What You Need To Know About CNC Grinding

Science and technology are continually advancing. Parts are getting more complex and precision requirements are rising. This is especially true for parts with high surface finish requirements. Traditional milling and turning can’t meet these needs. At these times, grinding is needed to ensure quality. However, CNC grinding is faster. However, traditional grinding is slower and less efficient. CNC grinding is widely used in many industries now. It is a good choice for improving machining accuracy and surface finish. Yonglihao Machinery has much experience and professional knowledge in CNC grinding. Now, please let us take you to learn about CNC grinding!

What Is CNC Grinding?

CNC grinding is a machining method. It controls the high-speed cutting of the grinding wheel with the CNC system. In addition, it is made by removing the part’s surface material. It has high precision and is efficient.

First, the CNC system sends motion commands to each axis of the machine. It does this according to a pre-programmed program or input. These coordinate axes include the feed axis of the grinding wheel, the moving axis of the table, and so on. Then, the grinding wheel rotates at high speed driven by a motor to grind the workpiece. The grinding wheel usually consists of an abrasive and a bond that removes material by friction with the workpiece surface.

In grinding, we process specific shapes and sizes of the workpiece. We do this by precisely controlling the position and movement of the grinding wheel and the workpiece. At the same time, the grinding parameters, such as grinding wheel speed, feed rate, grinding depth, etc., can be adjusted as needed to achieve the desired processing results. In order to ensure the quality of processing, CNC grinding systems are usually also equipped with measuring devices to monitor the size and shape of the workpiece and other parameters in real-time, and feed the information back to the CNC system so that the necessary adjustments can be made.

CNC grinding has several types. These include surface, external, centerless, internal, and special grinding. It has advantages over traditional machining methods. These include high precision, good surface quality, many functions, and high productivity. So, it has been widely used in aerospace, the automotive industry, medical equipment, mold processing, and more.

What Types of CNC Grinding Machines Are There?

There are different types of CNC grinding machines depending on the shape of the product to be ground. They specialize in different grinding methods or different parts of the product. These types include:

• CNC Universal Internal Grinding Machines: By arranging the grinding wheels correctly, these grinders can grind both internal and external diameters. This means they can grind steps, tapers, grooves, chamfers, or contours on both the inside and outside of the hole.
• Cylindrical Grinding Machines: They are used to grind workpieces that are similar in shape to cylinders. In use, the grinding wheel can be held at an angle or straight against the workpiece.
• Surface Grinder: Due to the different shapes of the grinding wheels, the surface of the workpiece can be ground directly as the wheel moves over the surface of the workpiece as directed.
• Centerless Grinders: These grinders do not have a machining center. This means that several workstations can be managed on the same production line. This makes the work more efficient and productive.
• High Precision Rotary Grinder: This grinder has a rotary table on the base. While the table rotates, the grinding wheel can grind the edge or round surface of the workpiece.
• Center Hole Grinder: As the name suggests, this grinder is used to grind existing center holes on products. This is possible because the grinding wheels are carefully crafted to match the holes in the product.
• Double-sided Precision Grinder: This type of grinder grinds both sides of a workpiece at the same time. The upper and lower grinding discs or plates of this grinder perform the grinding work on the upper and lower sides respectively.

Types of CNC Grinding Process

The CNC grinding process can be divided into types. The division is based on the grinding objects, process requirements, and equipment types.

• Cylindrical grinding: This is one of the most common CNC grinding processes. It is used for grinding the outer surface of cylinders, such as shaft parts. The feed and grinding parameters of the grinding wheel are precisely controlled by the CNC system to achieve the required dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. For example, car engines use crankshafts. They are often made using cylindrical grinding.
• Surface Grinding: Grinding of flat surfaces to obtain a flat and highly accurate surface. It can be used to process various flat parts, such as the parting surface of molds.
• Internal Grinding: Used for grinding the inner surface of round holes. It is suitable for all kinds of sleeves, bearing inner rings and other parts. During processing, the grinding wheel feeds and grinds along the direction of the axis of the hole.
• Centerless Grinding: The workpiece does not need to be clamped on the fixture but relies on the joint action of the grinding wheel, guide wheel, and pallet to realize grinding. The workpiece is ground between two rotating wheels. One is a speed-regulating wheel used to control the workpiece’s speed. The other is a grinding wheel used to grind it. It is commonly used for mass production of small cylindrical parts such as pins and bushings.
• Special grinding: Special grinding mainly includes thread grinding, molding grinding, and so on. Thread grinding is specifically used to grind threaded surfaces to obtain high-precision threads. It is widely used in precision machinery manufacturing. Forming grinding grinds workpieces according to specific shapes and contours. It is usually used for grinding various complex curved parts, such as cavities of molds, teeth of gears, and so on.

