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A new process called direct ceramic machining was successfully applied for the fabrication of dental restorations and technical components. It uses prefabricated, easy to machine ceramic blanks. The shape of a ceramic component is machined with enlarged contours to compensate for the sintering shrinkage. Afterwards the machined component is sintered to full density and thereby shrinks to its final dimensions. Technical components from 5 to 100 mm in size possessing features of 1/10th mm to several millimeters and dental restorations were fabricated sucessfully, and thus demonstrate the capability for rapid production of ceramic functional prototypes. The dimensional accuracy is about 20 μm with a relative accuracy of 0.1 per cent of the component's length. Thus accurate net‐shape of the components could be achieved without hard machining.

Ceramic materials and glasses have become important in modern industry as well as in the consumer environment. Heat resistant ceramics are used in the metal forming processes or as welding and brazing fixtures, etc. Ceramic materials are frequently used in industries where a wear and chemical resistance are required criteria (seals, liners, grinding wheels, machining tools, etc.). Electrical, magnetic and optical properties of ceramic materials are important in electrical and electronic industries where these materials are used as sensors and actuators, integrated circuits, piezoelectric transducers, ultrasonic devices, microwave devices, magnetic tapes, and in other applications. A significant amount of literature is available on the finite element modelling (FEM) of ceramics and glass. This paper gives a listing of these published papers and is a continuation of the author's bibliography entitled “Finite element modelling of ceramics and glass” and published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 16, 1999, pp. 510‐71 for the period 1977‐1998.

The form of the paper is a bibliography. Listed references have been retrieved from the author's database, MAKEBASE. Also Compendex has been checked. The period is 1998‐2004.

Provides a listing of 1,432 references. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

This paper makes it easy for professionals working with the numerical methods with applications to ceramics and glasses to be up‐to‐date in an effective way.

This paper gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied to the analysis of ceramics and glass materials. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations on the subject that were published between 1977‐1998. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, ferrites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

The cutting and extruding processing technology for ceramics based on the edge-chipping effect is a new contact removal machining method for hard, brittle materials such as engineering ceramics. This paper aims to provide an important reference to understand the tool wear mechanism and the wear law of this new processing technology.

The real-time temperature monitoring and the observation of micro-morphology are used to analyse the wear characteristics of the tool face. In addition, the research focuses on the influence of three processing parameters (axial feed rate, thickness of flange and depth of groove) on characteristics including tool wear.

The temperature variation shows that the new processing technology improves the tool temperatures condition. The tool is worn mainly by mechanical friction including abrasive wear, and the flank face also suffers the sustained scratching of residual materials on the rough machining surface. With increased feed rate, the wear of the rear face of the major flank initially decreased and then increased. As the depth of the retained flange increases, the wear became worse. The wear initially decreased and then increased with increasing depth of groove.

Study on the new processing technology is still in its early stages. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

The machining process itself destroys materials, albeit a controllable manner: based on this principle, the authors proposed a new machining technology based on cracks driven by edge chipping. In this way, the surface of such ceramics is removed. Therefore, the research provides a new method for reducing processing costs and promoting the extensive application of engineering ceramic materials.

The cutting and extruding processing technology based on cracks driven by edge-chipping effect makes full use of the stress concentration effect caused by prefabricated defects, and the edge-chipping effect which occurs during machining-induced crack propagation. The wear mechanism and law of its tool is unique than other machining ways. This paper provides an important reference to understand the tool wear mechanism and the machining mechanism of this new processing technology. With the application of this study, the ceramics could be removed with less energy consumption and the tools with the hardness of lower than its own one. Therefore, it could not only reduce the processing costs but also promote the extensive applications of engineering ceramic materials.

The goal of this study is to determine the values of the process parameters that should be used during the machining of ceramic tile using the abrasive water jet (AWJ) process in order to achieve the lowest possible values for surface roughness and kerf taper angle.

In the present work, ceramic tile is processed by the AWJ process and experimental data were recorded using the RSM approach based Box–Behnken design matrix. The input process factors were water jet pressure, jet traverse speed, abrasive flow rate and standoff distance, to determine the surface roughness and kerf taper angle. ANOVA was used to check the adequacy of model and significance of process parameters. Further, the elite opposition-based learning grasshopper optimization (EOBL-GOA) algorithm was implemented to identify the simultaneous optimization of multiple responses of surface roughness and kerf taper angle in AWJ.

The suggested EOBL-GOA algorithm is suitable for AWJ of ceramic tile, as evidenced by the error rate of ±2 percent between experimental and predicted solutions. The surfaces were evaluated with an SEM to assess the quality of the surface generated with the optimal settings. As compared with initial setting of the SEM image, it was noticed that the bottom cut surface was nearly smooth, with less cracks, striations and pits in the improved optimal results of the SEM image. The results of the analysis can be used to control machining parameters and increase the accuracy of AWJed components.

The findings of this study present an innovative method for assessing the characteristics of the nontraditional machining processes that are most suited for use in industrial and commercial applications.

This study aims to explore the machinability of ZrB₂ using electrical discharge machining (EDM) with different tool materials.

The workpiece for this study was fabricated through powder metallurgy compaction method. The disc is machined using diamond load grinding to have parallel surfaces, then, 2 mm diameter holes are machined on the disc using EDM spark erosion machine with different tool materials (graphite, aluminium, tantalum, niobium, copper, brass, silver, tungsten and titanium). Roundness, geometry of hole, and diameter of the hole at different diametric planes, surface roughness (SR), material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), taper angle and recast layer (RCL) thickness are measured. The photographic analysis of tools, holes in the top view, bottom view and sectional view. SEM analysis was conducted to study the recast layer. Desirability function analysis was employed to rate the performances of tools.

