月: 2024年1月

What Is Aluminum Processing?

Aluminum processing describes the machining of aluminum, derived from bauxite through aluminum oxide extraction and electrolysis. This includes forming, welding, and cutting, among other mechanical processes, to shape the material for diverse applications.

Aluminum, known for its ductility, poses challenges in various processes. Its ductility leads to elongation and reduced strength in forming. In welding, a high-melting-point oxide film complicates the process. And in cutting, its high reflectivity hinders laser processing.

Uses of Aluminum Processing

Aluminum processing is integral in producing a vast array of products spanning industries from aerospace to consumer goods. Advantages of aluminum include its light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, workability, electrical and thermal conductivity, and recyclability. However, it’s not as strong as iron or stainless steel, is softer and prone to damage, and has a low melting point, making its use in welding challenging.

Types of Aluminum Processing

Aluminum processing varies based on specific methods like forming, welding, cutting, and surface treatment:

1. Forming (Rolling, Bending, etc.)

Rolling uses punches and dies for shaping, while bending employs various techniques for sheets and extrusions. Casting involves melting and molding aluminum, and press processing involves shearing and squeezing to create shapes.

2. Welding Processing

Welding primarily uses techniques like tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) welding.

3. Cutting Processing

Cutting involves using tools and machining equipment such as machining centers, milling machines, and lathes.

4. Cutting

Specialized machines like shears, saws, and NC saws are used for cutting aluminum.

5. Surface Treatment

Surface treatment methods include anodizing, hairline processing, and painting.

What Is Drawing Processing?

Drawing processing is a machining method in which a metal material is pulled through a die to deform it into a specific shape and thickness. This method is a subset of plastic processing, where the material’s thickness is gradually reduced using dies of varying diameters. It differs from extrusion processing in that it does not typically require high temperatures.

By using sequentially smaller dies, drawing processing can continuously refine a workpiece to the desired thickness. This method is particularly effective for mass-producing elongated or slender parts, such as syringe needles, wires, automotive shafts, and rail components.

Drawing processing is crucial in industries requiring precision, like medical and industrial manufacturing, and can produce micro-sized components, exemplified in items like bonding wires for LSI or semiconductor materials.

Principles of Drawing Processing

The principle of drawing processing involves pulling metal through a smaller-diameter die, stretching it to a thinner, longer form. This process increases the tensile strength of the metal and produces minimal waste, making it ideal for expensive materials. Drawing also provides faster, efficient mass production compared to cutting or grinding and results in a polished metal surface. However, it requires lubrication to prevent sticking, and dies must be periodically replaced due to wear.

Types of Drawing Processing

Drawing processing includes four main types: simple, tube, roller die, and turks head drawing. Each type has specific applications and uses different machines:

1. Simple Drawing Processing

This straightforward method involves directly pulling the material, typically representing drawing processing in general.

2. Tube Drawing Processing

Used for creating hollow structures, tube drawing includes methods like hollow drawing, core drawing with a mandrel, and float plug drawing for thin tubes.

3. Roller Die Drawing Processing

This method uses rotating rollers to minimize force and prevent deformation during pulling.

4. Turks Head Drawing Processing

Turks head drawing involves pulling material through multidirectional rollers, allowing for versatile shaping from round to square bars.

What Is Plastic Processing?

Plastic processing refers to a method of shaping materials through external force, causing permanent deformation. Common materials like aluminum, when subjected to sufficient force, maintain their deformed state and do not return to their original shape.

This process shapes materials into desired forms, utilizing the material’s plastic zone property, where it remains permanently deformed under force.

Uses of Plastic Processing

Plastic processing is widely used in metal material fabrication, including press processing, where metal is deformed into predefined shapes using mechanical press machines. This process is integral in creating products like automobile frames, where precision shaping is essential.

Principles of Plastic Processing

The process leverages the material’s transition from its elastic zone, where it can return to its original shape, to its plastic zone, where it remains permanently deformed. Brittle materials like glass, which crack under deformation, are unsuitable for plastic processing. This method also induces work hardening, enhancing the material’s strength, and reduces residual stress after the external force is removed.

Types of Plastic Processing

1. Forging Processing

Forging shapes metal through striking with tools or molds, using forging hammers or presses.

2. Rolling Processing

Rolling stretches metal by passing it between rolls, commonly used in steel mills for sheet metal production.

