Manufacturing manual

Manufacturing: The process of converting raw material to a finished part through labor, machines, tools, and chemistry.

Advanced manufacturing: Innovative production technologies that improve products and processes, often involving automation, robotics, and smart systems. 

Additive manufacturing: The process of creating objects by adding material layer by layer, often using 3D-printing technologies.

Subtractive manufacturing: The process of creating objects by removing material from a solid block through machining processes such as milling or turning.

Machining: A type of subtractive manufacturing that involves removing portions of a larger piece of raw material to create a desired shape or part. Machining uses tools such as lathes, mills, routers, grinders, and drill presses.

Fabricating: The process of assembling, cutting, and shaping materials into a finished product.

Techniques

Casting: The process of pouring molten material into a mold to form a specific shape upon solidification.

Computer numerical control (CNC) machining: A manufacturing process that uses pre-programmed software to control the movement of tools and machinery to shape materials.

Electron-beam additive manufacturing (EBAM): An additive manufacturing process using an electron beam to melt metal powder or wire into a desired shape.Multi-axis 3D printing: A 3D printer that uses a robotic arm (rather than a frame structure) to move a tool head, allowing the fabrication of complex shapes.

Forming: A manufacturing process where a material's shape is altered by applying pressure or force without removing any material.

Forging: The process of heating a piece of metal and then beating or hammering it into a desired shape. 

Turning: A machining process that uses a cutting tool to remove material from a rotating workpiece to create cylindrical or other desired shapes.

Welding: Processes that join metals by melting and fusing them using different methods.

Wire electrical discharge machining: A manufacturing process that uses electricity traveling through a thin wire to cut intricate shapes in conductive materials.

Tools

Lathe: A machining tool that rotates a piece of raw material around a stationary cutting tool to create a desired shape. 

Mill: A machining tool that rotates a cutting tool around a stationary piece of raw material to create a desired shape.

Router: A machining tool similar to a mill that’s used to carve or engrave a piece of raw material.

Grinder: A machining tool that uses an abrasive rotating wheel to wear down the surface of an object.

Drill press: A stationary machining tool that drills holes in objects. 

CNC laser cutter: A CNC machine used to precisely cut materials.

CNC press brake: A CNC machine used to bend sheet metal with high precision.

Coordinate-measuring machine (CMM): A device that measures the physical geometrical characteristics of an object.

Multi-axis 3D printer: A 3D printer that uses a robotic arm (rather than a frame structure) to move a tool head, allowing the fabrication of complex shapes. ★