Technical Note

Lathe Machining

A type of machining process that rotates material attached to a chuck and brings it into contact with a fixed cutting tool called a cutter. It excels at machining cylindrical shapes because the material rotates.

Schematic of Lathe Machining.

Milling

A type of machining process where materials are secured to a machine using vices or similar fixtures, and a cutting tool called an end mill is rotated to make contact with the material during processing.

Schematic of Milling.

Grinding

A machining method that precisely removes material from a surface by rotating a grinding wheel at high speed. It is suitable for machining hard materials that are difficult to cut with conventional cutting processes. It requires a longer machining time due to the fine removal of material.

Front View of Surface Grinding Process.

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

A type of electrical discharge machining that processes materials by melting them with heat generated from discharges between the metal material and a shaped electrode. No physical resistance is applied to the material. It enables complex shapes and can process hard materials. Since discharges are required, only electrically conductive materials can be processed, and depending on the material and shape, machining can take a significant amount of time.

Schematic Diagram of EDM.

Electrodes for EDM.

Wire-cut EDM

A type of electrical discharge machining that cuts by melting metal materials and the wire using the heat generated by electrical discharge. Since it uses a thin wire for discharge machining, no physical resistance is applied to the material. It enables complex shapes with minimal material loss and can process hard materials. Because discharge is required, only electrically conductive materials can be processed, and depending on the material and shape, machining can take a significant amount of time.

Wire-cut EDM processing model.

Ultrasonic Machining

By using ultrasonic vibrations to finely vibrate tools, it enables machining of brittle and hard materials such as glass and ceramics. Machining while flowing water mixed with abrasive particles allows for fine processing without direct contact between the tool and material.

Schematic Diagram of Ultrasonic Machining.

CO₂ Laser Processing

CO₂ laser processing using infrared lasers. Excels at cutting and engraving non-metallic materials such as wood and acrylic. Cannot process reflective materials like metals, transparent materials like glass, or heat-resistant materials.

TIG Welding

A type of joining process. TIG stands for “Tungsten Inert Gas,” a welding method that shields the discharge from a tungsten electrode with an inert gas like argon to prevent oxidation.

Soldering

A type of joining process. It involves joining components together using a low-melting-point metal called “solder,” which has a melting point below 450°C, without melting the base material (the metal being joined). It is widely used for wiring electronic devices and assembling circuit boards.

Brazing

A type of joining process. It involves joining metals together by pouring molten “brazing filler metal” onto the base metals (the metals being joined) without melting the base metals themselves. Performed at high temperatures above 450°C, it offers greater strength than soldering and is suitable for joining dissimilar metals.

Forging

Forging is a type of plastic working. It is a process that deforms shapes by striking them with tools such as hammers.

Flat Roll Rolling

Flat roll rolling is a type of plastic deformation. It uses a pair of flat rolls. The two rolls rotate in opposite directions. As the sample passes between the flat upper and lower rolls, pressure causes its thickness to decrease and its area to increase.

Flat Roll Rolling Schematic Diagram.

Caliber rolling

Caliber rolling is one type of rolling process. A pair of rolls with grooves are used in caliber rolling. Two rolls rotate in the opposite direction to each other. As the sample goes through between the upper and lower rolls at the grooves, it decreases in breadth and increases in length. V-shape grooves are used for square samples, and round grooves for round samples.

Schematic drawing of the caliber rolling with square grooves.

Front view of a set of grooved rolls.

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