Kutz M. Handbook of materials selection

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14 MACHINING PLASTICS 893

pulls and ejects the softened metal. About 0.5 min are required to cut through

a 24-in. I-beam.

Abrasive disks are mainly aluminum oxide grains or silicon carbide grains

bonded together. They will cut ferrous or nonferrous metals. The ﬁnish and

accuracy is better than steel friction blades, but they are limited in size compared

to steel friction blades.

Band saw blades are of the continuous type. Band sawing can be used for

cutting and contouring. Band-sawing machines operate with speeds that range

from 50–1500 fpm. The time required to cut a workpiece of width W in. can

be calculated as follows:

T ⫽ min (70)

12ƒ nV

where ƒ

⫽ feed, in. per tooth

⫽ number of teeth per in.

⫽ cutting speed, fpm

Cutting can also be achieved by band-friction cutting blades with a surface speed

up to 15,000 fpm. Other band tools include band ﬁling, diamond bands, abrasive

bands, spiral bands, and special-purpose bands.

14 MACHINING PLASTICS

Most plastics are readily formed, but some machining may be required. Plastic’s

properties vary widely. The general characteristics that affect their machinability

are discussed below.

First, all plastics are poor heat conductors. Consequently, little of the heat

that results from chip formation will be conducted away through the material or

carried away in the chips. As a result, cutting tools run very hot and may fail

more rapidly than when cutting metal. Carbide tools frequently are more eco-

nomical to use than HSS tools if cuts are of moderately long duration or if high-

speed cutting is to be done.

Second, because considerable heat and high temperatures do develop at the

point of cutting, thermoplastics tend to soften, swell, and bind or clog the cutting

tool. Thermosetting plastics give less trouble in this regard.

Third, cutting tools should be kept very sharp at all times. Drilling is best

done by means of straight-ﬂute drills or by ‘‘dubbing’’ the cutting edge of a

regular twist drill to produce a zero rake angle. Rotary ﬁles and burrs, saws, and

milling cutters should be run at high speeds in order to improve cooling, but

with feed carefully adjusted to avoid jamming the gullets. In some cases, cool-

ants can be used advantageously if they do not discolor the plastic or cause

gumming. Water, soluble oil and water, and weak solutions of sodium silicate

in water are used. In turning and milling plastics, diamond tools provide the best

accuracy, surface ﬁnish, and uniformity of ﬁnish. Surface speeds of 500–600

fpm with feeds of 0.002–0.005 in. are typical.

Fourth, ﬁlled and laminated plastics usually are quite abrasive and may pro-

duce a ﬁne dust that may be a health hazard.

894 PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT FOR METALS

15 GRINDING, ABRASIVE MACHINING, AND FINISHING

Abrasive machining is the basic process in which chips are removed by very

small edges of abrasive particles, usually synthetic. In many cases, the abrasive

particles are bonded into wheels of different shapes and sizes. When wheels are

used mainly to produce accurate dimensions and smooth surfaces, the process

is called grinding. When the primary objective is rapid metal removal to obtain

a desired shape or approximate dimensions, it is termed abrasive machining.

When ﬁne abrasive particles are used to produce very smooth surfaces and to

improve the metallurgical structure of the surface, the process is called ﬁnishing.

15.1 Abrasives

Aluminum oxide (Al

), usually synthetic, performs best on carbon and alloy

steels, annealed malleable iron, hard bronze, and similar metals. Al

wheels

are not used in grinding very hard materials, such as tungsten carbide, because

the grains will get dull prior to fracture. Common trade names for aluminum

oxide abrasives are Alundum and Aloxite.

Silicon carbide (SiC), usually synthetic, crystals are very hard, being about

9.5 on the Moh’s scale, where diamond hardness is 10. SiC crystals are brittle,

which limits their use. Silicon carbide wheels are recommended for materials of

low tensile strength, such as cast iron, brass, stone, rubber, leather, and cemented

carbides.

Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is the second-hardest natural or manmade sub-

stance. It is good for grinding hard and tough-hardened tool-and-die steels.

