Material Removal Process | Types, Advantages, Limitations, Applications

What is a material removal process?

Material removal process is a type of manufacturing process in which the final product is obtained by removing excess metal from the stock.

The best example of a machining process is generating a cylindrical surface from a metal stock with the help of a lathe.

This is one of the most expensive manufacturing process among the four basic manufacturing processes i.e. forming, casting, fabrication and material removal.

Types of material removal processes

Material removal processes are mainly divided into two types traditional and non-traditional.

Traditional machining processes are the processes which are used from the ancient times till today. They are used for almost all general kind of product manufacturing. Examples of these processes are turning, drilling, lapping etc.

Non-traditional machining processes are the processes which are not in general use and are only used for very high-quality engineering works. Examples of non-traditional material removal processes are Electro Chemical Machining (ECM), Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) etc.

With the help of below diagram you can further understand the types of material removal processes in a better way.

Types of Machining Processes

Advantages of material removal process

• Very high dimensional accuracy
• Sharp corners can be obtained
• Versatile in operation
• Setup is in as costly as compared to casting or forming processes

Limitations of material removal process

• Size of component is generally limited
• Process is very costly as mentioned earlier, hence should only be used as a secondary manufacturing process
• In manual machining highly skilled operator is required
• Generally, time consuming

Applications of material removal process

• In making automotive parts
• Making parts of custom specifications
• Making of gears, shafts and other mechanical parts