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In the manufacturing and regeneration process of industrial blades, grinding wheel is one of the indispensable core tools. Whether it is the fine grinding of high-speed steel paper-cutting blade, the edge repair of tungsten carbide blade, or the mirror polishing of ceramic blade, the grinding wheel directly determines the sharpness, service life and processing efficiency of the blade. For practitioners, mastering the classification of grinding wheels, selection methods, use of skills and safety norms can not only improve the quality of processing, but also effectively reduce production costs and equipment loss.
In the manufacturing, regeneration and maintenance of industrial blades, grinding wheels, as the core tool for grinding, directly determine the processing accuracy, blade performance and production costs. Whether it is paper, metal processing, plastic cutting or food industry in the use of a variety of industrial blades, its use in a long time will inevitably appear wear and tear, chipping and fading and other problems. The scientific selection and correct use of grinding wheels become the key to efficient blade sharpening and life extension.
Classification And Use Of Grinding Wheels
There are many types of grinding wheels, for different industrial blade materials and processing technology, selecting the right grinding wheel is the basis for realizing efficient resharpening.
1. Classification According To Abrasive Type
Corundum Grinding Wheel
Made of electrofused corundum particles combined with ceramics, resins and other bonding agents, corundum grinding wheels are the most commonly used grinding wheels in the industry.
Characteristics: The corundum particles are hard and tough, and can withstand certain impacts and smooth discharge of abrasive chips. The relatively low heat during grinding reduces the risk of annealing the blade.
Scope of application: Suitable for medium and low hardness industrial blades (HRC 40~60), such as high carbon steel, alloy steel blades, especially paper cutting knives for the paper industry and stainless steel blades for the food industry.
- Advantages: Moderate price, easy dressing, good grinding stability, easy maintenance.
- Disadvantages: Limited grinding efficiency for super-hard materials, grinding wheel life in general.
Extended description: Corundum grinding wheel is also subdivided into white corundum and brown corundum, white corundum is harder, suitable for fine grinding processing; brown corundum toughness is stronger, suitable for rough grinding.
Silicon Carbide Grinding Wheel
Silicon Carbide Grinding Wheel is made of Silicon Carbide abrasive grains, the hardness and sharpness are significantly higher than corundum grinding wheel.
Performance characteristics: High hardness but brittle, strong grinding force, suitable for grinding hard and brittle materials. The grinding chips are discharged quickly, but the grinding wheel wears out faster.
Scope of application: Suitable for carbide blades, stainless steel, ceramics and other hard and brittle materials.
- Advantages: High grinding efficiency, fast removal rate, can quickly repair the cutter.
- Disadvantages: Short service life, frequent need for dressing and replacement.
Extended description: Silicon carbide grinding wheel is usually used for non-ferrous metal blades and ceramic blade grinding, can also be used as a pre-grinding wheel.
Cubic Boron Nitride Grinding Wheel (CBN Wheel)
CBN is the second hardest abrasive in the world, with high wear resistance and thermal stability.
Characteristics: Suitable for high precision fine grinding of high speed steel and powdered high speed steel blades with high grinding rate and good blade surface quality.
Scope of application: Fine regrinding of HSS blades and high performance powder steel blades.
- Advantages: Long life, low heat, reduced risk of thermal deformation of the blade, suitable for high-speed machining.
- Disadvantages: High cost, high requirements for grinder rigidity and cooling system.
Extended description: CBN grinding wheels are usually equipped with metal bond to ensure the structural strength of the grinding wheel and are suitable for automated production lines.
Diamond Grinding Wheel
Made of natural or synthetic diamond abrasive, with the highest hardness.
Performance characteristics: Suitable for ultra-precision grinding of extremely hard materials and ceramic blades, capable of achieving extremely high surface finish and edge precision.
Scope of application: Grinding and polishing of ceramic blades, carbide blades, glass and composite material blades.
- Advantages: High machining accuracy and grinding wheel life, ensuring high performance cutting ability of the blade.
- Disadvantages: Expensive, chemical reaction may occur when grinding steel, special process is required.
Extended description: Diamond grinding wheels usually use metal bond and resin bond, sometimes both are used in combination to realize the balance of rigidity and elasticity.
2. Classified By Type Of Bond
The bond not only determines the mechanical strength of the grinding wheel, but also affects the elasticity and thermal properties of the wheel during the grinding process.
Ceramic Bond (Vitrified Bond)
Characteristics: High hardness, heat resistance, able to maintain the shape of the grinding wheel, suitable for high-precision grinding and frequent dressing.
Resin Bond
Characteristics: Good toughness, moderate elasticity, able to reduce the chipping and cracks generated during the grinding process, suitable for high-speed grinding.