Diamonds may be classiﬁed as natural or synthetic. Commercial diamonds

are now manufactured in high, medium, and low impact strength.

Grain Size

To have uniform cutting action, abrasive grains are graded into various sizes,

indicated by the numbers 4–600. The number indicates the number of openings

per linear inch in a standard screen through which most of the particles of a

particular size would pass. Grain sizes from 4–24 are termed coarse; 30–60,

medium; and 70–600, ﬁne. Fine grains produce smoother surfaces than coarse

ones but cannot remove as much metal.

Bonding materials have the following effects on the grinding process: (1)

they determine the strength of the wheel and its maximum speed; (2) they de-

termine whether the wheel is rigid or ﬂexible; and (3) they determine the force

available to pry the particles loose. If only a small force is needed to release the

grains, the wheel is said to be soft. Hard wheels are recommended for soft

materials and soft wheels for hard materials. The bonding materials used are

vitriﬁed, silicate, rubber, resinoid, shellac, and oxychloride.

Structure or Grain Spacing

Structure relates to the spacing of the abrasive grain. Soft, ductile materials

require a wide spacing to accommodate the relatively large chips. A ﬁne ﬁnish

requires a wheel with a close spacing. Figure 29 shows the standard system of

grinding wheels as adopted by the American National Standards Institute.

15 GRINDING, ABRASIVE MACHINING, AND FINISHING 895

Speeds

Wheel speed depends on the wheel type, bonding material, and operating con-

ditions. Wheel speeds range between 4500 and 18,000 sfpm (22.86 and 27.9 m/

s). 5500 sfpm (27.9 m/s) is generally recommended as best for all disk-grinding

operations. Work speeds depend on type of material, grinding operation, and

machine rigidity. Work speeds range between 15 and 200 fpm.

Feeds

Cross feed depends on the width of grinding wheel. For rough grinding, the

range is one-half to three-quarters of the width of the wheel. Finer feed is re-

quired for ﬁnishing, and it ranges between one-tenth and one-third of the width

of the wheel. A cross feed between 0.125 and 0.250 in. is generally recom-

mended.

Depth of Cut

Rough-grinding conditions will dictate the maximum depth of cut. In the ﬁnish-

ing operation, the depth of cut is usually small, 0.0002–0.001 in. (0.005–0.025

mm). Good surface ﬁnish and close tolerance can be achieved by ‘‘sparking out’’

or letting the wheel run over the workpiece without increasing the depth of cut

till sparks die out. The grinding ratio (G-ratio) refers to the ratio of the cubic

inches of stock removed to the cubic inches of grinding wheel worn away. G-

ratio is important in calculating grinding and abrasive machining cost, which

may be calculated by the following formula:

C ⫽⫹ (71)

Gtq

where C

⫽ speciﬁc cost of removing a cu in. of material

⫽ cost of abrasive, $/in.

G ⫽ grinding ratio

⫽ labor and overhead charge, $/hr

⫽ machining rate, in.

/hr

⫽ fraction of time the wheel is in contact with workpiece

Power Requirement

Power ⫽ (u)(MRR) ⫽ F ⫻ R ⫻ 2

␲

MRR ⫽ material removal rate ⫽ d ⫻ w ⫻ v

where d ⫽ depth of cut

⫽ width of cut

v ⫽ work speed

⫽ speciﬁc energy for surface grinding. Table 14 gives the approximate

speciﬁc energy requirement for certain metals.

⫽ radius of wheel

⫽ rev/unit time

896

897

Fig. 29 Standard systems for grinding wheels. (a) aluminum oxide, silicon carbide; (b) diamond, CBN.

898 PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT FOR METALS

Table 14 Approximate Speciﬁc Energy Required for Surface Grinding

Workpiece Material Hardness hp (in.

