What Is Cylindrical Grinding?
Cylindrical grinding is a machining method for shaping the external surfaces of cylindrical workpieces. This process uses cylindrical grinding machines equipped with rotating abrasive wheels to remove material from a workpiece, achieving a smooth finish. These machines are specifically tailored for cylindrical objects. The process involves the workpiece being rotated against the grinding wheel, moving in the opposite direction for precision grinding.
Abrasive wheels are composed of abrasive grains, bonding material, and pores. The bonding material holds the abrasive grains, which are mineral crystal particles, and the pores serve as spaces for collecting debris during grinding.
The radial movement of the workpiece and the axial movement of the grinding wheel distinguish cylindrical grinding into three types: traverse, angular, and plunge grinding.
Applications of Cylindrical Grinding
Cylindrical grinding is chosen based on the workpiece’s shape and size, with different grinding methods used for specific needs.
1. Traverse Grinding
Traverse grinding is ideal for longer workpieces exceeding the abrasive wheel’s width, enhancing surface roughness. It is preferred for heavy workpieces that are challenging to move.
2. Angular Grinding
Angular grinding processes both the cylindrical surface and end face of stepped workpieces efficiently.
3. Plunge Grinding
Used for shorter workpieces, plunge grinding applies strong force to the workpiece, making it suitable for high-volume production.
Principles of Cylindrical Grinding
Cylindrical grinding ensures precision by securely holding the workpiece at both ends.
1. Traverse Grinding
In traverse grinding, the stationary grinding wheel grinds the workpiece moving parallelly, achieving even grinding.
2. Angular Grinding
Angular grinding employs a specially angled grinding wheel to cut material from the workpiece at an angle.
3. Plunge Grinding
Plunge grinding involves the stationary workpiece being ground by a moving wheel.
Types of Cylindrical Grinding
1. Traverse Grinding
Suitable for longer workpieces, traverse grinding produces a high-quality cylindrical surface finish. However, longer workpieces may sag, leading to operational issues.
2. Angular Grinding
Angular grinding processes both cylindrical and end faces simultaneously, but achieving a mirror finish can be challenging. It often requires complex NC programming and periodic adjustments.
3. Plunge Grinding
Plunge grinding is efficient for mass-produced parts without the need for sliding movement, offering high power efficiency and mechanical durability. However, it is limited by the abrasive wheel’s width and requires careful chip management in deep-hole machining.
Additional Insights on Cylindrical Grinding
Considerations in Cylindrical Grinding
Given the limited precision of machine processing, cylindrical grinding can be necessary to add polishing or grinding processes. Post-lathe processing often requires grinding to remove peaks and improve surface quality, potentially saving costs. However, this adds to the work-in-progress inventory. For high-precision dimensions, cylindrical grinding is essential for quality stabilization. It’s important to consider the allowance left in preceding processes and to correct any distortion from heat treatments like hardening. Effective coordination of processes like lathe machining and hardening is vital.