Key Definitions of Terms Related to Manufacturing Process in Mechanical Engineering
1. General Manufacturing Terms
Manufacturing: The process of converting raw materials into finished products using physical,
chemical, or mechanical means.
Production: The broader term that includes both manufacturing and assembly to produce goods.
Process Planning: The systematic determination of the methods by which a product is to be
manufactured economically and competitively.
2. Machining Processes
Machining: A material removal process that involves cutting away material to form a desired shape.
Turning: A machining process used to produce cylindrical parts by rotating the workpiece against a
cutting tool.
Milling: A process that uses rotary cutters to remove material from a workpiece.
Drilling: The operation of producing a round hole in a solid material using a rotating tool.
Grinding: A finishing operation using an abrasive wheel to smooth surfaces and achieve close
tolerances.
3. Forming Processes
Forging: Deforming metal under high pressure to obtain a desired shape, usually at elevated
temperatures.
Rolling: Reducing the thickness or changing the cross-section of a long workpiece by compressive
forces using rolls.
Extrusion: Forcing material through a die to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile.
Drawing: Pulling metal through a die to reduce its diameter or alter its cross-section.
4. Casting Processes
Casting: Pouring molten metal into a mold where it solidifies into the shape of the cavity.
Sand Casting: A casting method using sand as the mold material.
Die Casting: A casting process where molten metal is injected into a metal mold under pressure.
Investment Casting: A precision casting process using a wax pattern and ceramic shell.
5. Joining Processes
Welding: The process of joining materials, usually metals, by melting the workpieces and adding a
filler material.
Brazing: A joining process that uses a filler metal with a lower melting point than the base materials
but without melting the base metals.
Soldering: A joining process similar to brazing, but performed at lower temperatures.
Riveting: A permanent mechanical fastener used to join plates.
6. Sheet Metal Operations
Blanking: Cutting out a flat shape from sheet metal.
Punching: Removing a scrap piece of material from a workpiece when a punch enters a die.
Bending: Deforming sheet metal along a straight axis.
Deep Drawing: Forming a cup-shaped part from a flat sheet by drawing it into a die.
7. Non-Traditional Machining
EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining): Material removal using electrical discharges (sparks).
Laser Cutting: Using a high-powered laser to cut materials.
Water Jet Cutting: Using a high-pressure jet of water (sometimes mixed with abrasives) to cut
materials.
Ultrasonic Machining: Removing material by high-frequency vibrations of a tool.
8. Heat Treatment
Annealing: Heating and then slowly cooling a metal to reduce hardness and improve ductility.
Quenching: Rapid cooling of a metal to harden it.
Tempering: Heating quenched metal to reduce brittleness.
Normalizing: Heating above critical temperature and air-cooling to refine the grain structure.
9. Tolerances and Fits
Tolerance: The permissible variation in the dimensions of a manufactured part.
Fit: The relationship between two mating parts (e.g., clearance fit, interference fit).
Surface Finish: The texture or smoothness of a surface after manufacturing.
