Name: ____________________________

MAE 3344: Introduction to Manufacturing Engineering

Midterm Exam # 2
Due: 11/12/2017, Sunday End of Day.
100 points

I. Answer the following questions ..(35 points)

1. Explain the difference between positive and negative rake angles (orthogonal cutting). What is
the importance of rake angle? Explain how a dull tool can lead to negative rake angles.
2. Describe the advantages and limitations of single crystal and polycrystalline diamond tools. Why
is CBN preferred over diamond for machining steels?
3. Explain why operations such as boring on a lathe and tapping are difficult. What are the
differences between boring on a lathe and boring on a horizontal boring mill?
4. A highly oxidized and uneven round bar is being turned on a lathe. Would you recommend a
small or a large depth of cut? Explain.
5. Would you recommend broaching a keyway on a gear blank before or after machining the gear
teeth? Why?
6. What are the advantages of helical teeth over straight teeth on cutters for slab milling?
7. What advantages do bed-type milling machines have over column and knee type machines for
production operations?
8. Are there any machining operations that cannot be performed in machining and turning centers?
Explain, with specific examples.
9. Can high-speed machining be performed without the use of cutting fluids? Explain.
10. It was stated that ultrasonic machining is best suited for hard and brittle materials. Explain.
11. The grinding ratio, G, depends on the type of grinding wheel, workpiece hardness, wheel and
workpiece speeds. Explain.
12. List the finishing operations commonly used in manufacturing operations. Why are they
necessary? Explain why they should be minimized.
13. Explain why the mechanical properties of workpiece materials are not significant in most of the
advanced machining processes. Could you give technical and economic reasons why such
processes might be preferred over traditional machining processes?
14. Why has electrical-discharge machining become so widely used in industry? Describe the types
of parts that are suitable for wire EDM.
15. List a property of steel that can be improved by alloying with each element below
i. Chromium
ii. Nickel
iii. Sulfur

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 16. Indicate which type of plastic each characteristic applies to in the table below: (5 points)
Thermosetting
Thermoplastic
Plastic
Glass transition temperature, Tg, not
sharply defined
Higher mechanical, thermal, and chemical
properties
Cross-linked
Becomes anisotropic under high strain
Reversible processnot permanently set

II. What material and list of processes would you use to make these products? State your choice of
materials and list of processes with reasons for your choices? ....(10 points)
1. A standard bolt for the international space station or space travel.
2. The glass for cell phone or other touch screens

III. Complete the following table....(15 points)

Typical Workpiece
Typical Workpiece material properties (eg.
Process material strength (UTS; Electric conductivity, Typical production rate#
min - max range) brittle/ductile, high/low
hardness*
Turning
Drilling
End milling
Sawing
EDM
* You can list any properties specific to the manufacturing process or any limitations
# List range of production rates. If you cant find those numbers, then list if it is high/low.

IV. Label the machining process and list the tolerance range for the given characteristics..
..(10 points)
Characteristics Process Tolerance range
Machining process to improve dimensional
accuracy and surface finish in a hole after
drilling
Milling operation where the axis of cutter
rotation is parallel to the workpiece surface;
cutting tool body has teeth along
circumference; cutting tool mounted on
arbor
Milling operation that can produce various
profiles and curved surfaces; the cutter can
have a straight or tapered shank; the cutting
tool is mounted on a spindle with axis of
rotation perpendicular to workpiece surface
and it can also be tilted to conform to

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tapered or curved surfaces
Plunging electrode probe causes metal
erosion by spark; dielectric fluid insulates
until potential sufficiently high; shaping and
cutting complex parts made of hard
materials; some surface damage may result;
expensive tooling and equipment
Abrasive particles are propelled at the
workpiece surface by a high-velocity jet of
air and the impact of the particles develops a
concentrated force that removes material

V. Shown below are drawings for a part to be milled.(10 points)

The first set of drawings is an example of poor design, where the design flaws are circled in red.
The second set of drawings shows the corrected better design where the circled issues in the
previous drawings have been corrected.
Identify what the following changes are and explain possible reasons (assume there is good
reason for the change having been made) for the changes made to the following circled items A,
B, C, F, G, H & I

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VI. Group discussion(20 points)
The class has been divided into groups. Each group will have to come up with questions (2 questions
per group). Please list your question in the mid-term answer sheet as well. Each group should put
together one presentation that shall include [a] Question on one slide, [b] Answer on the next slide,
for all the questions (4 slides per group).
The in-class discussion will take place as follows on Wednesday (11/08/2017):
1. Group 1 asks each question to the rest of the class
2. Other groups attempt to answer
3. Group 1 presents their prepared answer to their question.