A new theory is developed which relates recast layer thickness with melting point and thermal conductivity of the tool materials. Machining of ZrB₂ by EDM is feasible; graphite is identified as the best tool. Recast layer thickness of the machined surfaces are indirectly proportional to the product of melting point and thermal conductivity of tool. Ablation behaviour of ceramic workpiece lead additional material losses in the tool.

Extremely high strength and hardness of ZrB₂ due to the coexistence of strong covalent and metallic bond make mechanical machining very difficult or even impossible. No machinability studies were conducted previously on ZrB₂ using EDM; this work reveals machinability study of ZrB₂ with different tool materials.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate experimentally the effect of several input process factors, namely, feed rate, spindle speed, ultrasonic power and coolant pressure, on hole quality measures (penetration rate [PR] and chipping diameter [CD]) in rotary mode ultrasonic drilling of macor bioceramic material.

The main experiments were planned using the response surface methodology (RSM). Scanning electron microscopy was also used to examine and study the microstructure of machined samples. This study revealed the existence of dominant brittle fracture and little plastic flow that resulted in a material loss from the base work surface. Experiment findings have shown the dependability and adequacy of the proposed mathematical model.

The percentage of brittle mode deformation rises as the penetration depth of abrasives increases (at increasing levels of feed rate). This was due to the fact that at greater depths of indentation, material loss begins in the form of bigger chunks and develops inter-granular fractures. These stated causes have provided an additional advantage to increasing the CD over the machined rod of bioceramic. The desirability method was also used to optimize multi-response measured responses (PR and CD). The mathematical model created using the RSM method will be very useful in industrial revelation. Furthermore, the investigated answers’ particle swarm optimization (PSO) and teacher-learner-based optimization (TLBO) make the parametric analysis more relevant and productive for real-life industrial practices.

Macor bioceramic has been widely recognized as one of the most highly demanded innovative dental ceramics, receiving expanded industry approval because of its outstanding and superior characteristics. However, effective and efficient processing remains a problem. Among the available contemporary machining methods introduced for processing typical and advanced materials, rotary mode ultrasonic machining has been identified as one of the best suitable candidates for precise processing of macor bioceramics, as this process produces thermal damage-free profiles, as well as high accuracy and an increased material removal rate. The optimized combined setting obtained using PSO is feed rate = 0.16 mm/s, spindle speed = 4,500 rpm, ultrasonic power = 60% and coolant pressure = 280 kPa with the value of fitness function is 0.0508. The optimized combined setting obtained using TLBO is feed rate = 0.06 mm/s, spindle speed = 2,500 rpm, ultrasonic power = 60% and coolant pressure = 280 kPa with the value of fitness function is 0.1703.

A 50 per cent improvement in machining cycle times is reported by RHP Aerospace as a result of installing the first of a new generation of Warner & Swasey precision CNC turning machines.

Novel nanomaterials and nano-devices require further functional aspects that can be designed and supported using new nanomanipulation techniques allowing specific functions at the design phase. The nano-manipulator becomes a key instrument for technology bridging sub-nano to mesoscale. The integration of various operations in nano-devices requires sub-nanometer precision and highly stable manipulator. This paper aims to review various design concepts of recent nanomanipulators, their motion characteristics, basic functions, imagine and automation with control techniques for the sake of establishing new design features based on recent requirements.

The paper reviews various existing nanomanipulators, their motion characteristics, basic functions, imagine and automation with control techniques. This will support precision machine design methodology and robotics principles.

The availability of a nano-precision instrument with integrated functions has proved to be extremely helpful in addressing various fundamental problems in science and engineering such as exploring, understanding, modeling and testing nano-machining process; exact construction of nano-structure arrays; and inspection of devices with complex features.

New functional specifications have emerged from this review to support the design and make of new advanced nanomanipulators with more features availability to support manipulation within the same reference datum needed for research and education.

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a model of economic development able to generate a cross‐border sustainable economic development, in regions in conflict. The Italian industrial district model implements a community industry synergy process led by the authorities according to a top‐down approach. The cluster model implements a clustering specialization process led, in the American version, by a bottom‐up approach and in the European version by a top‐down approach. The regional innovation system (RIS) provides the regional and international innovation networking required for both models in order to confront the global competition. The proposed progressive model creates the industrial specialization (industrial district) required for the development of the clustering process supported by the RIS.

The authors have selected, from the list of producers (growers and producers of olive oil), a random sample of 103 growers of olives and producers of olive oil from both groups from the Northern regions (Galilee in Israel and the Northern West Bank): 26 Palestinian growers, 25 Palestinian producers, 13 Israeli growers and 39 Israeli producers of olive oil, and interviewed them.

The results show that the community‐industry synergy of the industrial district model is supported by the economic actors from both sides of the border but refused for political reasons by the regional authorities and professional associations. The raw material (olives), the human capital and the knowledge required in order to start the clustering process exist.

The study has evaluated the Israeli‐Jewish and Arab and the Palestinian olive sector, and clearly indicates that bottom‐up decision‐making process is the only way for the moment for initiating the cluster and RIS models in the olive sector. The intervention of a third party is required in order to start the bottom‐up implementation of the industrial district model and launch the clustering process.

The main contribution of this paper lies in organizing the industrial district in such a way that it will generate a cluster in the long run. Thus, it is called progressive model.