The trends of rapid manufacturing (RM) have influenced numerous developments of technologies mainly in additive processes. However, the material compatibility and accuracy problems of additive techniques have limited the ability to manufacture end-user products. More established manufacturing methods such as Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining can be adapted for RM under some circumstances. The use of a 3-axis CNC milling machine with an indexing device increases tool accessibility and overcomes most of the process constraints. However, more work is required to enhance the application of CNC for RM, and this thesis focuses on the improvement of roughing and finishing operations and the integration of cutting tools in CNC machining to make it viable for RM applications. The purpose of this research is to further adapt CNC machining to rapid manufacturing, and it is believed that implementing the suggested approaches will speed up production, enhance part quality and make the process more suitable for RM. A feasible approach to improving roughing operations is investigated through the adoption of different cutting orientations. Simulation analyses are performed to manipulate the values of the orientations and to generate estimated cutting times. An orientations set with minimum machining time is selected to execute roughing processes. Further development is carried out to integrate different tool geometries; flat and ball nose end mill in the finishing processes. A surface classification method is formulated to assist the integration and to define the cutting regions. To realise a rapid machining system, the advancement of Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) is exploited. This allows CNC process planning to be handled through customised programming codes. The findings from simulation studies are supported by the machining experiment results. First, roughing through four independent orientations minimized the cutting time and prevents any susceptibility to tool failure. Secondly, the integration of end mill tools improves surface quality of the machined parts. Lastly, the process planning programs manage to control the simulation analyses and construct machining operations effectively.

Published Article / South Africa is constantly loosing contracts for the manufacturing of innovative projects to the East, due to its non-competitive mould-making industry. The paper will report on progress made in a specific focus area in mould-making, namely Hybrid Moulds for injection moulding. Hybrid Moulds refers to a hybrid between Additive Fabrication and conventional methods through the use of amongst others, Direct Metal Laser Sintering techniques, combined with conventional CNC machining (High Speed) techniques. Although the emphasis is on an economically viable process for limited production runs, once the moulds have been developed, it normally is pushed to its limits to realize production quantities. One of the competitive edges is the cutting of lead-times, which obviously impacts on production costs. Another aspect is the ability to manufacture short runs of injection moulded parts in the required engineering material Realising that Laser Sintering of metals is an expensive manufacturing process, a concurrent manufacturing process was developed. Intricate mould details, which normally are time-consuming to manufacture through EDM processes, were grown as inserts, while the less-complex parts of the mould is machined in Aluminium through 3 and 5 Axis High Speed CNC Machining. Using a 3-axis CNC wire cutter, pockets will be created where the more complex Laser Sintered Metal inserts will be fitted. One of the competitive edges is the cutting of lead-times, which obviously impacts on production costs. Another aspect is the ability to manufacture short runs of injection moulded parts in the required engineering material.

The 21st century demand for innovation is leading towards a revolution in the way products are perceived. This will have a major impact on manufacturing technologies as current product innovation is constrained by the available manufacturing processes, which function independently. One of the most significant developments is the emergence of hybrid manufacturing technologies integrating various individual manufacturing processes. Hybrid processes utilise the advantages of the independent processes whilst minimising their weaknesses as well as extending application areas. Despite the fact that the drawbacks of the individual processes have been significantly reduced, the application of state of the art hybrid technology has always been constrained by the capabilities of their constituent processes either from technical limitations or production costs. In particular, it is virtually impossible to machine complex parts due to limited cutting tool accessibility. By contrast, additive manufacturing (AM) techniques completely solve the tool accessibility issue, but this increased flexibility and automation is achieved by compromising on part accuracy and surface quality. Furthermore, the shape and size of raw materials have to be specific for each hybrid process. More importantly, process planning methods capable of effectively utilising manufacturing resources for hybrid processes are highly limited. In this research, a hybrid process, entitled iAtractive, combining additive, subtractive and inspection processes is proposed. An experimental methodology has been designed and implemented, by which a generative reactionary process planning algorithm (GRP2A) and feature-based decision-making logic (FDL) is developed. GRP2A enables a complex part to be accurately manufactured as one complete unit in the shortest production time possible. FDL provides a number of manufacturing strategies, allowing existing parts to be reused and transformed into final parts with additional features and functionalities. A series of case studies have been manufactured from zero and existing parts, demonstrating the efficacy of the iAtractive process and the developed GRP2A and FDL, which are based on a manual process. The major contribution to knowledge is the new vision for a hybrid process, which is not constrained by the capability of the individual processes and raw material in terms of shape and size. It has been demonstrated that the hybrid process together with GRP2A and FDL provides an effective solution to flexibly and accurately manufacture complex part geometries as well as remanufacture existing parts.

Materials which are both lighter and stronger have faced an increased demand over the past decades to fulfil the requirements across a range of industrial applications. More specifically, demands for titanium alloys have increased significantly due to its high strength to weight ratio which is particularly attractive for increasing fuel efficiency in aircrafts and cars and is also used in biomedical implants. Despite the increasing demand for titanium made products, machining titanium alloys remains a significant challenge. High material strength and hardness lead to excessive heat generation at the cutting zone which accumulates and results in high cutting temperatures due to the poor thermal conductivity. The high cutting temperatures together with inherent material properties of titanium are responsible for short tool life and poor surface finish. Despite the environmental and health drawbacks, a generous amount of cutting fluids is commonly used to control the cutting temperature in machining titanium alloys. However, conventional cutting fluids evaporate at high cutting temperatures which isolate the cutting zone by forming a vapour cushion resulting in further increases in cutting temperatures. This research investigates the effects of cryogenic cooling on machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in CNC milling as compared to conventional dry and wet machining environments. Two literature reviews were conducted and a methodology has been developed and implemented consisting of three experimental stages of i) design and manufacture of a cryogenic cooling system, ii) comparative study of cryogenic cooling with dry and wet machining and iii) optimisation of cutting parameters for cryogenic machining. The major contribution of this research can be summarised as design, realisation and assessment of a novel cryogenic cooling system for CNC milling, termed cryogenic shower, which is retrofitable to an existing CNC machining centre. In addition, the research provides a thorough study on the effects of cryogenic cooling on machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in comparison with dry and wet machining. The studies range from power consumption and tool wear through to surface topography and surface integrity. Furthermore, the optimum cutting parameters for cryogenic machining are identified. The research demonstrates that using the cryogenic shower has significantly improved machinability of Ti-6Al-4V through realisation of higher material removal rates, reduced tool wear and improved surface finish, surface topography and surface integrity.

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Additive Manufacture (AM) is a novel manufacturing method; it is a process of forming components by adding materials. Owing to material saving and manufacturing cost saving, more and more research has been focused on metal AM technologies. WAAM is one AM technology, using arc as the heat sources and wire as the material to create parts with weld beads on a layer-by-layer basis. The process can produce components in a wide range of materials, including aluminum, titanium and steel. High deposition rate, material saving and elimination of tooling cost are critical characteristics of the process. Cost estimation is important for all companies. The estimated results can be used as a datum to create a quote for customers or evaluate a quote from suppliers, an important consideration for the application of WAAM is its cost effectiveness compared with traditional manufacture methods. The aim of this research is to find a way to develop a cost estimating method capable of providing manufacturing cost comparison of WAAM with CNC. A cost estimation model for CNC machining has been developed. A process planning approach for WAAM was also defined as part of this research. An Excel calculation spreadsheet was also built and it can be easily used to estimate and compare manufacture cost of WAAM with CNC. Using the method developed in this research, the cost driver analysis of WAAM has been made. The result shows that reduced material cost is the biggest cost driver in WAAM. The cost comparison of WAAM and CNC also has been made and the results show that with the increase of buy-to-fly ratio WAAM is more economical than CNC machining.

In this research we consider two different approaches for microfabricating physical templates to be used in template directed colloidal self-assembly experiments. Fabrication of templates, usable with confocal microscopy, forms an essential part of observation and analysis of template directed colloidal self-assembly studies. We use existing laboratory based microfabrication methods for patterning thin glass coverslips and polymeric films. These templates when used for directing colloidal self-assembly along with confocal microscopy analysis provide us with relevant information on the effect of confined geometries of the template on particle packing and order. The first method of template fabrication involves ultraviolet photolithography, thin film deposition, and glass micro machining. Various stages of the process were optimized while selecting reactive ion etch (RIE) and nickel etch mask with a suitable etch recipe for microfabrication of patterns on thin multi-component glass coverslips. Pattern dimensions were shown to be nearly commensurate with patterns on the microfiche, which was used as a field mask. In another approach, mechanical machining for fabricating polymeric templates was attempted on poly(methyl methacrylate) films spin coated on thin glass cover slips. The mechanical machining was implemented using computer numerical control (CNC) machines with the pattern dimensions in the range of 50 Mu m-150 Mu m. The glass and polymeric templates were used in template directed colloidal self-assembly experiments us ing polystyrene or silica particles. Confocal microscopy was used to obtain images of particle packing in template geometries. Imaging of the particles confined in the template geometries show increased particle concentration along pattern walls and corners. Inherent pattern irregularities and roughness possibly resulted in limited order in particle. Using a simple fortran program, image stack generated from confocal microscopy is used for obtaining images of particle packing in four different view planes which includes top, side, cross sectional and diagonal view of the image stack. The results from this research show the application of simple microfabrication processes for creating physical templates for template directed colloidal self-assembly. Confocal microscopy imaging combined with fortran image processing program can provide images of particle packing in different view planes. These images of the particles confined in various pattern geometries illustrate greater possibility of packing order in straight and regular pattern geometries or profiles.

The Master's thesis, written during the study of M-STM Manufacturing Technology and Management in Industry, is focused on the concept of the production technology of a pin. The thesis includes a description of forming and machining technology in terms of possibilities of their application in the production of the pin. Furthermore, by comparing both technologies and preliminary economic evaluations of production, it leads to the choice of the production method. This production method is then described, and the description contains the production process steps including the creation of the CNC program. The conclusion of the thesis is devoted to the technical and economic evaluation of the production concept.

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