Abstract :

The Growing Use Of Hard-to-machine Alloys, Complex Geometries And Stringent Surface-finish Requirements Makes Process Selection An Important Manufacturing Decision. This Study Compares Eight Conventional And Non-conventional Processes (CNC Machining, Grinding, EDM, Wire EDM, ECM, Ultrasonic, Laser And Abrasive Jet Machining) On Material Removal Rate, Surface Roughness, Tolerance, Specific Energy, Tool Wear, Hard-material Capability And Geometric Complexity. Representative Handbook And Literature Values For Hardened Steel And Nickel-based Alloys Were Analysed In MATLAB Using TOPSIS Under Three Application Scenarios, Together With A Cost-per-part Break-even Model. Specific Energy Ranged From About 4 J/mm³ (CNC Machining) To 800 J/mm³ (abrasive Jet Machining). For High-volume Productivity, CNC Machining Ranked First (closeness Coefficient 0.801) Followed By ECM (0.480). For Precision Machining Of Hard Materials, Grinding (0.650) And ECM (0.644) Led, And For Complex Geometries In Hard Materials ECM Ranked First (0.618), Followed By CNC Machining (0.594) And Wire EDM (0.560). Across 2,000 Random ±20% Weight Perturbations, The Top-ranked Process Remained Unchanged In 100%, 57% And 73% Of Cases For The Three Scenarios. In The Illustrative Cost Model, Wire EDM Was Cheaper Than CNC Machining Below About 41 Parts Per Batch, And ECM Above About 198 Parts. The Study Offers A Systematic Framework For Selecting Machining Processes On Technical, Operational And Economic Grounds.

Published:

04-11-2026

Issue:

Vol. 26 No. 11 (2026)

Page Nos:

79-86

Section:

Articles

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite