Machining: An IntroductionIn terms of annual dollars spent, machining is the most important of the manufacturing processes
Machining can be defined as the process of removing material from a workpiece in the form of chips
The term metal cutting is used when the material is metallic
Most machining has very low set-up cost compared to forming, molding, and casting processes
However, machining is much more expensive for high volumes
Machining is necessary where tight tolerances on dimensions and finishes are required
The Machining section is divided into the following categories: Drilling: IntroductionDrilling is easily the most common machining process
One estimate is that 75% of all metal-cutting material removed comes from drilling operations
Drilling involves the creation of holes