Preface Machining is the broad term used to describe the removal of material from a workpiece and is one of the most important manufacturing processes. Parts manufactured by other processes often require further operations before the product is ready for application. Machining operations can be applied to work metallic and non-metallic materials such as polymers, wood, ceramics, composites and exotic materials. M. E. Merchant has written “Today in industrialized countries, the cost of machining amounts to more than 15% of the value of all manufactured products in those countries.” For this reason and others, machining as part of manufacturing science and technology is very important for modern manufacturing industries. This book ...