Ultrasonic machining is a contemporary manufacturing method usually employed for processing materials with higher hardness/brittleness such as quartz, semiconductor materials, ceramics etc. The machined surface produced by ultrasonic machining is found to be free from any surface defects (heat affected zone, cracks, recast layer, etc.) in contrast to the thermal based machining processes like; electric discharge machining, laser beam machining etc. In this article, a review has been reported on the fundamental principle of ultrasonic machining, effect of operating parameters on material removal rate, tool wear rate, surface roughness and hole quality. It also presents a brief review on micro-USM, rotary USM and hybrid methods with other processes.

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