Guidelines for Using Superabrasive Grinding Wheels

Helpful Hints

Listed below are some major factors that need to be considered when designing a metal removal process which will incorporate the use of diamond or CBN wheels.
      • Machine tool quality
      • Machine feed parameters
      • Grinding wheel speeds
      • Grinding fluids

Optimization of the grinding process with respect to these factors will increase the performance of the CBN wheel and lower the overall grinding costs.

Machine Tool Quality

      • Rigidity
      • Accuracy of feed systems
      • Adequate power
      • Fluid delivery and filtration

Good spindle bearings, as well as tight and accurate ways and feed screws, are a must for effective performance. Varying the downfeed, infeed, crossfeed and workspeed with respect to each other will affect a wheel’s life, workpiece surface finish and integrity, geometric accuracy of the part and cost effectiveness of the operation.

Electroplated wheels can be run safely at peripheral speeds up to 25,000 SFPM. Running at these higher speeds will increase the overall efficiency of the grinding operation and could even double the wheel life.

Diamond and CBN wheels provide the most outstanding performance when used with lubricating type fluids without water. However, the method by which it is applied can have a dramatic effect on the performance. A high pressure fluid delivery system pumped under pressures of 300-1,000 PSI to nozzles located near the grinding wheel should be considered for severe grinding conditions.