Metal Bond
Characteristics: Extremely strong bond, commonly used in CBN and diamond grinding wheels, suitable for heavy-duty, high-efficiency processing, long life.
3. Classified According To Grinding Wheel Shape
The shape of the grinding wheel has a direct impact on its range of application and the effect of resharpening.
Flat Grinding Wheels
Flat shape, suitable for large surface and straight edge processing, commonly used in primary rough grinding and part of the fine grinding.
Bowl-Shaped Grinding Wheels
The outer edge of the grinding wheel has a groove, which is suitable for edge angle adjustment and contour grinding, and can flexibly contact with different knife edge surfaces.
Disc Grinding Wheels
Thin and sharp edges, suitable for high-precision grinding of complex tool contours, special angles and small-sized blades.
4. Points For Use
Inspection Before Mounting
- Check that the grinding wheel is free of cracks and defects.
- Perform static balancing to ensure smooth operation.
Match the flange and grinding wheel size, tighten evenly and avoid vibration.
Equipment Matching
- The speed of the grinding wheel must not exceed its rated limit.
- High rigidity equipment with high hardness grinding wheel ensures grinding stability.
- Run the machine for 5 minutes before operation and observe abnormal vibration and sound.
Grinding Operation
- Control the grinding pressure to avoid overload.
- Use proper coolant to prevent overheating.
Maintenance After Grinding
- Regularly check the wear state and appearance of the grinding wheel.
- Dress the grinding wheel in time to restore shape and cutting performance.
The diversity of grinding wheels and their performance parameters determine the breadth and depth of their application in industrial blade resharpening. Only in-depth understanding of the structure of the grinding wheel, material and use of characteristics, combined with specific blade materials and processing requirements, in order to scientifically select the grinding wheel, to achieve efficient and high-quality blade resharpening.
How To Scientifically Select The Grinding Wheel According To The Working Conditions
The choice of grinding wheel is the key to the quality and efficiency of industrial blade sharpening, must take into account the blade material, processing technology, equipment conditions and other factors. Combined with the “determining factors” and “specific selection” of two parts, we systematically sort out the following.
1. Blade Material Hardness And Type
- High-speed steel blade (HRC 60-64): Preferred CBN grinding wheel, to ensure high precision and long life.
- Tungsten carbide blades (HRA 89-93): Diamond grinding wheels must be used to achieve efficient fine grinding of super-hard materials.
- Carbon and alloy steel blades: corundum grinding wheels meet the needs of rough and fine grinding, economical and practical.
- Ceramic and composite material blades: Diamond grinding wheel is the only choice to ensure surface quality and sharpness.
2. Stages Of The Machining Process And Grit Size
- Rough grinding stage: Choose a grit size from 46# to 80#, which is hard and suitable for removing a large amount of material quickly.
- Fine grinding stage: Grit size 180# to 320#, moderate hardness, to ensure the sharpness of the cutter and surface quality.
- Polishing stage: 400# or more fine grinding wheels to ensure ultra-high surface finish.
3. Matching Of Grinding Wheel Hardness
- Hard grinding wheel: Hard bond, firmly fixed abrasive grains, suitable for soft materials, high grinding force, generating more heat.
- Soft grinding wheels: Soft bond, easy to dislodge abrasive grains, suitable for hard materials, smooth chip discharge, low grinding heat.
- Principle: Match soft materials with hard grinding wheels and hard materials with soft grinding wheels to avoid heat damage and passivation of grinding wheels.
4. Wheel Bond Selection
- Ceramic bond: High hardness, good heat resistance, suitable for high precision frequent dressing.
- Resin bond: Good toughness, reduce chipping, suitable for high speed grinding and complex shapes.
- Metal bond: Strong bond, commonly used in CBN and diamond grinding wheels, suitable for heavy-duty and high-efficiency machining.
5. Match The Blade Shape With The Grinding Wheel Size And Shape
- Heavy blade: Suitable for grinding wheels with high hardness and withstand large grinding force.
- Thin precision blades: Choose fine grain size and moderate hardness grinding wheel to avoid deformation.
- Grinding wheel shape: Flat shape is suitable for plane grinding, bowl shape is suitable for edge angle adjustment, and disk shape is suitable for complex contours.
- Grinding wheel size: Select the diameter and thickness of the grinding wheel according to the grinding machine model and blade size to ensure the stability of the rotating speed.
6. Equipment And Cooling Conditions
- Type of grinding machine: CNC grinding machines are mostly equipped with ceramic or metal-bonded grinding wheels, with high rigidity to ensure machining accuracy.
- Coolant: Reasonable selection and maintenance of coolant to control grinding heat and prevent blade burns.
7. Production Scale And Efficiency Requirements
- Mass Production: Select grinding wheels with high wear resistance to reduce replacement frequency and ensure stability.
