to remove the metamorphic layer that formed on the surface after treatment.
It’s difficult to deal with smoke pollution generated during the purification and processing of working fluid
Applications
Below are the applications of non-traditional machining processes:
Machining complex-shaped holes and cavities in molds and pieces;
Various metallic and brittle materials, such as metallic alloy and hardened steel, are machinable.
Processing fine deep holes, curved holes, deep grooves, narrow slits, and thin slices, among other things
Cutting and measuring instruments such as cutting tools, sample plates, and thread ring gauges can all be machined.
Electrolytic Machining
Based on the principle of anodic dissolution in the electrolytic process and with the assistance of the molded cathode, we machine the workpiece to a specific form and size.
Electrolytic machining offers substantial benefits for difficult-to-machine materials, complicated shapes, and thin-walled products. Gun barrel rifling, blade, integral impeller, mold, profiled hole and parts, chamfering, and deburring are all examples of electrolytic machining.
Electrolytic machining technique has taken on a significant, if not irreplaceable, role in the machining of numerous products.
Advantages:
We offer a wide array of machining services. Electrochemical machining can treat almost all conductive materials without compromising mechanical or physical qualities such as strength, hardness, or toughness, and the metallographic structure of the materials is mostly unaffected after machining.
Hard alloys, high-temperature alloys, hardened steel, stainless steel, and other difficult-to-machine materials frequently undergo this process.
A high manufacturing rate
The machining quality is excellent, particularly on the surface.
It is capable of machining thin walls and deformable parts.
During the electrochemical machining process, there is no contact between the tool and the workpiece, no mechanical cutting force, no residual stress and deformation, no burr and flashing.
Disadvantages:
The machining precision and machining speed are low.
Expensive machining. The higher the additional cost per item, the smaller the batch.
After the lens focuses the light energy to a high energy density at the focal point, lasers use this energy to melt or vaporize the material and remove it quickly.
Laser machining provides the advantages of decreased material waste, a visible cost effect in large-scale manufacturing, and high flexibility to the cutting object. Europe mostly uses laser technology to weld unique materials like high-grade vehicle bodies and bases, aircraft wings, and spaceship fuselage.
Laser welding, laser cutting, surface modification, laser marking, laser drilling, micro-machining and photochemical deposition, stereolithography, laser etching, and other laser machining methods are the most often utilized applications.
Electron Beam Machining
The machining of materials utilizing the thermal or ionization effects of a high-energy convergent electron beam is known as electron beam machining (EBM).
High energy density, strong penetration, a wide range of one-time melting depths, big weld width ratio, quick welding speed, small thermal impact zone, and little operating deformation are all advantages.
The machining materials for electron beam machining are diverse, and the cutting area can be quite small. Nanometers can measure machinability accuracy, enabling molecular or atomic machining.
The productivity of machining is significant; it produces little pollution, but the cost of machining equipment is high. You can use it to create micro-holes, small slits, and other intricate shapes. Fine lithography and welding can also utilize it.
The principal use of electron beam machining in the car manufacturing business is vacuum electron beam welding bridge shell technology.
Ion Beam Machining
The ion source accelerates and concentrates the ion stream to the workpiece’s surface during ion beam machining in a vacuum.
The precise regulation of ionic flow density and ionic energy allows for perfect regulation of the machining effect, enabling ultra-precision machining at the nanometer, molecular, and atomic levels.
Although ion beam machining is flexible and produces less pollution, stress, and distortion, it comes at a significant cost.
There are two stages to ion beam machining: etching and coating.
Etching machining: We use ion etching to machine the air bearing of the gyroscope and the grooves on the dynamic pressure motor with high resolution, precision, and repeatability.
One more use for ion beam etching is to make high-precision graphics for things like integrated circuits, optoelectronic devices, and optical integrated devices. We also use ion beam etching to thin down materials to create specimens for penetrating electron microscopy.
Ion beam coating machining: There are two types of ion beam coating machining: sputtering deposition and ion plating.
You can plate various alloys, compounds, or certain synthetic materials, semiconductor materials, and high-melting-point materials with the ionic coating on metal or non-metal surfaces.
Coating lubricating film, heat-resistant film, wear-resistant film, decorative film, and electrical film with ion beam coating technique is possible.
Plasma Arc Machining
Plasma arc machining is a non-traditional machining technology that uses the heat energy of a plasma arc to cut, weld, and spray metal or non-metal. It can weld foil and thin sheets and has a keyhole effect, allowing for single-side welding and double-side free forming.
