INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS

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What is grinding (Abrasive Machining)?

Grinding is a process of removing unwanted material from a work piece by the utilization of an abrasive cutting medium. A motor typically rotates a grinding wheel at high speed and when abrasive material in the outside edge of the wheel is brought in contact with the work piece material is removed.

Grinding uses hard non-metallic particles to cut the workpiece. Processes within this group include grinding, honing, superfinishing and lapping. The first three use abrasive particles (often called grains or grits), rigidly held in a wheel, whereas in lapping the particles are contained in a fluid.

Grinding is one of the major methods of metal machining, ranking with turning and milling. Most final shapes can be produced by using an appropriate grinding wheel with either a surface grinder (vertical or horizontal), a cylindrical grinder (external or internal), or a special-purpose thread or gear grinder. Other special-purpose grinders are tool and cutter grinder, centreless grinder etc.

Grinding wheels

Grinding wheels which is a cutting tool are made up of a large number of abrasive grains held together by a bonding agent. The bonding material is either organic or non organic. There are several different types of grinding wheels. Different materials require different types of grinding wheels to achieve required surface finish and material removal rates requirements.

How does a grinding wheel cut?

As the grinding wheel rotates the randomly orientated abrasive grits are forced into the work piece surface. As each grit hits the surface the grit penetrates the surface and shears the material away from the work piece. This unwanted material is then pushed in front of the grit until the grit leaves the work piece. This unwanted material is then pushed away by the grinding coolant. This process happens thousands of times per second as each grit reaches the work piece surface. The size of the unwanted "chip" is based on the type and size of the abrasive utilized in the grinding wheel. 

Types of grinding machines

Applications

Grinding is mainly used for finishing operations and is carried out when :

•  Surface finish and dimensional accuracy requirements are very stringent

•  Workpiece material is too hard and too brittle to produce a part by other processes.