The primary objective of manufacturing technology is to give a material a shape desired for its subsequent use by means of a selected technology. In doing so, the material should be machined as precisely (shape, dimension, position) as necessary, not as precisely as possible. This saves time and money.
The material is subject to energy input in the manufacturing process, which is reflected to a certain extent in the component in the form of heat (friction, ...) and mechanical hardening. The material must not be damaged in the process so that it does not fail in its subsequent use.
The art of manufacturing technology therefore lies in the balancing act between machining as quickly as possible, achieving sufficient shape accuracy, and machining materials in a way that is not damaging from an energy point of view.
What are the manufacturing processes?
The key function for the quality and economy of industrial production is the process selection and process design in manufacturing. Products consist of a large number of different materials, the selection of which is based on the product requirements (strength, heat resistance, human compatibility ...). In product manufacturing, a distinction is made between forming (forging ...), removing (EDM, ECM ...), generating (rapid prototyping ...), joining (welding) and machining (grinding, turning, milling, drilling, ...) processes.
How does a material react when subjected to manufacturing processes?
Materials are working materials of a purely material nature which are further processed as working objects in production processes and are incorporated into the respective end products. The quality and properties of the end products or semi-finished products are decisively influenced by the choice of more or less suitable materials. In today's materials science, a distinction is generally made between five material groups.
- Metals (e.g. iron)
- non-metals (e.g. graphite)
- organic materials (e.g. wood, plastics)
- inorganic non-metallic materials (e.g. ceramics, glass)
- semiconductors (e.g. silicon)
- In addition, composite materials and material composites, a combination of materials from several material groups, are increasingly used
What is meant by the term machinability in production engineering?
In production engineering, the machinability of a material describes the properties of a material for machining. The shape of workpieces is changed by machining (previously called metal-cutting), such as turning, milling and drilling. The suitability of a material for machining is referred to as its machinability. Materials that can be machined well exhibit smooth surfaces after machining and produce chips that do not interfere with the manufacturing process. Depending on the manufacturing process, a certain material property can have a favorable or unfavorable effect on machining.