3. Press Processing

Press processing includes shearing, bending, and squeezing methods, using mechanical, hydraulic, or hand press machines.

4. Extrusion Processing

Extrusion involves pressing material through a die to create long shapes like wires and rods, using extrusion molding machines.

5. Drawing Processing

Drawing pulls material through a die to create bar materials, suitable for making thin wires or fine needles.

6. Rolling Processing

This method uses concave-convex molds pressed against a round bar to create bolts suitable for materials with certain elongation and strength properties.

Other information on Plastic Processing

Advantages of Plastic Processing

Plastic processing enhances material quality through work hardening and stress reduction. It’s a cost-effective method, as it doesn’t generate waste like cutting processing. However, mold costs can be high, and prototyping may use other methods like total cutting or 3D printing. When automated with molds, processing time reduces, making it ideal for mass production of metal parts in industries like automotive and appliance manufacturing.

What Is Milling Processing?

Milling processing, often simply referred to as milling, is a machining method that involves moving a rotating tool with cutting teeth to shape a workpiece. This process uses rotating tools like end mills and milling cutters, hence the term milling.

Milling machines and machining centers are commonly used to finish workpieces of various shapes, including angular, boxy, and cylindrical forms.

Different types of milling processing include flat processing, side processing, groove processing, step processing, and hole processing.

Uses of Milling Processing

Milling processing is predominantly used for part manufacturing in machinery components and molds. It employs rotating tools at high speeds to cut materials while moving them in multiple directions. This method is essential in manufacturing settings where precise cutting operations are needed. In mass production factories, machining centers are prevalent, while general-purpose milling machines are favored for small-scale or precision machining.

Types of Milling Processing

Milling processing varies based on the desired shape and material characteristics. Broadly, it can be categorized into five types:

1. Flat Processing: Cutting the material’s surface parallel to the table, with methods like face milling for large areas, plain milling for top surfaces, and end milling for smaller areas.

2. Side Processing: Involves cutting the material’s side, using face milling for large areas, side milling for roughing, and end milling for common side cuts.

3. Step Processing: Cuts both the material’s surface and side simultaneously, with face milling for broad surfaces, side milling for steps, and end milling for narrow surfaces.

4. Groove Processing: Cuts grooves into the material using end mills, with variations like pocket milling and helical milling.

5. Hole Processing: Creates holes in the material, starting with drilling and expanding with end milling.

What Is Machine Processing?

Machine processing involves using machine tools to shape materials like metal or plastic into specific forms. This process is broadly categorized into three types — removal, forming, and joining — and employs various machinery.

Uses of Machine Processing

Machine processing is primarily used in fabricating components per specific design blueprints. It enables the consistent production of identically shaped products in large quantities with high accuracy, fundamental in mass-producing factory products and essential across manufacturing industries.

Different desired shapes necessitate varied processing procedures, leading to the development of distinct machine tools used across manufacturing sectors.

Principles of Machine Processing

Machine processing encompasses diverse processes, each with its unique principles:

1. Removal Processing

This involves removing parts from the material to create the desired shape, with techniques like cutting, grinding, and discharge processing. Cutting uses a blade, grinding employs a rotating grindstone for surface smoothing, and discharge processing uses electrical discharge for fine details.

2. Forming Processing

Forming changes the material’s shape using forces like pressing, pulling, or bending. It includes sheet metal processing and press processing.

3. Joining Processing

Joining combines parts into one unit, using methods like welding, which melts metal with heat and pressure, and soldering, which joins metals using low-melting-point substances.

Other Information on Machine Processing

Machines Used in Machine Processing

Key machines in machine processing include lathes, milling machines, drill presses, grinding machines, and machining centers. Lathes produce cylindrical parts, milling machines handle complex shapes, drill presses create holes of various diameters, grinding machines process hard materials for a smooth finish, and machining centers use CNC for efficient mass production.

What Are Clamps?

Clamps are tools used to clamp, fix, or hold objects together. They are available in hand clamps that lock in place for sustained hold and screw clamps that secure objects by tightening a screw. These tools provide stabilization that’s challenging to achieve manually, making them essential for heavy-duty tasks. Clamps vary in size, from small, one-hand operable clamps to large ones requiring both hands.

Choosing the right clamp depends on the location and purpose of use.

