Engineering ceramics have been widely used in modern industry for their excellent physical and mechanical properties, and they are difficult to machine owing to their high hardness and brittleness. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is the appropriate process for machining engineering ceramics provided they are electrically conducting. However, the electrical resistivity of the popular engine...

In the modern manufacturing systems, the use of thermal cutting techniques using oxyfuel, plasma and laser have become indispensable for the shape forming of high quality complex components; however, the conventional chip removal production techniques still have its widespread space in the manufacturing industry. Both these types of machining operations require the positioning of end effector t...

Article history: Received: 27.6.2013. Received in revised form: 14.11.2013. Accepted: 19.11.2013. Aluminum based Metal Matrix Composites (AlMMC) have been found in different industrial applications due to their excellent properties compared to conventional materials. Machining of these composites is difficult due to their hard particle reinforcements. The wider usage of these composites is limi...

Correct selection of manufacturing condition is one of the most important aspects which should be considered in the majority of manufacturing processes,  particularly in the process related to advanced machining process like electrical discharge machining. In electrical discharge machining (EDM), dielectric fluid plays an important role since machining characteristics are greatly influenced by ...

Ultrasonic machining (USM) is a mechanical material removal process used to erode holes and cavities in hard or brittle work pieces by using shaped tools, high-frequency and an abrasive slurry. This paper addresses the concept and development of an expert system (ES) for hard and brittle material, such as glass, quartz, diamond, carbides, semi conducting materials, ceramic and graphite which ca...

This paper will provide a method to decompose forging dies for machining planning in the case of high speed machining finishing operations. This method lies on a machining feature approach model presented in the following paper. The two main decomposition phases, called Basic Machining Features Extraction and Process Planning Generation, are presented. These two decomposition phases integrates ...

Process planning as a function for competitiveness is often neglected. However, as an intermediary between product development and manufacturing, it holds a key function in transforming product specifications and requirements into a producible process plan. Demands and requirements should be met concurrently as manufacturing costs and lead times are minimised. The focus of this thesis is the ac...

Advanced ceramic materials are gradually becoming very important for their superior properties such as high hardness, wear resistance, chemical resistance, and high strength to weight ratio. But machining of advanced ceramic like Al2O3-ceramics is very difficult by any well known and common machining processes. Normally, cleavages and triangular fractures generate when machining of these materi...

Unconventional machining processes (communally named advanced or modern machining processes) are widely used by manufacturing industries. These advanced machining processes allow producing complex profiles and high quality-products. However, several process parameters should be optimized to achieve this end. In this paper, the optimization of process parameters of two conventional and four adva...

Electric discharge machining is non conventional machining process used for machining of hard materials which cannot machined by conventional machining process. Electric discharge machining is an electro sparking method of metal working involving an electric erosion effect. A pulse discharge occurs in a small gap between the work piece and the electrode and removes the unwanted material from th...