Machining operations

Most machining operations here in San Diego, Silicon Valley, West Coast of the United States and or Overseas can be divided into those that remove metal from an item, and those that form metal in an item.

Often an unfinished workpiece will need to have some parts removed or scraped away in order to create a finished product. For example, a lathe is a machine tool that generates circular sections by rotating a metal workpiece, so that a cutting tool can peel metal off, creating a smooth, round surface. A drill or punch press can be used to remove metal in the shape of a hole. Other tools that may be used for various types of metal removal are milling machines, saws, and grinding tools. Many of these same techniques are used in woodworking.

Metal can be formed into a desired shape much more easily than materials such as wood or stone, especially when the metal is heated. A machinist may use a forging machine to hammer or mold a hot metal workpiece into a desired shape. Dies or molds may be used if the metal is soft enough, or under high pressures. A press is used to flatten a piece of metal into a desired shape.

Shape modifying with material retention processes

These processes modify the shape of the object being formed, without removing any material.

• Casting
• Sand casting
• Shell casting
• Investment casting (called Lost wax casting in art)
• Die casting
• Spin casting
• Plastic deforming
• Forging
• Rolling
• Extrusion
• Spinning
• Stamping
• Powder forming
• Sintering
• Sheet metal forming
• Bending: A calculated deformation of the metal from it original shape.
• Drawing
• Pressing
• Spinning
• Flow turning
• Roll forming
• Wheeling using an English wheel / Wheeling machine