Advantages of CNC Grinding

The advantages of CNC grinding as a modern processing method are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Precision: A CNC grinding machine uses a computer control system. It can achieve micron-level precision. The CNC system controls the feed, speed, and position of grinding. It can control every detail of part processing. This ensures the stability of precision and quality. It greatly reduces processing errors.

Surface quality: CNC grinding makes surfaces very smooth.  It greatly improves part surfaces. Precisely controlled grinding parameters reduce the workpiece surface defects (such as burns and scratches), which can prolong the service life of the workpiece.

Multifunctionality: As it can process a variety of materials, it can be adapted to different manufacturing needs. For example: grinding of various materials such as cemented carbide, ceramics, steel, and aluminum. It can handle complex geometries and contours to meet various special design requirements. For example, complex surface processing of turbine blades.

Repeatability: As long as the programming is correct, the parts machined each time have a high degree of consistency and repeatability. This is very important for the production of parts that require interchangeability, such as pistons in engines.

Efficiency: CNC grinding machines can automate and continue machining. This greatly improves productivity. So, you can cut processing time and costs by optimizing grinding settings and paths. This automated processing eliminates human error and realizes high-precision processing, further improving productivity and quality. It is suitable for mass-produced workpieces due to its ability to perform continuous machining.

Safety: The CNC grinding machine runs automatically. This cuts manual work and reduces the risk of accidents for operators. The programmer finished preparing the program. The operator just needs to clamp the parts and run the program. They do not participate in the actual machining process. This improves the safety of the operation.

 Machining Skills of CNC Grinding

To improve CNC grinding, and meet high precision and surface quality requirements, we can optimize it in these ways:

Reasonable setting of grinding parameters: The grinding parameters greatly affect the grinding effect and workpiece quality. They include grinding speed, feed speed, and grinding depth. It is necessary to choose the grinding parameters based on the workpiece material, shape, precision requirements, and other factors. This is needed to get the best grinding effect. Generally, high-speed grinding improves efficiency but increases grinding wheel wear. Adjust the feed rate based on the material and the wheel’s performance.

 Selection of suitable grinding wheel: The grinding wheel is the core component of CNC grinding, the selection of a suitable grinding wheel can not only improve the grinding efficiency but also extend the life of the grinding wheel. In general, choose the hardness and grain size of the grinding wheel based on the material and shape of the workpiece. The finer the grain size, the smoother the surface after grinding.

Optimize CNC programming: Choose a good processing route. Optimize the grinding path. Eliminate empty strokes and repetitive grinding. This will improve processing efficiency.

Workpiece clamping method: Choose the right clamping method to keep the clamping stable. This prevents loosening and keeps the machining accurate.

Good maintenance and repair: Good maintenance and repair is to ensure the accuracy of CNC grinding in an important part. Regular maintenance and repair of all parts of the CNC grinding machine, including the guideway, spindle, cooling system, etc., to ensure the normal operation of the equipment and extend the service life of the equipment.

What Materials Can Be Processed By CNC Grinding?

CNC grinding can machine a wide range of materials. This is because it is a precise and flexible machining method. Each material has its own characteristics, just as different components in a complex ecosystem have their own characteristics.

Metals

Metal is durable and can be used for many purposes. It is therefore the most commonly used grinding material for CNC machines. This method is particularly suitable for the following materials:

• Steel: Known for its toughness and hardness, it is therefore ideally suited for high-precision grinding.
• Stainless Steel: Important for medical and food-grade applications, as it will not rust.
• Aluminum: This is a lightweight, non-magnetic metal used for automotive and aircraft components.
• Brass: Easy to work with and often used for decorative purposes.
• Copper: It is a good electrical conductor and is therefore commonly used in electrical components.
• Titanium: It is often used in demanding fields such as airplanes and medicine. Because it is strong and does not rust.
• Nickel Alloys: Nickel alloys do not rust or heat up, making them ideal for high-performance applications.
• Tungsten Carbide: It is very hard and is often used to make precise tools and parts that do not wear out easily.

