How many types of popular grinding wheels do you know, today Mrbrianzhao is gonna tell you all. Many years ago, people used aluminum oxide and silicon carbide grinding wheels, these types of conventional grinding wheels with cheap prices but the service life is limited. So super hard grinding wheels were invented, the main materials are diamond and CBN.
Conventional bonded abrasives and super hard abrasive tools
Conventional Bonded Abrasive Wheels
Any abrasive tool must have an abrasive grain and a strong bond. Bonded abrasives, such as those used in grinding wheels, are composed of grains bound together by a fixative substance known as a bond. These abrasives are made up of abrasive material, bond, and fillers. The abrasive grains are essential for grinding wheels because they remove material from the workpiece. The abrasive grains for Conventional Bonded Abrasives can be aluminum oxide or silicon carbide.
Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide grinding wheels
Aluminum oxide grinding wheel
Aluminum oxide is the most widely used abrasive in grinding wheels. Aluminum oxide abrasives come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each designed and mixed for a specific sort of grinding work. Each abrasive has its own designation, which is commonly a combination of a letter and a number. These identifiers differ depending on the manufacturer.
Applications
It is commonly used to grind carbon steel, alloy steel, high-speed steel, annealed malleable iron, wrought iron, bronzes, and related metals.
Silicon carbide grinding wheel
Silicon carbide is a sharper and harder grain compared to aluminum oxide, but silicon carbide is less durable because it is brittle and has a more narrow shape that wears down at an increased rate.
Applications
Silicon carbide is a non-ferrous abrasive that is used to grind grey iron, chilled iron, brass, soft bronze, and aluminum, as well as stone, rubber, and other non-ferrous materials.
Super hard Abrasive Wheels
Super hard abrasives are extraordinarily hard, with unparalleled performance and greater longevity. Industrial diamonds and CBN are examples of abrasives from the Superabrasive family. When compared to conventional abrasives such as Aluminum or Silicon Carbide, super abrasive grinding wheels often run at greater peripheral speeds of 20-30mtrs/sec or more.
Diamond Grinding Wheel
A diamond grinding wheel is a specialized tool used to grind hard alloys, glass, ceramics, valuable stones, and other fragile materials. Diamond wheels can be classified into sintered diamond wheels (resin bond diamond wheels; ceramic bond diamond wheels; metal bond diamond wheels); electroplated diamond wheels; brazed diamond wheels.
Features
- Superior efficiency
- Effective self-sharpening
- Extended lifespan
- Excellent form retention
- Ideal for interrupted grinding applications
- Excellent abrasion and heat resistance
- Minimal cost
Application Industries
- Aerospace
- Mold manufacturing
- Semiconductor manufacturing
- Optical processing manufacturing
- Ceramic industry
CBN grinding wheel
Because of their hardness, many people believe diamonds are the ideal grinding material, however, this is not always the case. You could be better off utilizing CBN grinding wheels. In many cases, they endure longer and might save you money over time by requiring fewer replacements.
Cubic Boron Nitride, or CBN, is the grinding material used in a CBN grinding wheel. Cubic Boron Nitride is a super abrasive material. Super abrasives, as the name implies, are more powerful than conventional abrasives, CBN abrasive grains has the similar features with aluminum oxide, so if you use aluminum oxide grinding wheels before, you can choose CBN grinding wheel for replacement, cause CBN wheel will have much longer service life and better performance.
Features
- Indefinite LifeSpan
- Durable
- Does not burn tools
- Fine grinding
Applications
CBN is ideally suited for grinding hard metals such as:
- Steels having a minimum hardness grade of 45Rc
- Irons, both cast and wrought
- Alloys of nickel
Diamond Grinding Wheel vs. CBN Grinding Wheel
You may be asking why you would use a CBN grinding wheel when diamonds are so much harder. The basic reason is that diamonds aren’t designed to work with hard metals. Diamonds are preferable for grinding more fragile materials such as glass, quartz, and ceramics.
CBN does not react chemically with iron. When grinding most hard metals, CBN’s lack of response allows it to remove more material and last longer than diamonds.
A grinding wheel with a longer life cycle has various advantages:
- Fewer wheel swaps
- Reduced downtime
- Reduced maintenance expenses
- Improved wheel performance as a result of more regulated wear rates
- CBN is also superior to diamonds for grinding hard metals due to its extremely high heat conductivity. It can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius before degrading.
- Even diamonds have lesser thermal conductivity than CBN, which is the finest natural heat conductor.
Application industries
- Aerospace
- Power generation and wind turbines
- Composites
- Sharpening
- Tool & die
- Dental
- Oil and gas
- Mining
- Automotive
- Military
Different Bond Types of grinding Wheels
A bonding substance holds abrasive grains together in a grinding wheel. During the grinding process, the bonding material does not cut. Its primary role is to keep the grains together in various degrees of strength. Vitrified, resinoid, electroplated, braze, rubber, and metal are the most common grinding wheel bonds.
