That means the property of a material, to be machinable by cutting under given circumstances. Each material has to be investigated with regard to its cutting behavior in various processing processes (drilling, turning, milling, etc.). Generally, there is good machinability, when: the machining force is low, the cutting edge stays sharp for a long time, a large machining volume is generated in a short time, the surface achieved is good and the chip shape is favorable. The cutting conditions have substantial influence on machinability: cutting edge geometry, cutting material, cutting speed, feed, etc. It is therefore impossible to express machinability by means of an index number. The operating time of the tool is often stated as feature for machinability of a material.

This is a generic term for describing the ability of a material to be machined. To be meaningful, machinability must be qualified in terms of tool wear, tool life, chip control, and/or surface finish and integrity. Overall machining performance is affected by variables relating to the machining operation and the workpiece. An overall review is provided in the ASM Metals Handbook: Machinability, Volume 16.

The ease of metal removal during machining, the tool life obtained, the surface finish obtained or any combination of these three.

In industrial flour processing, doughs are rarely worked by hand nowadays. Machines are used to give the dough the required consistency and shape. But unlike hands, machines do not (yet) have enough sensors to judge the condition of a dough precisely and adjust its properties as necessary so that it can be processed without difficulty. This means that suitable measures have to be taken to adjust the flour or the dough so that no problems arise during processing. Doughs must have good machinability; in particular they must not stick, but they must be pliable and also sufficiently stable nevertheless. It is in meeting these apparently contradictory requirements that the art of optimal flour improvement lies.

The ability to form and seal on overwrapping equipment.