Chapter 4 - Grinding Wheel Dressing

Abstract

Dressing is performed on a grinding wheel in preparation for grinding. The aspects of dressing include truing to eliminate deviations from specified form or straightness; dressing to achieve a sharp cutting surface and a uniform random distribution of cutting edges; conditioning to remove the bonds surrounding the abrasive grains and create a more open wheel surface. Vitrified and other bonded wheels are always dressed before performing a grinding operation. Electroplated wheels are not usually dressed, as these wheels contain a single layer of abrasive grains. Removal of the grains destroys the wheel. Metal-bond, multi-layer super-abrasive wheels are sometimes dressed using a carbide wheel. In addition, electrolytic in-process dressing has been used with considerable success. Dry electro-discharge truing has also been proposed and demonstrated for micro-truing combined with a rotary carbide-dressing tool. There are two basic types of dressing tools: stationary tools and rotary tools. Stationary dressing tools include single-point diamonds, impregnated diamond-dressing tools, and are mainly used for dressing conventional abrasives. Such tools come in a variety of shapes including round- and knife-shaped tools for form dressing. Multi-point diamond dressing tools share the dressing action over a number of cutting points and give greater life. These tools have a number of advantages. It is possible to create a range of dressing tool shapes to cope with wheel profiles. A dressing tool with a chiseled edge allows the tool to follow a generated profile on the grinding wheel.