Machining is the process of removing material in the form of chips from a workpiece to achieve the desired characteristics (surface, shape, and size) using a tool and power. In other words, machining is the process of bringing a raw material to a targeted shape with the help of cutting tools. There are various types of machining processes.

Turning is the process of removing chips in a circular motion from a workpiece attached to a spindle using cutting tools with specific geometric edges (such as tool bits, cutting tips). Typically, a rotational movement is applied to the workpiece. Turning operations are performed on classical lathes or CNC lathes in serial production. Turning operations are applied to cylindrical or cylindrical diameter parts and include internal and external turning, face turning, profile turning, grooving, threading, taper turning, parting off, and operations such as curved and angled chamfering, hole machining, etc.

Lathes are fundamental machines used in basic manufacturing processes. Particularly with CNC lathes, the use of coated and insert tips has increased the chip removal potential. Especially, parts requiring precise dimensions and fine surface roughness are successfully machined in a short time.

Milling is the process of removing chips with single or multi-edged cutting tools of specific geometry in operations like machining flat or curved surfaces, slots, helical grooves, gears, and threads, in pocket milling, step milling, hole drilling, and enlarging. In milling, either the cutting tool is movable or both the tool and the workpiece can move depending on the machining setup. Milling is performed on classical milling machines or finely and precisely on CNC milling machines.

General milling operations are classified as plain surface milling, profile milling, slot milling, form milling, and scaling milling. In milling, hard HSS single-piece cutting tools are used, and in recent years, coated inserts have been employed. Milling machines, in terms of chip removal, have more machining and cutting power compared to lathes. Milling processes include a variety of operations such as slotting, removing chips from flat surfaces, gear cutting, pocket milling, hole enlarging, large-step thread milling, producing helical and angled surfaces, blind hole drilling, hole drilling, and many more, all performed extremely quickly and precisely.

Drilling is the process of creating cylindrical holes along the length of a workpiece surface or cylindrical holes with one closed end (blind holes) using rotating cutting drills or milling cutters. Drill presses are used for the drilling process. However, drilling attachments can also be added to CNC lathes or CNC milling machines for drilling. Drilling is done with drill bits as well as cylindrical milling cutters. Especially for drilling specific depth blind holes and precise axial holes, CNC milling machines with drilling attachments and milling cutters are used.

The drilling process is one of the most common basic manufacturing operations. In these processes, high-speed steel (HSS) drills are used. Recently, coated and insert-equipped drills have been used. Especially, these cutters are widely used in CNC lathes, CNC milling machines, and CNC drilling machines due to their very high chip removal potential.

Reaming is a hole-finishing process that removes very little material to produce high-quality and accurate holes. The reaming process is used to provide axial alignment, precise dimensional accuracy, and fine surface roughness in pre-drilled holes.

Reaming is divided into cylindrical reaming and conical reaming. Cylindrical reaming is applied to cylindrical holes, while conical reaming is used for correcting conical holes. The reaming process is similar to the drilling process, except that a reamer is used instead of a drill for precision machining. In these processes, helical or straight-fluted reamers are used.

Grinding is the process of achieving high surface precision, dimensional accuracy, and smoother surfaces by removing a small amount of material from machined machine part surfaces with grinding wheels of various grain sizes. The grinding process involves the cutting of very small amounts by abrasive wheels composed of bonded particles.

Grinding is generally done on grinding machines, but it can also be performed on CNC lathes and milling machines with additional attachments. In CNC machining, especially to save time on additional processing and to eliminate a second operation, simple hole and external surface grinding operations can easily be performed.

In grinding, grinding tools made of natural and synthetic grains of various sizes bonded with chemical substances are used. Particularly, the removal of a small amount of material from the surfaces of very hard parts is possible with grinding.

Grinding processes are categorized by the method of machining into profile grinding, plunge grinding, cylindrical grinding, and plane surface grinding.

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are used in almost all modern electronic device manufacturing. PCBs are produced by etching copper surfaces through various methods. They help consolidate electronic components on a single board and establish electrical connections between them.

Stages of Electronic Board Production:

PCB Design and Gerber File Acquisition: Drawings are made through PCB design software, and files are prepared in formats required by manufacturers.

Pre-production Engineering: PCB data (Gerber and Drill files) are used to create production files. Production engineers compare the print circuit board project with production standards to ensure manufacturability. After the review, PCB designs are replicated in the desired quantity for batch production.

Cutting FR4 Copper Plates for Production: FR4 copper-clad plates to be used in production are panelized in standard sizes for batch or prototype PCB production. The paneled copper plates are then cut and prepared, where cleanliness must be ensured as dirt or stains can cause short circuits.

Plotter – Dry Film Output: After ensuring the board’s suitability for production, a dry film output of the board is taken using a special printer that uses highly precise printing technology to provide a detailed film of the design. The PCB’s conductive areas are displayed in black ink on copper. The remaining parts are insulating.

Transferring the Dry Film Output to the FR4 Copper Plate: The film used for production is a high-quality light-sensitive dry film, transferred to the copper material using UV light in a dust-free clean area. There are multiple methods for transferring and imprinting the film onto the FR4 copper plate.

Drilling Holes and Using CNC: At this stage, holes are drilled on the PCBs using technological and fully automatic drilling machines to start the drilling and via creation process. Drilling involves using high-quality drill bits that rotate at about 150,000 rpm with air pressure.

Etching Process (Erosion of FR4 Copper Surface): This involves removing unwanted copper using a strong alkaline solution. During the etching process, PCBs are lowered into an acid pool and removed after a certain period. “In PCB manufacturing, it is very important that the solderable area on the PCB is smooth and flat.”

Soldermask Application (Solder Mask): After drilling and copper plating inside the holes, the next step is to apply a protective paint known as the solder mask to the PCB surface. Solder masks can be of different colors. Generally, green is used, but red, blue, yellow, white, and black can also be chosen based on customer preferences and project requirements.

Silkscreen Printing: Silkscreen application, referred to as material printing, is the process of printing necessary markings and electronic component references on the PCB.

Electrical Testing: Each board is electrically tested according to the original file to check for short circuits or open circuits and compliance with the original file. There are two types of tests: Fly probe, which is used more in sample production, and Electrical E-test fixture, which is used in mass production and is a fast testing method.

A 3D printer is a machine that converts virtually designed three-dimensional objects into tangible, solid objects. Since objects are generally produced layer by layer, this technology is also known as additive manufacturing.

During rapid prototyping with additive manufacturing technology, a suitable filament chosen from various materials, called filament, is deposited onto a bed through a temperature-controlled tip known as the nozzle. The printed object is created layer by layer from the bottom up, starting from the surface of the 3D printer bed.

With 3D printing technology, you can print a device you need, produce a physical output of an object scanned with a 3D scanner, prototype a design you’ve drawn, or even create your own product.

Automotive manufacturers have been using 3D printing for a long time. Automotive companies print spare parts, tools, fixtures, and durable goods, as well as end-use parts. 3D printing has enabled on-demand production, which leads to lower inventory levels and shorter design and production cycles.

Automotive enthusiasts around the world use 3D printed parts to modify vintage cars.

The aerospace industry uses 3D printing in many different ways. Boeing has long used 3D printed parts in its aircraft. As of 2015, it is estimated that Boeing’s aircraft incorporated over 20,000 3D printed parts.