How to Use Clamps

Clamps differ in operation based on their type:

• Hand Clamps
  Operate by gripping the handle and using the mouth to clamp the object. The clamp moves to close but not to open, ensuring a secure hold. To release, lift the release lever to unlock and open the mouth.
• Screw Clamps
  Feature C-shaped jaws, with one side fixed and the other adjustable via a screw. Position the fixed part against the object and tighten the screw to clamp. The hold remains until the screw is loosened.

How to Choose a Clamp

Selection depends on the task at hand:

• Hand Clamps
  Advantageous for convenience; grip and hold the object, release by lifting the lever. Ideal for light clamping and hands-free operations, but isn’t as strong as a screw clamp.
• Screw Clamps
  Offers high holding power through screw force, significantly stronger than handheld models. Requires screw adjustment for release, which can be complex for larger sizes and might need teamwork. Best for tasks needing a strong, stable hold, like cutting or welding operations.

What Are Routers?

Routers are power tools that rotate a grinding stone attached to their shafts for polishing tasks. These tools are ideal for intricate work in complex shapes or tight spaces, making them useful in industries for polishing curved surfaces and deburring, as well as in crafts for carving on wood or glass.

The grinding stone, known as a bit, is secured in the router’s chuck. A variety of bit types can be selected based on the task at hand.

How to Use Routers

Before starting, attach the desired bit to the router’s tip using the collet chuck. Once the router is activated, wait for the rotation to stabilize before bringing it close to the target object. Stable rotation is crucial for effective polishing.

When using routers, observe the following safety measures:

• Wear protective goggles and gloves to shield against burrs or sparks.
• Avoid getting hands or body close to the rotating bit.

How to Choose a Router

In selecting a router, consider the work environment and the bit you intend to use. Routers are available in AC-powered and cordless models, each with specific advantages.

• AC-powered routers are restricted by a power cord, but are generally more consistent for extended use.
• Cordless routers offer workspace flexibility, but may be less ideal for prolonged tasks due to battery weight.

Ensure compatibility between the collet chuck and the router’s shaft diameter. Also, check the maximum tool diameter the router can accommodate, which varies from 25 to 49 mm. For versatile use, consider routers with adjustable rotation speeds, ranging from 7,000 to 29,000 rotations per minute.

What Are Styrofoam Cutters?

Styrofoam cutters are tools primarily used for cutting and shaping expanded polystyrene foam. They come in two types: heat-generating, which cuts by melting the foam; and blade, which operates similar to a saw or utility knife.

Regular cutters can create messy, uneven cuts with debris, which is troublesome to clean up due to static electricity. In contrast, styrofoam cutters ensure smooth, debris-free cuts and are more adept at cutting curves than regular cutters.

Uses of Styrofoam Cutters

Styrofoam cutters are utilized for various purposes, ranging from crafting cubic forms and event decorations to cutting down packaging materials in warehouses and factories. They’re especially useful for making POP displays, participating in community events, crafting dioramas, and processing packaging foam.

Principle of Styrofoam Cutters

1. Heat-Generating

Heat-generating styrofoam cutters heat materials like nichrome wire, an alloy of nickel and chromium, to melt expanded polystyrene. Nichrome wire is chosen for its high electrical resistance and ability to withstand high temperatures.

2. Blade

Blade cutters, equipped with fine or serrated blades, cut through foam with a sawing motion.

How to Use Styrofoam Cutters

For heat-generating cutters, wait for the cutter to warm up after switching it on. This preheating ensures smoother cuts. When cutting, fix the target object and smoothly pull the cutter for a clean finish.

How to Choose a Styrofoam Cutter

1. Cutter Type

Select from nichrome wire, pen, and tabletop cutters for heat-generating options, or non-electric blade cutters for heatless cutting.

2. Power Source

Select between corded cutters, which are powerful and ideal for thick foam, or battery-powered ones, which offer flexibility and are suited for finer work.

3. Switch

Choose between switch cutters for constant power and large projects, or push cutters for precision and intermittent use.

Other Information on Styrofoam Cutters

Usage Precautions

Always supervise children using these tools. Be cautious of burns with heat-generating models, and ensure the cutter is off before touching heated parts. Heat-generating cutters emit a smell while in use, so provide adequate ventilation when using them.

What Are Screwdrivers?

Screwdrivers are tools used for driving screws into walls or ceilings during construction, particularly when attaching boards like gypsum boards.

They ensure secure attachment of the target object by properly tightening screws, making them essential for construction tasks where surface integrity is crucial.

