Types of Grinding Processes

Types of Grinding Processes

Straight wheel

Straight wheel

To the right is an image of a straight wheel. These are by far the most common style of wheel and can be found on bench or pedestal grinders. They are used on the periphery only and therefore produce a slightly concave surface (hollow ground) on the part. This can be used to advantage on many tools such as chisels.

Straight Wheels are generally used for cylindrical, centreless, and surface grinding operations. Wheels of this form vary greatly in size, the diameter and width of face naturally depending upon the class of work for which is used and the size and power of the grinding machine.

Cylinder or wheel ring

Cylinder wheels provide a long, wide surface with no center mounting support (hollow). They can be very large, up to 12" in width. They are used only in vertical or horizontal spindle grinders. Cylinder or wheel ring is used for producing flat surfaces, the grinding being done with the end face of the wheel.

Tapered wheel

A straight wheel that tapers outward towards the center of the wheel. This arrangement is stronger than straight wheels and can accept higher lateral loads. Tapered face straight wheel is primarily used for grinding thread, gear teeth etc.

Straight cup

Straight cup wheels are an alternative to cup wheels in tool and cutter grinders, where having an additional radial grinding surface is beneficial.

Dish cup

A very shallow cup-style grinding wheel. The thinness allows grinding in slots and crevices. It is used primarily in cutter grinding and jig grinding.

Saucer wheel

A special grinding profile that is used to grind milling cutters and twist drills. It is most common in non-machining areas, as saw filers use saucer wheels in the maintenance of saw blades.

Diamond wheels

Diamond wheel

Diamond wheels are grinding wheels with industrial diamonds bonded to the periphery.

They are used for grinding extremely hard materials such as carbide cutting tips, gemstones or concrete. The saw pictured to the right is a slitting saw and is designed for slicing hard materials, typically gemstones.

Mounted points

Mounted points are small grinding wheels bonded onto a mandrel. Diamond mounted points are tiny diamond rasps for use in a jig grinder doing profiling work in hard material. Resin and vitrified bonded mounted points with conventional grains are used for deburring applications, especially in the foundry industry.

Cut off wheels

Cut off wheels, also known as parting wheels, are self-sharpening wheels that are thin in width and often have radial fibres reinforcing them. They are often used in the construction industry for cutting reinforcement bars (rebar), protruding bolts or anything that needs quick removal or trimming. Most handymen would recognise an angle grinder and the discs they use.