Tech Talk
What are the benefits of "Continuous Dressing" versus table or workhead dressing methods?
Continuous or crush dressing (CD) is a dressing method which uses a hardened steel roller or a tungsten carbide roller to dress the grinding wheel. The crushing roll has the profile of the part to be ground machined around its periphery. The hard crushing roll and grinding wheel are brought radially together. The roller literally crushes its way into the grinding wheel, breaking the grain from the bond, as it forces and impresses its shape into the grinding wheel periphery. Crushing with steel or carbide rolls from the grinding table is applicable for single and small batch production. Advantages: The key advantage here is that the thermal damage to the workpiece is virtually eliminated. The CD process has also provided a viable machining process for materials which would otherwise be very difficult, if not impossible, to creep feed grind.
ALTERANTIVES INCLUDE:
Dressing with diamonds rolls from the GRINDING TABLE is applicable for large batch and mass production. Advantages: fast profiling, good surface finish, high diamond roll life with lasting precision.
Dressing with diamond rolls or crushing with steel or carbide rolls from the WHEELHEAD (before grinding) is applicable for one-offs, large batch and mass production. Advantages: minimum non-productive cycle time, no restriction to table-working area, both diamond and steel rolls applicable. Creep-feed grinding, reciprocating grinding and automatic work cycles are possible with all three methods.
