Our standard of living is affected by our industrial productivity which is affected by manufacturing processes, manufacturing processes touch our lives every day. Manufacturing processes are evolved from unconventional deformation process technologies to innovative material-removal processes and from tooling-based to tool-less rapid manufacturing technologies.
Manufacturing is classified into traditional, non-traditional, virtual, and additive. The modern manufacturing process is also known as a non-traditional manufacturing process in which sharp cutting tools are not used as in the traditional manufacturing process. In these modern manufacturing processes, various techniques involving mechanical, thermal, electrical chemical energy or combinations of these are used to create the final product.
Modern manufacturing processes are classified based on the type of energy used, the mechanism of metal removal, the source of energy requirements, etc. The various types of modern manufacturing processes are as given below:
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Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM)
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Chemical Machining (CHM)
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Electrochemical Grinding (ECG)
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Electrochemical Machining (ECM)
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Electro Discharge Machining (EDM)
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Ion Beam Machining (IBM)
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Laser Beam Machining (LBM)
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Plasma Arc Machining (PAM)
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Ultrasonic Machining (USM)
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Water Jet Machining (WJM)
Some examples of the modern manufacturing processes are as follows:
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Advanced forming processes: Advanced stamping, hydroforming, incremental sheet forming, powder forming, and injection molding at multiscale.
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Thermal and energy-assisted manufacturing processes: Warm stamping, warm hydroforming, hot stamping, high-speed forming (Electromagnetic, electrohydraulic, and explosive forming).
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Advanced material removal processes: High-speed machining, hard machining, Advances in material modeling for manufacturing analysis and simulation (Deformation and cutting processes), micro-milling operations.
Apart from these, there are some more examples of modern manufacturing processes like submicron and nanostructuring of materials by severe plastic deformation, cross rolling (metal forming process), finite element method in machining processes, machining and machining modeling of metal matrix composites, intelligent CNC tool path optimization for sculptured surface machining through a virus-evolutionary genetic algorithm, friction stir welding, innovative joining technologies based on tube forming, lean manufacturing, etc.
For composite structures in aerospace industries advanced manufacturing techniques are used such as liquid composite molding techniques in which manufacturing of epoxy-carbon composite laminate is done through primitive hand lay-up technique to advanced resin transfer molding techniques. Fractural theory in modern manufacturing provides advances in manufacturing analysis, it is important to understand the growth of structures during different manufacturing processes and developing a fractal-like structure for enhanced performance in various engineering applications. Weldability of appraisement of the dissimilar metal joint is done with the application of ultrasonic spot welding (USW) to Li-ion batteries.
Friction stir processing enlightens us with a new manufacturing process. For dynamic plasticity at hot-working temperatures fractographic analysis and constitutive modeling are done. By using the Taguchi method in combination with gray relational analysis laser transmission welding of dissimilar plastics is done. Multiaxis CNC machines are highly induced in production processes due to their flexibility, suitability for different control and processing units, and capability to produce complex shapes at ease. Sustainable manufacturing has relevance in segments like economics, environment, and society and it is a self-evolving methodology.
Modern manufacturing processes have application in conventional methods: (peel grinding, ductile regime machining, and high-speed machining), unconventional methods: (micro EDM, micro LBM, micro forming, micro ECM, and micro USM), additive processes: (rapid prototyping), and hybrid processes: (combination of electro-discharge and chemical), etc. The components used in microelectronic industries, aircraft, biomedical and automobile industries are also included in applications.