Basic knowledge and types of surface grinding

These machines maintain product quality and overall efficiency during final processing. Grinding wheels and abrasive rotating wheels remove disproportionate amounts of material from metallic and non-metallic workpieces. The rotating grinding wheel comes into contact with the target material and peels off unwanted irregularities. More commonly, rust and dirt are also removed by these machines. The basic components of a surface grinder include:

1.Base value
2.Worksheet
3.Column
4.Coolant supply nozzle
5.Grinding wheel
6.Axle

What is precision grinding?

As the name suggests, it involves precisely shaving excess material from the surface of a workpiece. Precision grinding is also called cylindrical grinding. In this way, CNC integration can provide dimensional accuracy during finishing. This subtractive manufacturing technique is used for cylindrical objects, outer circles and feature components with intricate details.

Likewise, in Diamond Milling 101, precision grinding is suitable for grinding coarse materials, ceramics, plastics, glass, and metals. Their ability to grind surfaces as small as 0.25 to 0.50 mm in diameter makes them ideal for use in the automotive, aerospace and medical sectors.

Additionally, these machines operate at higher speeds, ranging from 1250 to 2000 m/min (approximately). Some common examples include: rotors, crankshafts, spindles, honing tools and dies.

Types of precision grinders

1.Cylindrical grinding

The working mechanism of a cylindrical grinder is similar to that of a lathe. These machines are used for fine grinding of cylindrical, conical, oval, ID, OD and plug shapes. Some common examples include engine components, crankshafts, bearings, automobiles, threads, and gear systems.

2.Single and double disc grinding

Single and double precision grinders work closely together to ensure perfect grinding in one go. As the name suggests, a single disc requires a rotating wheel; similarly, twin disc grinding uses two opposing discs to finely grind the workpiece. In addition, these machines offer high repeatability and perfect parallelism as well as short operating cycles.

3.Centerless grinding

The working mechanism of a centerless machine tool is slightly different in that it uses two rotating grinding wheels to hold the workpiece in place without the need for a spindle or fixtures. These machines can grind shafts, round bars and rods of different grits, shapes and sizes.