- Small batch diversification: Flexible configuration of grinding wheels to meet different blades and processing technology.
8. Feedback Adjustment Of Trial Grinding
Dynamically adjust the type, grain size and hardness of grinding wheels to optimize the grinding effect through the indicators of surface quality, thermal deformation, and cutting edge sharpness.
How Does Grinding Wheel Hardness Rating Affect Machining Results?
Wheel hardness refers to the strength of abrasive fixation in the bond, which is a key indicator of grinding performance.
1. Hard Grinding Wheel Characteristics
- The bond is hard and the abrasive grains are firmly fixed.
- Suitable for processing soft materials, large grinding force.
- Generate more grinding heat, easy to lead to blade surface burns and thermal deformation.
2. Characteristics Of Soft Grinding Wheel
- Soft binding agent, easy to dislodge the abrasive grain.
- Suitable for hard materials, smooth discharge of abrasive chips and lower heat buildup.
- Lower grinding efficiency, may increase processing time and cost.
3. Principle Of Hardness Selection
- Soft materials with hard grinding wheels, improve removal efficiency.
- Hard material with soft grinding wheel to avoid passivation and thermal damage of grinding wheel.
4. Effect Of Hardness On Blade Machining
- Wheel too hard: excessive grinding heat, easy to lead to annealing and cracking of the blade.
- Too soft grinding wheel: Frequent dressing and replacement, affecting productivity.
How Does Grinding Wheel Grit Size Affect Tool Resharpening?
The grit size determines the size of the abrasive grain, which affects the surface quality of the blade, grinding efficiency and heat generation.
1. Coarse Grit (36# to 80#)
- Large grit size, sharp grits, strong grinding power.
- High removal rate, suitable for rough grinding and dressing.
- The surface is rough and requires subsequent fine grinding.
2. Medium Grit (100# to 180#)
- Medium grit, suitable for both removal rate and surface quality.
- Commonly used for general fine grinding to keep the cutter sharp.
3. Fine Grit (220# to 400#)
- Fine grit, small abrasive grains, high surface finish.
- Low grinding heat, suitable for fine regrinding and heat sensitive materials.
4. Ultra-fine grain size (600# and above)
- Mainly used in polishing stage to realize mirror effect.
- Used in the manufacture of ultra-high precision industrial blades to meet high-end cutting needs.
1. Coarse Grit (36# to 80#)
Dressing And Sharpening Methods For Grinding Wheels
Wheel wear and bond aging lead to changes in the shape of the wheel and a decrease in cutting ability, timely dressing is the key to guaranteeing the quality of blade resharpening.
1. Manual Dressing
- Use a diamond dressing pen to make local corrections to the surface of the grinding wheel.
- Suitable for small batch production or temporary dressing.
2. Mechanical Automatic Dressing
- Automatic equipment such as diamond rollers are used for high efficiency and precision.
- CNC grinding machines are equipped with automatic dressing function to enhance production stability.
3. Sharpening Technology
- Sharpen the grinding wheel edge with diamond grinding head.
- Promote the cutting efficiency of grinding wheels and surface quality recovery.
4. Dressing Cycle Management
- Establish grinding wheel use and dressing records, and scientifically determine the dressing cycle.
- Timely dressing prevents wheel deformation leading to machining errors and blade damage.
- Automatic equipment such as diamond rollers are used for high efficiency and precision.
- CNC grinding machines are equipped with automatic dressing function to enhance production stability.
Coolant Use And Management Of Grinding Wheel
Coolant is the key to heat dissipation, lubrication and chip removal in the grinding process, which directly affects the processing effect and life of grinding wheel and blade.
1. Coolant Type
- Water-based emulsion: fast heat dissipation, moderate lubrication, economic price.
- Fully synthetic coolant: Good corrosion resistance, excellent lubrication, suitable for high-end applications.
2. Concentration And Maintenance
- The concentration of coolant is controlled at 5%~10%.
- Regular filtration to remove impurities and abrasive debris and prevent bacterial growth.
- Regular replacement to avoid performance degradation.
3. Coolant Delivery Method
- Adopt spraying or drenching cooling to ensure the grinding wheel and blade are fully cooled.
- Reasonable design of coolant nozzle to avoid uneven cooling.
4. Impact Of Coolant On Machining Quality
- Adequate cooling prevents blade burns, thermal cracks and hardness reduction.
- Poor cooling leads to fluctuations in machining quality and increases the scrap rate.
Industrial grinding wheel is an indispensable tool for industrial blade sharpening. Reasonable selection of grinding wheels, scientific methods of use, perfect maintenance management and strict safety standards are the cornerstones to ensure the quality of blade processing and production safety.
