Manufacturing Knowledge Base

This Basics of Grinding program focuses on grinding and how it is used to shape and finish high precision workpieces made from metals and nonmetals. It features segments on the four primary types of grinding, abrasives and grinding wheels, balancing, truing, and dressing grinding wheels, grinding safety, and workpiece surface finish. The 4 Primary Types of Grinding segment covers cylindrical grinding, internal diameter, or ID grinding, centerless grinding, and surface grinding processes and machine types and nomenclature. The Abrasives and Grinding Wheels segment explores grinding wheel abrasives, such as aluminum oxide, silicone carbide, and superabrasives, as well as abrasive grains, abrasive bonds, pore structure, wheel shapes, and wheel identification codes. The Grinding Safety segment emphasizes employee safety while outlining the proper handling and care of wheels, visual inspection, and ring testing to determine wheel integrity. The Balancing, Truing, and Dressing segment stresses the importance of grinding fluids in the process while highlighting wheel balancing, truing, and dressing. The Workpiece Surface Finish segment covers the process variables that contribute to the properly ground workpiece surface finish, such as feed rate, machine rigidity, and workpiece materials.