Grinding (Surface, Cylindrical, Tool & Cutter)

Articles • December 1, 2000 • Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

Burn Awareness

Grinding burn is a general term used to describe various types of thermal damage that occur to the workpiece during grinding. The author supplies detailed information about each type of burn and offers advice for preventing it

Articles • August 1, 2000 • Brian Cline

Sparkling Performance

Author discusses the advantages of CVD-diamond tools compared to other types of diamond tools. He also explains how CVD-diamond tools are manufactured and gives case histories involving their usage.

Articles • August 1, 2000 • Ed Galen

Bond Smart

Discussion of different types of bonds used to make superabrasive grinding wheels. Author provides tables with price comparisons, physical properties and operating parameters for various bonds.

Articles • July 1, 2000 • Markus Jakobuss

Silver Lining

GE Superabrasives' silver-coated diamond crystal is designed for grinding tungsten carbide. Discussed are the benefits--reduced friction, greater crystal retention and a cooler grinding environment--and how to apply wheels made from the crystal.

Articles • May 1, 2000 • Kimberly R. Pontius

Abrasive Personality

High-silicon aluminum--aluminum that consists of at least 11.8 percent silicon--has qualities such as lightness and strength that appeal to automakers. The abrasives nature of the material, however, makes it difficult to machine. The author offers suggestions for milling, tapping, drilling, turning and grinding high-silicon aluminum.

Articles • March 1, 2000 • Dennis Esford

Creeping Up

Creep-feed grinding is not as popular a process as it was predicted to become in the late 1980s. But a machine shop that specializes in CF grinding has found great success by using the process. The shop's owner and other CF-grinding experts contend that as workpiece tolerances become tighter and manufacturers begin using more exotic workpiece materials, CF grinding will grow in popularity.

Articles • December 1, 1999 • Derek Phillips

Daily Regrind, The

Advanced tool grinding machines are making it possible for even small shops to regrind complicated tool geometries in-house. This article explores the cost and time factors that must be considered before a shop decides whether it will regrind tools in-house or outsource the work.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Martin Eastman

Learning With an Edge

Using his students as researchers, an industrial-arts teacher sets up an experiment to test claims being made for tool resharpening using cubic boron nitride wheels. The experiment taught the students how to keep a log of tool conditions, use and sharpenings as they gathered data for their study.

Articles • August 1, 1998 • Herb Smith

Flowing Together

Tramp oils, which are machine lubricants and hydraulic fluids that find their way into the coolant, can seriously hinder the coolant's performance. This article discusses the properties and components of machine maintenance fluids that can ensure their easy separation and removal from the coolant.

Articles • August 1, 1998 • Changsheng Guo

Adaptive Ceramic Machining

Machining ceramics is considered a difficult and costly operation. With the growing use of ceramics, shops are anxious to find cost-effective ways to work with the materials. This article discusses attempts by researchers to achieve maximum metal-removal rates without damaging the workpiece.

Articles • June 1, 1998 • Melissa Kennedy

Grinding Research Pays Big Dividends

Grinding research has led to innovations in wheels and machines, which have expanded the range of applications grinding can be used for. This article highlights some of the research being conducted and the work that has made it to the shop floor. An accompanying article discusses CBN abrasives.

Articles • April 1, 1998 • Bernard North

Tantalum and Niobium

Tantalum and Niobium are important components in the composition of carbide tools. They are also among the most expensive. This article explores how recent trends in metalcutting and tool usage will effect the supply of these two components.