1040 – 01 – What is Machinability?

The process of cutting a work piece and generating metal chips is called Machining. There are a variety of ways that this process is used in the workshop, but it varies due to the properties of the materials that need to be cut. Some materials have properties that make them very difficult to cut, while others present no difficulty whatsoever.

A material’s “machinability” describes how easily it can be machined while being cut. Metals that can be machined easily need a shorter amount of time and work.

Machinability may be affected by many other variables including the cutting tools, the feed and speed, and the cutting temperature.