Metal Bond
Metal bond grinding wheels are created by sintering powdered metals or compounds comprising cubic boron nitride or diamond on the wheel, resulting in incredibly robust tools that retain form even under harsh conditions. Additionally, metal bonding improves the life of grinding wheels by minimizing the need for repeated dressings, allowing them to be more productive than market-brand super abrasives.
Every superabrasive grinding wheel is made up of diamond or CBN grit held together by a matrix substance known as the “bond.” Resin, vitrified, electroplated, and metal bonding techniques are the most common. Metal bond grinding wheels are possibly the most well-known of them, owing to their general utility and the amount of time they’ve been accessible.
1. Metal Bond Diamond Wheel
A metal bonded diamond wheel having a porous sintered body is made up of a combination of bonding metal powder particles coated with a layer of coating metal chosen from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, or an alloy.
Features
- High grinding efficiency
- Long service life
- Good shape retentivity
- High strength
- High-temperature resistance
- Thermal conductivity and good abrasion resistance
Application
General grinding glass, ceramics, ferrites, tile, stone, and quartz.
2. Metal Bond CBN Wheel
Metal Bonded CBN Grinding wheel has high efficiency, good self-sharpening, high stock removal, strong form retention, and good anti-wearing ability. CBN abrasive grains, metal powder and filler are mixed and sintered in its production.
Features
- Long using life
- Excellent shape retention
Applications
- Used for machining HSS, tool steel, stainless steel, mold steel, and titanium alloys, among other materials.
Electroplated Bond
Electroplated grinding wheels are single-layered wheels in which the abrasives are held together by a thin coating of nickel that is regulated throughout the plating process. They are suitable for applications requiring a high removal rate for hard materials and goods requiring critical shape without the need for re-dressing.
1. Electroplated Diamond Wheel
The electroplated diamond grinding wheel is made by the electrochemical method. The working layer of the grinding wheel contains diamond abrasives which are bonded to the matrix by the metal bond. Firstly, deposit the metal bond and the thickness is 20% of the diamond abrasive height, and then the diamond abrasive is further bonded with the metal bonded, and the thickness of the deposited metal bond is about 2/3 of the diamond abrasive height.
Features
- High metal strength
- Good wear resistance
- Good brittleness
- Better toughness
Applications
- Precision Grinding: Electroplating allows for the production of wheels of various forms without deforming them. As a result, it is appropriate for precision grinding or rimming aluminium oxide wheels.
- Cutting tool grinding: Electroplated wheels are used in standard end-mill grinders and drill grinders. A diamond wheel can be used to grind carbide.
- Drilling and chamfering for the smartphone and tablet computer’s glass panel. We could even mix grit sizes in the single diamond-mounted point.
Application Industries
- Machining Industry
- Optical glass Industry
- Electrical & Electronics Industry
2. Electroplated CBN Wheel
Electroplated Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) wheels are composed of a single layer or multi-layers (depending on application) of diamond or CBN particles bonded to the tool surface with a nickel matrix.
Features
- Precision grinding
- Grain and shape retention
Applications
- High-speed tool steels
- Die steel
- Hardened carbon steels
- Hardened stainless steels
- Alloy steels,Titanium Alloy
- Aerospace alloys
- Abrasion resistant ferrous materials, etc
Application Industries
- Ceramics
- Plastics
- Semiconductors
- Medical
Brazed Bond
Brazed Grinding Wheels contain chosen diamond grains and a braze bond. Different designs may be used on Angle Grinders and other grinding equipment.
1. Brazed Diamond Wheel
Features
- Efficient
- High-speed grinding ability
- Extended service life
Applications
- Granite
- Marble
- Tile surface grinding
- Edge chamfering
Vitrified Bond
More than 75% of all grinding wheels are made with vitrified bonding. The abrasive is fully combined with finely crushed clay and fluxes in vitrified bond material. The bonding agent and abrasive combination is then formed into a wheel and heated to 2,400°F to fuse the components.
1. Vitrified Diamond Wheel
Vitrified diamond grinding wheels are a type of circular bonded abrasive with a through-hole in the middle formed of diamond powder and cemented with a vitrified (ceramic) bond. It is made up of three layers: the diamond layer, the transition layer, and the matrix.
Features
- Exceptional grinding efficiency
- Abrasion resistance is high, yet abrasive consumption is minimal.
- Low grinding temperature and a low grinding force
- High accuracy, excellent surface quality, and form retention
Applications
- Precision grinding of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass, ceramics, stone, marble, and many other materials.
Application Industries
- Aerospace
- Turbine Industry
2. Vitrified CBN Wheel
CBN grinding wheels with vitrified bonds can withstand the most demanding precision grinding applications.
