Metallurgy Engineering and Mining Technology

Materials Processing

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Materials processing, the series of operations that transforms industrial materials from a raw-material state into finished parts or products. Industrial materials are defined as those used in the manufacture of “hard” goods, such as more or less durable machines and equipment produced for industry and consumers, as contrasted with disposable “soft” goods, such as chemicals, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and apparel.

The cycle of manufacturing processes that converts materials into parts and products starts immediately after the raw materials are either extracted from minerals or produced from basic chemicals or natural substances. Metallic raw materials are usually produced in two steps. First, the crude ore is processed to increase the concentration of the desired metal; this is called beneficiation. Typical beneficiation processes include crushing, roasting, magnetic separation, flotation, and leaching. Second, additional processes such as smelting and alloying are used to produce the metal that is to be fabricated into parts that are eventually assembled into a product.

Types of Material Processing

The processes used for the manufacture of a desired product generally provide two major functions: the formation or alteration of materials.  The formation of parts or products is usually achieved by molding, casting or the application of pressure.  The physical state or composition of commodities and products can be altered by a number of different means including chemical, mechanical and thermal operations.

Chemical engineering methods are applied in order to modify the cellular structure or molecular properties of materials on a microscopic level.  Thermal processes involving the addition or reduction of heat are used to alter a range of materials, especially metals.  Mechanical operations employ the use of specialized equipment in the transformation of solid matter.