/min) W / (mm

/sec)

Aluminum 150 HB 3–10 8–27

Steel (110–220) HB 6–24 16–66

Cast iron (140–250) HB 5–22 14–60

Titanium alloy 300 HB 6–20 16–55

Tool steel 62–67 HRC 7–30 19–82

15.2 Temperature

Temperature rise affects the surface properties and causes residual stresses on

the workpiece. It is related to process variables by the following relation:

1/2

1/4 3/4

temperature rise ⬀ Dd (72)

冉冊

where D ⫽ wheel diameter

⫽ wheel speed

Grinding Fluids

Grinding ﬂuids are water-base emulsions for general guiding and oils for thread

and gear grinding. Advantages include:

1. Machining hard materials

⬎ RC50.

2. Fine surface ﬁnish, 10–80

␮

in. (0.25–2

␮

m).

3. Accurate dimensions and close tolerances I.0002 in. (I.005 mm) can be

easily achieved.

4. Grinding pressure is light.

Machines

Grinding and abrasive machines include

1. Surface grinders, reciprocating or rotating table

2. Cylindrical grinders, work between centers, centerless, crankshaft, thread

and gear form work, and internal and other special applications

3. Jig grinders

4. Tool and cutter grinders

5. Snagging, foundry rough work

6. Cutting off and proﬁling

7. Abrasive grinding, belt, disk and loose grit

8. Mass media, barrel tumbling, and vibratory

Ultrasonic Machining

In ultrasonic machining, material is removed from the workpiece by microchip-

ping or erosion through high-velocity bombardment by abrasive particles, in the

16 NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING 899

form of a slurry, through the action of an ultrasonic transducer. It is used for

machining hard and brittle materials and can produce very small and accurate

holes 0.015 in. (0.4 mm).

Surface Finishing

Finishing processes produce an extra-ﬁne surface ﬁnish; in addition, tool marks

are removed and very close tolerances are achieved. Some of these processes

follow.

Honing is a low-velocity abrading process. It uses ﬁne abrasive stones to

remove very small amounts of metals usually left from previous grinding pro-

cesses. The amount of metal removed is usually less than 0.005 in. (0.13 mm).

Because of low cutting speeds, heat and pressure are minimized, resulting in

excellent sizing and metallurgical control.

Lapping is an abrasive surface-ﬁnishing process wherein ﬁne abrasive parti-

cles are charged in some sort of a vehicle, such as grease, oil, or water, and are

embedded into a soft material, called a lap. Metal laps must be softer than the

work and are usually made of close-grained gray cast iron. Other materials, such

as steel, copper, and wood, are used where cast iron is not suitable. As the

charged lap is rubbed against a surface, small amounts of material are removed

from the harder surface. The amount of material removed is usually less than

0.001 in. (0.03 mm).

Superﬁnishing is a surface-improving process that removes undesirable frag-

mentation, leaving a base of solid crystalline metal. It uses ﬁne abrasive stones,

like honing, but differs in the type of motion. Very rapid, short strokes, very

light pressure, and low-viscosity lubricant–coolant are used in superﬁnishing. It

is essentially a ﬁnishing process and not a dimensional one, and can be super-

imposed on other ﬁnishing operations.

Bufﬁng

Bufﬁng wheels are made from a variety of soft materials. The most widely used

is muslin, but ﬂannel, canvas, sisal, and heavy paper are used for special appli-

cations. Bufﬁng is usually divided into two operations: cutting down and col-

oring. The ﬁrst is used to smooth the surface and the second to produce a high

luster. The abrasives used are extremely ﬁne powders of aluminum oxide, tripoli

(an amorphous silicon), crushed ﬂint or quartz, silicon carbide, and red rouge

(iron oxide). Bufﬁng speeds range between 6,000 and 12,000 fpm.

Electropolishing is the reverse of electroplating; that is, the work is the anode

instead of the cathode and metal is removed rather than added. The electrolyte

attacks projections on the workpiece surface at a higher rate, thus producing a

smooth surface.

16 NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING

Nontraditional, or nonconventional, machining processes are material-removal

processes that have recently emerged or are new to the user. They have been

grouped for discussion here according to their primary energy mode; that is,

mechanical, electrical, thermal, or chemical, as shown in Table 15.