Ceramics

Ceramics are very hard and do not melt easily, making them ideal for CNC grinding:

• Aluminum Oxide: Can be used in electronics and cutting tools. Because it is very hard, it does not melt when heated.
• Silicon Carbide: It is ideal for high-temperature use because it does not expand or contract when heated.
• Zirconia: It is commonly used in dentistry and medicine because of its high fracture toughness.

Plastics

CNC grinding is increasingly being used for plastic processing, especially for specific tasks:

• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE): Commonly used for non-stick coatings because of its low friction.
• Acrylic Resin: It has good optical properties and is therefore used for lenses and screens.
• Polycarbonate: It can withstand a lot of pressure and is strong enough to be used to make protective equipment.

Composite Materials

CNC grinding can also be used for composites consisting of different types of materials.

• Fiberglass: Commonly used in the construction of automobiles and spacecraft because of its lightweight and high strength.
• Carbon Fiber Composites: Extremely rigid and strong, ideal for high-tech aircraft components.

Precious Metals

Precious metals are processed to maximize their unique qualities and uses:

• Gold: Soft and easy to mold, so commonly used in electronics and fine details.
• Silver: It has good thermal and electrical conductivity and is therefore commonly used in technology and home decor.
• Platinum: This is a metal that does not wear out or tarnish easily. It is commonly used in jewelry and electrical contacts.

Other Materials

CNC grinding can also be used for the following materials:

• Glass: Since glass is very fragile, special grinding wheels are required.
• Rubber: For molding and texturing rubber parts.
• Stone: This material is often used in construction and decoration.

Application of CNC Grinding

CNC grinding is widely used in many industries. This is because it has high precision, is efficient, and is automated.

Aerospace: Parts in the aerospace field require high-precision machining, and CNC grinding machines can carry out fine machining on various parts of different shapes and improve the precision and quality of the parts, thus meeting the demand for high-precision and high-quality parts in the aerospace field. The blades, impellers, and shafts of aircraft engines in aviation. Various precision shafts and key structural parts in aerospace, such as key components of rocket engines.

Automotive Electronics: Making automotive parts needs efficient, high-precision grinding. CNC grinding machines can handle car parts with various shapes. They can process different shapes by changing the fixture and grinding wheel. For example, crankshafts and camshafts in engine parts as well as gears and shafts in automobile transmissions require high-precision grinding to ensure their performance and reliability.

Medical Devices: In the field of medical devices, CNC grinding is also widely used. For example, artificial joints, orthopedic implants, and other medical devices require fine CNC grinding to achieve a good fit and biocompatibility with human tissue. The parts need a very smooth surface. They also need to be very accurate. This is to make sure they are safe and effective in medical use.

 Mold Manufacturing: Molds are processing templates for a variety of plastic and metal products, and their fabrication requires high-precision and high-efficiency processing technology. CNC grinding machines can process molds of many shapes with high precision. They can achieve automation through programming to boost production efficiency. For example, injection molds and stamping molds have cavities and cores. They are CNC ground to get high-precision surfaces and shapes. This makes high-quality plastic products and metal stampings.

 Summarize

CNC grinding is important. It achieves high precision and efficiency. This fact is clear. It meets the strict standards of modern manufacturing for precision. It also boosts efficiency, cuts costs, and improves a company’s market position. Therefore, it is more and more crucial in high-precision machining. It has become an essential technology for machining high-precision workpieces. Yonglihao Machinery has a lot of experience in CNC grinding. They can provide top-notch grinding services. If you have a small or large grinding job, please contact Yonglihao Machinery. We will give you professional experience and technology in grinding to make sure your project succeeds.

FAQ

What materials can be processed by CNC grinding?

CNC grinding can process many materials. These include steel, aluminum, and titanium, as well as glass, composites, and ceramics.

How can CNC grinding improve productivity?

CNC grinding can boost productivity. It does this by optimizing paths and parameters. In addition, it also adopts advanced strategies and tools. It reduces human error and allows continuous operation.

What are the key factors affecting CNC grinding accuracy?

The rigidity and precision of the machine matter. The grind’s parameters matter. So do the wheel’s quality, the material type, and the environment. Temperature matters too. They all significantly impact CNC grinding accuracy.