Abstract
In manufacturing, the term "processing" refers to the various processes for changing the dimensions, shape and qualities of a material to fit the required specifications for use in a product.
One processing method is machining, which involves cutting away portions of the material to achieve the desired dimensions and shape. This machining method has some inherent demerits, such as the fact that it naturally produces chips etc., depending on the material involved, which end up as waste and are thus environmentally undesirable. Another disadvantage is that machining often involves a longer processing time, which increases cost.
In an ideal form of "product creation," the material forming and fabrication process would produce the net shape of the product without a need for machining, and thus reduce cost and eliminate the waste of chips.
The plastic (plasticity) forming method is an alternative to machining that makes it possible to achieve a more ideal form of manufacturing. Although in reality it is difficult to completely eliminate the need for machining, plastic forming technologies can greatly reduce the need for machining.
It is reported in this paper to develop a plastic forming method for the spline portion of an outboard motor shaft using an FM (Frequency Modulated) forming method to replace the existing machining method as the first step toward achieving net shaping of the entire shaft portion of the outboard motor, including the drive shaft and the propeller shaft.