Surface Grinding

Surface grinding is used to produce a smooth finish on flat surfaces. It is a widely used operation in which a spinning wheel covered in rough particles cuts chips of metallic or non metallic substance from a work piece to create a more polished, finished surface or create a functional surface texture.

A surface grinder is comprised of a wheel coated with an abrasive material, a chuck, which is a device designed to hold the part or parts in place, and a reciprocating table.  A chuck can either be magnetic to hold metallic parts or vacuum to hold in place non-metallic parts.   A reciprocating table is the work surface and has the ability to move back and forth.

There are three main types of grinders: horizontal, vertical, and disc.  In horizontal, the grinding spindle has the axis parallel to the table and is oriented to the back and forth motion of the table.  Horizontal grinders are used for high-precision work on simple, flat pieces.  The flat edge of the wheel comes into contact with the part, creating the flat surface.  In the vertical grinder, the face of the wheel is used on the flat surface and the spindle and grinding wheel travel up and down and side to side above the work piece.   This is the workhorse of the grinders, allowing quick, rough removal of a lot of material quickly.  Disc grinders have a larger contact area between disc and work piece and can be either horizontal or vertical in orientation.  Disc grinders can achieve very tight tolerances.  

Grinding wheels are manufactured of many materials, but the four most common are diamond, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and cubic boron nitride.  The type of wheel used depends on the material being ground.  Aluminum oxide, while economical and excellent on tool steels, would not be the right choice for carbides or ceramics.  For either of those materials, the proper wheel would be a diamond coated grinding wheel, bringing the material's surface finish to an almost glass-like polish. During and after the process, grinding wheels are "dressed", a process that removes collected debris and sharpens the wheel in preparation for its next use.  

Surface finish is determined by how a part will be used.  An industrial knife may require a slick, manufactured lubricity that will reduce friction between the cutting surface and the material being cut and extend blade life.  An engine part that will be lubricated by either a natural or synthetic substance, like oil, might be ground so that its surface is riddled with microscopic little pockets that capture the oil so it doesn't all slide away from the part.   

You may not be aware of it, but American Cutting Edge's parent company, CB Manufacturing & Sales Co., Inc.,  is proud to be one of the best equipped sub-contract grinding facilities in the US, and we boast the largest Mattison grinder (132" swing) this side of the Mississippi----one of only three of this size in the States.  Our grinder operators are craftsman with an average of over thirty years of experience and knowledge.  We have customers in every state of the continental US who ship their sub-contract grinding to us for the unmatched capabilities and capacities of our sub-contract grinding department.   A CB Manufacturing sales consultant is trained to help you make the best finish choice for your process.  Adjusting the small nuances of your blades may extend knife life, reduce downtime and save you money.