The plasma arc has a high energy density, a high arc column temperature, and a high penetrating ability. No beveling is necessary for 10-12mm thick steel, allowing for complete weld penetration and double-sided shaping in a single step, resulting in fast welding speed, high productivity, and minimal stress deformation.
Because the equipment is complicated and uses a lot of gas, it’s only suitable for indoor welding. Industrial production widely uses it, especially for welding copper and copper alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, alloy steel, and stainless steel.
Military applications and cutting-edge industrial technology, such as aerospace, use molybdenum in titanium alloy missile shells and some aircraft thin-walled containers.
Ultrasonic Machining
Ultrasonic machining, which uses ultrasonic frequency as a tool for small-amplitude vibration and punching on the treated surface with free-abrasive in the liquid between it and the workpiece, causes the workpiece’s surface to progressively crack.
Piercing, cutting, welding, nesting, and polishing are all common applications for ultrasonic machining. Although it can machine any material, it excels in cutting a variety of hard, brittle, non-conductive materials with high precision and exceptional surface quality, all at a low rate.
Ultrasonic machining encompasses various processes such as perforation (which includes round holes, shaped holes, and curved holes), cutting, slotting, nesting, and carving of various hard and brittle materials, including glass, quartz, ceramics, silicon, germanium, ferrite, gemstones, and jade.
It also includes deburring small parts in batches, polishing mold surfaces, and grinding wheel dressing.
Chemical Machining
To get the desired form, size, or surface of the workpiece, chemical machining uses an acid, alkali, or salt solution to corrode or dissolve the material of the parts. The machining method is ideal for thinning vast areas and cutting complicated holes in thin-walled objects.
It excels in wide-area machining, processing numerous parts simultaneously, and is capable of cutting any metal material, regardless of its hardness or strength.
Without any tension, crack, or burr, the surface roughness reaches Ra1.252.5 m; it’s simple to use, cannot be used to machine narrow slots or holes, and it is unsuitable for removing flaws like surface roughness and scratches.
Rapid Prototyping
We develop and combine RP technology using modern CAD/CAM technology, laser technology, computer numerical control technology, precision servo drive technology, and novel material technology.
Due to differing forming materials, several types of rapid prototyping systems have varied forming principles and system features.
The underlying technique, however, remains the same: “manufacturing by layers, overlaying layer by layer.” It’s similar to the integration procedure in mathematics. In terms of appearance, the fast-prototyping technology resembles a “3D printer.”
It can receive product design (CAD) data directly and produce new product samples, molds, or models quickly without the need for a mold, cutter, or fixture.
As a result, widespread adoption and deployment of RP technology can significantly reduce the time it takes to develop new products, save development expenses, and increase development quality.
This is the revolutionary significance of RP technology in the manufacturing business, as it transitions from the traditional “elimination technique” to today’s “growth method,” from mold production to mold-free manufacturing.
Numerous industries, such as aviation, aerospace, automobiles, communications, medical treatment, electronics, home appliances, toys, military equipment, industrial modeling (sculpture), building models, and machinery manufacturing, can use rapid prototyping technology.
Difference Between Conventional and Non-Conventional Machining
The difference between the conventional (traditional) and the non-conventional (non-traditional) process is obvious due to the method used in performing their operations.
Most people are not aware that there are two categories in the manufacturing process: primary and secondary operations.
The primary process produces the material’s fundamental form and size, while the secondary process, also known as machining, produces the final shape and size with tighter control over dimensions, surface qualities, and other factors.
Non-conventional machines, on the other hand, are those that work automatically with the assistance of computers, without the need for human intervention or an operator. Usually, a computer or an autonomous robot controls them.
Automobile painting at automotive manufacturing plants, welding car units, and manufacturing processes involving severe high and low temperatures that people cannot withstand are examples of operations that require non-conventional machines.
The traditional method of machining necessitates direct contact between the tool and the work material. To cut an aluminum bar, for example, a fast-revolving iron cutter is required.
This method requires the cutting instrument to make physical contact with the material it is slicing. There is no contact between the machine tools and the material in this procedure. Infrared beam, laser beam, electric arc, plasma cutting, and electric beam are examples of non-traditional tools utilized.
Below are the areas of difference between conventional and non-conventional machining:
Tools Employed
A physical tool must always be present in a traditional machining operation. For instance, a lathe machine requires a cutting tool.
