What are the machining processes?

Machining processes are a key manufacturing method used to transform raw materials into desired parts and products. These processes include milling, turning, drilling, grinding, reaming, stamping, forging, injection molding, EDM, heat treatment, welding, stretch molding, powder metallurgy and 3D printing. The following are some common machining processes:

1. Milling

Milling is a common machining process that creates flat surfaces or fabricates complex geometries by rotating a tool on a workpiece to remove material. Milling can be categorized into CNC Milling and Manual Milling.

CNC Milling: In CNC milling, a computer program controls the movement of the tool to precisely cut the workpiece. This method offers a high degree of accuracy and repeatability and is suitable for the manufacture of complex parts.

Manual Milling: Manual milling usually requires the operator to manually control the milling machine. Although accuracy is affected by the skill of the operator, it is suitable for simple tasks. Milling machine, mainly through the rotating tool on the workpiece fixed in the workpiece table for processing, suitable for processing flat surfaces, grooves, various curved surfaces or gears.

2. Turning

Turning is a process used for rotationally symmetrical parts by rotating the workpiece and moving the tool along the workpiece axis to remove material and create the desired shape. Turning can be categorized into CNC Turning and Manual Turning.

CNC Turning: In a CNC lathe, a computer program controls the movement of the tool to precisely cut along the axis of rotation of the workpiece. This method is ideal for manufacturing axisymmetric parts with high accuracy and efficiency.

Manual Turning: Manual turning requires the operator to manually control the lathe. Although not as fast or accurate as CNC turning, it is still useful for specific applications. Lathe, mainly through the turning tool on the rotating workpiece for linear or curved translational movement processing, suitable for processing shafts and rotary parts. 

3. Drilling

Drilling is the process of creating holes or apertures in a workpiece. It is usually performed using a drill. This process is used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, including mechanical parts, building structures, and electronic equipment.

4. Grinding

Grinding is a process used to accurately remove material and obtain high precision surface quality. It is commonly used in the manufacture of high-precision parts, such as in the aerospace and automotive industries. Grinding uses grinding wheels to cut the workpiece, usually at high rotational speeds. Grinding machine, mainly through the high-speed rotation of the grinding wheel on the workpiece for flat, cylindrical, internal hole, tool grinding, processing of the workpiece surface roughness is particularly high.

5. Reaming (Broaching)

Reaming is a process used to create internal or external gears, cutting grooves and other complex contours. This is often used in the manufacture of gears, turbine blades and other parts.

6. Stamping

Stamping is the process of cutting, shaping or punching sheet or strip metal through a punch on a press. This method is usually used to manufacture parts, housings and metal products. 

7. Forging

Forging is the process of changing the shape of metal by applying high temperature and pressure to it. This is often used to make high-strength and wear-resistant parts, such as engine parts and tools.

8. Injection Molding

Injection molding is a process used to produce large quantities of plastic parts. It involves injecting heated plastic into a mold, allowing it to cool and harden into the desired shape.

9. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

EDM is a process that removes material by initiating an electric spark between the workpiece and an electrode. It is suitable for the manufacture of complex parts and for work with high hardness materials.

10. Heat Treatment (HT)

Heat treatment is a process that changes the properties of a material by controlling its temperature and cooling rate. It improves the hardness, strength and wear resistance of the material.

11. Welding

Welding is a process of joining two or more parts into a single unit. It is widely used in the fabrication of structures, pipes and various equipment. 

12. Stretch Forming

Stretch Forming is a molding process used for plastics and sheet metal by stretching the material to a desired shape.

13. Powder Metallurgy

Powder metallurgy is a process used to make powdered metal parts. The powdered metal is mixed with a binder, then pressed and sintered to form the part.

14. 3D Printing

3D printing is a rapid manufacturing process that transforms digital models into solid parts by stacking materials layer by layer to create complex parts.

15. Injection Molding

Injection molding, also known as injection molding, is a common plastics processing process used to manufacture a wide variety of plastic products covering a wide range of applications, from small parts to large components. An injection molding machine is the main piece of equipment that performs the injection molding process. It consists of a heated barrel, which is used to heat the plastic pellets into a molten state, and an injection head, which is used to inject the molten plastic into the mold.