ABSTRACT
In machining, material is removed from the workpiece until the desired shape is achieved. Clearly, this is a wasteful process, and many engineers feel that a main objective should be to design components that do not require machining. Since most manufacturing machines are designed to remove metal by machining, the view that machining should be avoided must be considered impracticable for the immediate future. However, the trend toward the use of “near net shape” processes that conserve material is clearly increasing, and when large-volume production is involved, this approach should be foremost in the designer’s mind.
