Cylindrical grinding is an important part of many machine shop operations these days. It is perfect for surface finishing, and inside diameter or internal grinding can finish the interior of cylindrically shaped materials. Some methods remove a large amount of material to simplify the machining process. Here is more about grinding (abrasive cutting) to give you a better idea of how it works and why it’s so important today.
What Does “Grind” Mean
Grinding methods use special wheels covered with abrasive materials. A workpiece goes against an abrasive wheel, and it grinds the surface. Grinder wheels offer greater precision and efficiency than milling or lathe operations and work better for methods like internal grinding.
Proper maintenance is essential for precision grinding. Once the grinding wheel loses some of its abrasive material or wears down, this can lead to scratching and other flaws. Wheels must have abrasives that are harder than the workpieces and they must have heat-resistant properties. Aluminum oxide is the most commonly used abrasive because it doesn’t easily break down.
When grinding extremely hard materials, CBN (cubic boron nitride) is a good choice, as well as industrial diamonds.
Safety Measures
To support worker safety, it takes several safety precautions, such as:
Operators cannot remove or change guards.
Mandatory eye protection
Allow grinders to warm up before using
Make sure to check the balance on grinder wheels
Cylindrical Grinding Types
There are two common types of cylindrical grinders:
Center-less – The stock sits between a grinder wheel and holding wheel and spins as it presses against the grinder wheel. It’s not secured.
Internal grinding – used to grind inside materials like pipes. A holder keeps the workpiece tightly in place while it spins and a reaming type grinder enters the inside diameter.
Both outside diameter and internal grinding need experienced workers and high-quality machinery for precision grinding.
