Abstract
Grinding tools with superabrasive grains can be manufactured from different bond materials. In several industrial applications, metallic bond systems are used. In general, these show good grain retention and offer a high thermal conductivity, when compared to the other widely used bond types such as vitrified and resin bonds. One drawback of the metallic bond is the lack of pores in the grinding layer. This is caused by the manufacturing processes that are typically used, like brazing or hot pressing. These generally produce very dense layers. The high density and low porosity lead to comparatively little space for the transport of lubricant, coolant, and chips. One approach to eliminate this disadvantage is to introduce cavities into the grinding layer, using the laser powder bed fusion technique (LPBF). In order to evaluate the general suitability of LPBF in combination with the bond material and diamond grains, grinding layer samples with a nickel-titanium bond were produced. The abrasive behavior of these samples was tested in scratch tests on cemented carbide to verify the applicability as grinding tools. While the diamond grains in the powder mixture are not part of the fusion process, they also did not interfere with the manufacturing process, and the scratch tests showed promising abrasive capabilities. The grinding layer itself withstood the process forces, and no grain breakout could be observed. This indicates that the grain retention forces are high enough for the grinding process and that NiTi has a high potential as a bonding material for the manufacturing of grinding tools via LPBF.
Highlights
Superabrasive grains offer a high wear resistance compared to corundum and silicon carbide, which allows the manufacturing of high-performance grinding tools
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a wellknown additive manufacturing (AM) technique, which enables the construction of metal parts with functional integrations, small rate productions, and topology optimized products for weight reduction with increased stiffness
Since powder #2 is pre-alloyed, the element distribution is more homogeneous after the LPBF process
Summary
Superabrasive grains offer a high wear resistance compared to corundum and silicon carbide, which allows the manufacturing of high-performance grinding tools. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a wellknown additive manufacturing (AM) technique, which enables the construction of metal parts with functional integrations, small rate productions, and topology optimized products for weight reduction with increased stiffness. Another major advantage is the production of individual products without a need for special tools and long production times [8]. In the case of grinding tools, this technique could enable the construction of fully functional prototypes and tools for special applications with small lot sizes. Another future application could be the integration of special engineered cavities, which support the grinding process
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