Nontraditional processes provide manufacturing engineers with additional

choices or alternatives to be applied where conventional processes are not sat-

isfactory, such as when

900

Table 15 Current Commercially Available Nontraditional Material Removal Processes

Mechanical Electrical Thermal Chemical

AFM

AJM

HDM

LSG

RUM

TAM

TFM

USM

WJM

Abrasive ﬂow machining

Abrasive jet machining

Hydrodynamic machining

Low-stress grinding

Rotary ultrasonic

machining

Thermally assisted

machining

Total form machining

Ultrasonic machining

Water-jet machining

ECD

ECDG

ECG

ECH

ECM

ECP

ECS

ECT

STEM

娃

Electrochemical deburring

Electrochemical discharge

grinding

Electrochemical grinding

Electrochemical honing

Electrochemical machining

Electrochemical polishing

Electrochemical sharpening

Electrochemical turning

Electro-stream

娃

Shaped tube electrolytic

machining

EBM

EDG

EDM

EDS

EDWC

LBM

LBT

PBM

Electron-beam machining

Electrical discharge

grinding

Electrical discharge

machining

Electrical discharge sawing

Electrical discharge wire

cutting

Laser-beam machining

Laser-beam torch

Plasma-beam machining

CHM

ELP

PCM

TCM

Chemical machining:

chemical milling,

chemical blanking

Electropolish

Photochemical machining

Thermochemical

machining (or TEM,

thermal energy method)

16 NONTRADITIONAL MACHINING 901

●

Shapes and dimensions are complex or very small

●

Hardness of material is very high (⬎400 HB)

●

Tolerances are tight and very ﬁne surface ﬁnish is desired

●

Temperature rise and residual stresses must be avoided

●

Cost and production time must be reduced

Figure 30 and Table 16 demonstrate the relationships among the conventional

and the nontraditional machining processes with respect to surface roughness,

dimensional tolerance, and metal-removal rate.

The Machinery Handbook

is an excellent reference for nontraditional ma-

chining processes, values, ranges, and limitations.

16.1 Abrasive Flow Machining

Abrasive ﬂow machining (AFM) is the removal of material by a viscous, abra-

sive medium ﬂowing, under pressure, through or across a workpiece. Figure 31

contains a schematic presentation of the AFM process. Generally, the putty-like

medium is extruded through or over the workpiece with motion usually in both

directions. Aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, boron carbide, or diamond abra-

sives are used. The movement of the abrasive matrix erodes away burrs and

sharp corners and polishes the part.

16.2 Abrasive Jet Machining

Abrasive jet machining (AJM) is the removal of material through the action of

a focused, high-velocity stream of ﬁne grit or powder-loaded gas. The gas should

be dry, clean, and under modest pressure. Figure 32 shows a schematic of the

AJM process. The mixing chamber sometimes uses a vibrator to promote a

uniform ﬂow of grit. The hard nozzle is directed close to the workpiece at a

slight angle.

16.3 Hydrodynamic Machining

Hydrodynamic machining (HDM) removes material by the stroking of high-

velocity ﬂuid against the workpiece. The jet of ﬂuid is propelled at speeds up

to Mach 3. Figure 33 shows a schematic of the HDM operation.

16.4 Low-Stress Grinding

Low-stress grinding (LSG) is an abrasive material-removal process that leaves

a low-magnitude, generally compressive residual stress in the surface of the

workpiece. Figure 34 shows a schematic of the LSG process. The thermal effects

from conventional grinding can produce high tensile stress in the workpiece

surface. The process parameter guidelines can be applied to any of the grinding

modes: surface, cylindrical, centerless, internal, and so on.

16.5 Thermally Assisted Machining

Thermally assisted machining (TAM) is the addition of signiﬁcant amounts of

heat to the workpiece immediately prior to single-point cutting so that the ma-

terial is softened but the strength of the tool bit is unimpaired (Fig. 35). While

resistive heating and induction heating offer possibilities, the plasma arc has a

core temperature of 14,500

⬚F (8000⬚C) and a surface temperature of 6500⬚F

902

Fig. 30 Typical surface roughness and tolerances produced by nontraditional machining.