Features
- Shape retention
- Better chemical stability
- Heat, oil and water resistance
- Longer service life
- Abrasive has good self-sharpening
- Highly durable
Applications
- Hardened steel
- Cast iron camshaft
- Crankshaft
- Gear shaft
- Balanced shaft grinding
- Finish polishing of Optical glass
3. Vitrified Aluminum Oxide Wheel
Vitrified bonds are created by fusing clays at high temperatures to form a glass link. The most prevalent abrasive is aluminum oxide. It is robust, inexpensive, and fracture resistant, making it ideal for general purpose deburring and blending.
Features
- Premium friable grain
- Light stock removal
- Excellent for use on heat sensitive materials and exotic alloy materials
- Excellent for use in tool and cutter grinding as well as surface grinding of steel tools.
- Cool cutting on heat sensitive material
Applications
- Steel Industries
- Bearing Industries
- Fabrication Units
- Non Ferrous Industries
- Precision Grinding Industries
3. Vitrified Silicon Carbide Wheel
Vitrified bonded silicon carbide grinding wheels are ones where the bond is insoluble in water and is stable under all normal conditions of use.
Features
Better grinding quality
Applications
Used to polish flat surfaces with bonded abrasive wheels or a set of wheels known as discs. These wheels, also known as nut or bolt inserted discs and plate mounted discs, are available in a variety of diameters ranging from 250mm to 600mm in diameter and with usable abrasive thicknesses ranging from 25mm to 100mm. They are utilised in the automotive and automotive auxiliary sectors, as well as ball bearings, piston rings, and coil springs.
Resin Bond
Resin bonded grinding wheels come in second place to vitrified wheels in terms of popularity. Phenolic resin, either powdered or liquid, is combined with abrasive grains in a form and cured at 360F. Resinoid wheels can grind at rates of up to 16,500 SFPM. Their primary application is in rough grinding and cut-off operations.
1. Resin Bond Diamond Wheel
Resin Bond is extremely flexible, covering more than half of the grinding applications where Diamond grinding tools may be employed. Resin-bonded diamond wheels are used to cut and grind diamonds. Bond matrices are offered for dry, mist, and flood applications, and their innovative bonding technology allows for quicker cutting and grinding of diamonds of various hardness and abrasion resistance.
Features
- Vibration-free
- Maximum operating speed
- Robust design
Applications
- It is used in the carbide cutting tool business, the ceramics industry, the glass industry, the quartz industry, the thermal spray industry, and a variety of other specialty products.
- Surface grinding, OD grinding, centerless grinding, tool grinding, fine grinding, double disc grinding, and slot grinding are all examples of grinding processes.
2. Resin Bond CBN Wheel
Most steel grades may be ground using CBN, however they must have a hardness of 45Rc or above. There have been situations when soft steels have been ground using CBN, but many various conditions must be considered. CBN resin bond wheels are successful and lucrative for grinding HSS, A series, T series, and most stainless steels.
Features
- Offer precise and clean cuts
- Good surface removal of workpiece
Applications
- All carbide metal grades, Cermet, Ceramics, Glass, PCD/PCB, Quartz, Ferrite, Semiconductor materials,Graphite,Hard facing alloys, Glass fibre reinforced plastics, High speed steel (HSS) , Stellite ,Nickel-based special alloys, to manufacture Fresh tool and re-sharpening, on CNC Tool and Cutter Grinders.
3. Resin Aluminum Oxide Wheel
Aluminum oxide is made up of blunt-shaped grains and is extremely tough in its most refined state. The crystalline structure and chemistry of aluminium oxide may be changed during the melting step, allowing the producer to develop a range of products with varying performance.
Features
- Developed for use on a variety of steels, nonferrous metals, and wood.
- Allows for pleasant and steady grinding.
Applications
The Aluminum Oxide Resin Grinding Wheel offers pleasant, steady grinding on a variety of steels, nonferrous metals, and wood.
4. Resin Silicon Carbide Wheel
The resin-bond silicon carbide chamfering wheel is ideal for fine chamfering of ceramic tiles, with smooth, sharp chamfering and a long continuous work period.
Features
- Extended Performance
- Time saving performance
- Cost saving performance
- Manpower saving performance
Applications
Used in the manufacture of metal, stainless steel, ceramic, gem, and other stones.
Rubber Bond
Rubber Bonded Grinding Wheels vary from other bonded grinding wheels in several ways. They are as tough and powerful as the others. The finish they provide is high and rich. Rubber Bonded Grinding Wheels are divided into two types: rubber centerless grinding wheels and rubber surface grinding wheels.
Rubber Control Wheel and grinding wheel
Features
- Longer wheel-life
- Lesser dressing frequency
- Superior form retention
- Superior surface finish
Application Industry
- Bearing Industry
- Automobile Industry
- Hydraulic Industry
- Cutting Tool Industry
Above are the most popular grinding wheel types and their different applications, you can choose the proper ones for your production. If you still have any questions during your grinding and polishing for your workpieces, Mrbrianzhao will always be here to support you.