A physical tool, on the other hand, may not be present in a non-conventional machining process. In laser machines, for example, laser beams operate, whereas electrochemical machining necessitates the use of a physical tool.
Accuracy
The accuracy and surface quality of conventional machining is lower, but non-conventional machining is more accurate and has a better surface finish.
Contact Between The Tool And The Workpiece
The conventional machining method requires direct contact between the tool and the workpiece, whereas unconventional machining does not.
Waste Materials
Because traditional machining processes use tools that have a shorter lifespan due to increased surface contact and wear, they are more likely to waste material. Non-traditional machining produces less waste material due to little or no wear with longer-lasting tools.
Process of Machining
A traditional machining method usually entails modifying the contour of a workpiece with a tougher material implement. Using traditional processes to machine tough metals and alloys requires more time and energy, resulting in higher costs.
Conventional machining may not be possible in some instances.
Source of Energy
The term “conventional machining” refers to a method that employs mechanical energy. Non-traditional machining employs other types of energy. Thermal, chemical, and electrical energy are the three basic types of energy employed in non-conventional machining.
Examples
Turning, boring, milling, shaping, broaching, slotting, grinding, and other traditional machining processes are examples. Non-conventional machining technologies include abrasive jet machining (AJM), ultrasonic machining (USM), water jet and abrasive water jet machining (WJM and AWJM), and electro-discharge machining (EDM).
The table below shows the difference between conventional and non-conventional machining processes:
Sr. No.
conventional or traditional machining
Non-conventional or Nontraditional machining
1
The surface finish is unsatisfactory.
The result is a better surface finish.
2
It is not suitable for small-scale machining.
You can use it for small-size machining.
3
Tool wear is a problem because it reduces tool life.
Tool wear is a problem that extends the tool’s life.
4
The investment or capital cost is reduced.
The cost of capital or investment has increased.
5
There is direct contact between the tool and the workpiece.
There is no direct contact between the tool and the workpiece.
Below are the benefits of non-traditional methods of machining:
High accuracy
Accuracy is a major concern for today’s enterprises, whether they are small or huge. When compared to items made with non-traditional ways of machining, conventional methods of machining produce less accurate results.
Unconventional machining is suitable for modern times and can replace traditional machining techniques due to its high accuracy.
Less noise
Because non-traditional machining processes are a better replacement for traditional machining methods, they help to reduce noise pollution in the surrounding environment. Because the process is silent, certain non-traditional machining plants can be located in residential areas.
High production
When compared to traditional machining procedures, modern or unconventional methods of machining promote a high output rate. This is because non-traditional approaches function faster and more precisely than traditional ways.
Less waste product
Working on older equipment makes waste product control extremely difficult. Disposing of the chips on time requires more effort.
Non-traditional machining technologies, on the other hand, either produce no waste or produce microtrash that is easy to handle and dispose of.
No wear of the tool
In non-traditional machining procedures, there is no contact between the tool and the workpiece, resulting in no tool wear. This eliminates the possibility of tool failure and prevents tool wear and tear.
Disadvantages of Non-Traditional Machining
Below are the limitations of non-traditional methods of machining:
High initial cost
Because it comprises many electrical pieces operating alongside mechanical ones, the initial cost of setting up a non-traditional machining plant is higher than that of a typical machining plant. Small-scale and cottage companies are unable to use it because of this.
High power requirement
A nontraditional machining plant requires significantly more power than a standard machining plant. The lack of tool-workpiece contact requires more energy to process the tool surface.
Complex mechanism
Non-traditional machining processes, in contrast to typical machining procedures, have a more sophisticated mechanism. Non-traditional machining methods require the operator to be skilled enough to handle the procedures involved.
If the plant fails for any reason, a highly skilled professional will be required to repair it.
Lower metal removal rate
When compared to standard machining procedures, non-traditional machining methods have a lower metal removal rate. Non-traditional procedures are therefore unsuitable for large-scale products.
Not appropriate for soft materials
A localized increase in the workpiece’s temperature typically initiates the cutting action of a non-traditional machining method. Therefore, the method is unsuitable for cutting soft materials such as rubber or plastic, as it risks burning the workpiece.
Conclusion
Non-traditional machining, also known as “non-conventional machining” or “modern machining method,” is a machining method that involves using electricity, heat, light, electrochemical energy, chemical energy, sound energy, and special mechanical energy to remove, deform, change properties, or plate materials.
The machining method includes EDM, electrolytic, laser, EBM, ion beam machining, etc.
