What is CNC Grinding?
CNC and grinding are two separate but related techniques. Both are essential for CNC grinding.
Here is how they relate:
Grinding
- Grinding is a machining method. It feeds the workpiece into a rotating abrasive wheel, removing material.
- Grinding is most suitable for parts that should achieve the desired shape, surface finish, and required tolerance.
CNC
- CNC means Computer Numeric Control. It is of great use in manufacturing industries to regulate the movement of tool sand machines.
- In a CNC grinding machine, the motion of the wheel, workpiece, and other parts is controlled by signals from the CNC system.
Combining CNC with the grinding process has led to increased accuracy, precision, repeatability, and production efficiency. Therefore, many industries today rely on CNC grinding.
For instance, General Motors manufactures crankshafts for their high-performance machines using CNC grinders.
Definition of CNC Grinding
CNC grinding is a machining process where the cutting procedure utilizes grinding wheels that enable the workpiece to acquire an exact dimension with improved finishing features. These operations are regulated by computer program instructions under the control of computer numerical systems.
CNC Grinding of Different Materials
This is the most common use of CNC grinding, and the grinding wheel is fed vertically from above. Metals provide good machinability on grinding wheels.
Common metals used include:
Soft metals (aluminum, brass): Less difficult to grind, offering shorter periods and affordable charges. Most suitable for intricate part production requiring uniform surface texture and flatness without the need for Burrs.
Steel: Grinding wheels need higher levels of grit/abrasiveness because of their hardness. Sometimes costs may increase, and the time taken to complete a project may also differ depending on the type of steel used. For instance, stainless steel may be more costly than other types of steel.
Hard alloys (Inconel, Titanium): Incredibly difficult to grind due to their high hardness and heat-resilient properties. This translates to additional costs, possibly more time-consuming than traditional processes, and the fact that specialized grinding wheels are required.
CNC Steel Grinding:
As a sub-category of metal grinding, steel grinding has its own considerations:As a sub-category of metal grinding, steel grinding has its own considerations:
Type of steel: Mild steel is preferred for grinding because it lacks high carbon content compared to high carbon or stainless steel.
Desired finish: Another issue is that obtaining a mirror finish on steel will entail processes such as polishing, which are extra steps that make the possibility more expensive and take time.
CNC Aluminum Grinding:
This softness makes the material preferable for high-speed grinding, while smooth surfaces are easily achievable.
This is in contrast to harder metals, which means that it may be more economical and less time-consuming as it can be processed.
Some of the applications include; the aerospace, automotive, and electronics consumer sections.
CNC Plastic Grinding:
While not as prevalent as metal grinding, CNC grinding can be used for a given types of plastics.
Considerations include:
Plastic type: Some of the types of chemicals that are used are more flexible than others. For instance, when grinding acrylic plastics the work is much easier than it would be when dealing with hard plastics, and this may in some cases, call for the use of particular specific grinding wheels or techniques.
Heat sensitivity: Some of plastic materials are sensitive to heat, and when exposed to the heat produced by the ground system, they end up melting or warping. To minimize these problems, it is necessary to be very specific with the coolant type and grinding parameters.
Desired finish: Some Further Polishing Steps may be necessary to attain a higher degree of gloss surface.