Screwdrivers operate by rotating only when the bit is pressed against a surface. Rotation ceases once the rubber cap at the tip contacts the board, setting the screw at the optimal depth.

How to Use Screwdrivers

Prior to use, screws are loaded into the screwdriver. When the switch is on, pressing the tip against a board activates the screwdriver to drive the screw. The rotation stops when the rubber cap touches the board. Adjust the screw length and depth of insertion based on the board’s thickness before beginning work.

How to Choose a Screwdriver

Consider the power source and features of a screwdriver based on the intended environment and application. Screwdrivers are available with air or electric power sources.

Pneumatic Screwdrivers

Pneumatic screwdrivers require an air compressor for operation. They are smaller and less tiring for extended use than electric types, as they don’t have a motor.

Electric Screwdrivers

Electric screwdrivers come in corded and cordless varieties. Corded models have a limited range but are lighter and smaller, while cordless models offer more freedom of movement but are heavier and less ideal for prolonged use due to the battery.

Auto-Feed Screwdrivers

Auto-feed screwdrivers, which load connected screws, are suitable for tasks that require driving many screws continuously.

【Note】Screws for Screwdrivers

The most common screw sizes for use with screwdrivers are M5 and M6. Select a screwdriver based on the screw size you intend to use.

What Are PIN Nailers?

PIN nailers are electric tools primarily used for interior tasks like temporary fastening of baseboards and decorative materials. They drive PIN nails or fasteners, which are characterized by their thin, headless design.

PIN nailers can operate pneumatically using compressed air from a compressor, or cordlessly powered by batteries. While pneumatic models were once more common, cordless variants have gained popularity.

The efficiency and precision of PIN nailers, driven by electric power, significantly enhance work performance compared to manual methods. However, they are different from similar tools like electric tackers and finish nailers, each of which are suited for specific purposes.

Uses of PIN Nailers

PIN nailers are versatile, used in everything from DIY projects to specialized construction. They drive headless nails, leaving less noticeable marks, making them ideal for interior work. These nails are held in place by friction along the shaft, often used for temporary fastening in conjunction with adhesives.

Compared to finish nailers, which use small-headed nails for greater holding power but leave more noticeable marks, PIN nailers offer a subtler finish. Tackers, on the other hand, drive staples and are used for securing materials like insulation sheets, offering strong holding power.

Principles of PIN Nailers

1. Pneumatic PIN Nailers

Pneumatic models utilize compressed air to move an internal piston, thereby driving the PIN nail.

2. Cordless PIN Nailers

Cordless models use a motor and gear system to compress and release a spring, driving the PIN nail. They incorporate a counteracting weight spring to reduce recoil during nail insertion.

Types of PIN Nailers

1. Pneumatic PIN Nailers

Pneumatic models, connected to air compressors, use air pressure for operation. Though powerful, they require a compressor, making them less portable. These come in standard and high-pressure models, with high-pressure units often used in professional settings.

2. Cordless PIN Nailers

Cordless models, though heavier due to batteries, offer excellent portability as they don’t require a compressor. Modern high-performance cordless models are now suitable for professional use.

How to Choose PIN Nailers

1. PIN Nail/PIN Fastener Specifications

PIN nails are 0.6mm in diameter, ranging from 15mm to 50mm in length. Cordless models handle up to 35mm, while pneumatic models are used for longer nails. Available in iron and stainless steel.

2. Pneumatic/Cordless

Pneumatic models are lighter due to the absence of batteries. Cordless models, while heavier, are more portable and increasingly powerful, suitable even for professional use. Advanced chargers now facilitate extended usage.

3. Standard  and High Pressure Pneumatic Models

Standard pressure models are ideal for DIY, less powerful but cost-effective and suitable for prolonged use. High-pressure models, though more expensive, are lightweight, compact, and offer high power, but are not ideal for extended use.

Other Information on PIN Nailers

1. How to Use PIN Nailers

Load the nails, press the tool’s tip against the target, and trigger to release the nail. On horizontal or inclined surfaces, drive nails in the advancement direction; on vertical surfaces, from top to bottom.

2. Points to Note when Using PIN Nailers

• Wear protective goggles to guard against nail rebound.
• Lock the trigger when moving or not in use to prevent accidental firing; for pneumatic models, disconnect the air hose.
• Use manufacturer-specified nails to avoid malfunctions.
• For pneumatic models, adjust the pressure setting as needed.