Metal Cutting
Metal Cutting covers theory and applications including chip formation mechanics, 3D machining, tool life, machinability, economics, and precision engineering.
Summary
Past student reviews · Sangkee Min
The course was very lecture-heavy, though the instructor's detailed explanations helped manage the material's difficulty.
What you’ll be able to do
Apply mechanics of materials, tribology, dynamics, conservation of mass, and heat transfer fundamentals to analyze chip formation, cutting temperatures, burr formation, chatter, and tool wear
Recognize the interrelationships between process parameters and cutting performance
Make a metal part on a CNC machine using G-code
Present examples of how manufacturing impacts society, the economy, and the environment
Apply professional codes to analyze problems in manufacturing ethics and arrive at defensible actions
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapSenior standing and declared in Biomed, Biological Sys, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Egr, Materials Sci & Egr, Egr Physics, Egr Mechanics, grad/professional standing or member of Egr Guest Students
- Senior standing and declared in Biomed, Biological Sys, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Egr, Materials Sci & Egr, Egr Physics, Egr Mechanics
- grad/professional standing or member of Egr Guest Students
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Any of
- Senior standing and declared in Biomed, Biological Sys, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Egr, Materials Sci & Egr, Egr Physics, Egr Mechanics
- grad/professional standing or member of Egr Guest Students
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
SANGKEE MIN is recorded teaching in Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Sangkee Min
Prof. Min made the metal cutting content engaging through active lectures, simple examples, and practical applications that clarified complex concepts.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.67 GPA, 86.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.94 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.66 GPA, 87.5% A/AB (n=16 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Sangkee Min
The course was very lecture-heavy, though the instructor's detailed explanations helped manage the material's difficulty.
Past student reviews · Sangkee Min
Students found the instructor humble, willing to reexplain topics, and encouraging of participation during the lectures.
Topics
- Chip formation mechanics, 3D machining operations, tool life, machinability, economics of metal removal, and precision engineering.
- Mechanics of materials, tribology, dynamics, conservation of mass, and heat transfer applied to cutting analysis.
- Societal, economic, and environmental impacts of manufacturing.
- Manufacturing ethics and professional codes.
Skills
- Analyze chip formation, cutting temperatures, and tool wear using mechanics, tribology, and heat transfer.
- Recognize relationships between process parameters and cutting performance.
- Operate CNC machines and write G-code for metal part fabrication.
- Present examples of manufacturing's impact on society, economy, and environment.
- Apply professional codes to analyze manufacturing ethics and determine defensible actions.
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "ed37bc3aef4684d755c2257235ae3fda0ea645f2e98377765ec82df1327e4119",
"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}