ABSTRACT
Salient features such as high hardness that make structural ceramics attractive for particular uses also make them difficult to fabricate by conventional methods based on mechanical grinding and machining. Strength and efficiency of the components can be affected by damage caused on the surface of the ceramics machined by conventional methods (Samant and Dahotre, 2009a). Furthermore, even though intermetallics such as Ni-Al binary system have been extremely important in development of high-temperature materials, due to their ordered structure, they experience difficulty in machining and hot working (Chen et al., 2008). Polymer matrix composite (PMC) materials are being used as reinforcements in the construction of lightweight structures in order to overcome their lack of stiffness. Unfortunately, these reinforcements are extremely hard and abrasive due to which they exhibit serious problems for conventional machining operations (Fenoughty, Jawaid and Pashby, 1994). Orthopaedic surgeons generally use a clinical saw or drill for cutting bone. However, extremely precise cuts require adequate manual dexterousness to make sure that surrounding tissue and nerves are not damaged. For this purpose, the cutting tool should possess ready maneuverability that allows controlled cutting and avoids direct contact with the bone tissue. For this purpose, conventional methods are not appropriate and sophisticated tools such as lasers are preferred (Wallace et al., 2004). The next section discusses commonly employed fabrication methods.
