A surface grinder is an excellent tool for diminishing hardened bent shafting on a metal surface. The material used for surface grinding, which is generally 0.25 – 0.5 mm, is well suited for rough cutting. However, the surface grinder can also be used for honing and polishing flatwork. Most of these grinders have a plate mounted on a fixed stand.
Advantages of Surface Grinding Machine
A major advantage of using a surface grinding machine is its ability to grind hard-to-hold materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and copper. These workpieces often have to contend with extremely high temperatures during the cutting process. The wheels of these machines are designed to work with very hot workpieces at very high speeds. High-speed operations tend to adversely affect both the hardness and the ductility of workpieces. The most commonly used workpieces are stainless steel and aluminum, but other workpieces can be worked using copper, brass, and titanium.
Working of Surface Grinding Machine
The mechanism on a surface grinding machine consists of a cutting disk positioned over a chuck or blade. The blade is then moved by means of a shaft attached to the grinding wheel. The workpiece being worked on is moved across the blade by means of a magnetic deflector mounted on the opposite side of the blade.
Disadvantages of Surface Grinding Machine
One major drawback of using a surface grinder in precision metalworking is the potential use of excessive abrasive machining. The abrasive machining can greatly reduce the hardness of the material being worked on. The use of too much abrasive can lead to catastrophic failures in precision metalworking projects. It is therefore important to determine the hardness of the material to be worked on and the amount of abrasive needed. In cases of alloy steels, which tend to be more hard than iron, it is advisable to use a secondary cutting wheel to provide for the addition of extra hardening agents. This helps increase the hardness of the alloy without requiring the use of additional abrasive agents.
Another disadvantage of surface grinding machines is their potential use of inordinately high machining speeds. These workpieces can be quickly destroyed if too much force is used on them. High-speed operations can also damage work surfaces as well as machinery parts. Workpieces that are accidentally damaged during a surface grinding operation may not be able to be repaired. This may result in the entire fabrication process being halted, and in worst-case instances, production may even have to be stopped.
In Conclusion
It is often difficult to determine whether a surface grinding machine is appropriate for a particular application. This is because the machine may be working at a faster than normal rate. A faster speed is required due to the use of a high-velocity abrasive wheel, and the potential for the workpiece to be destroyed by the in-between passes of the grinding wheel. Because of these factors, surface grinding machines should only be used in cases where the speed of in-between passes is low. If the workpiece is to be grinded at a relatively higher rate, it may be better to use a high-powered electric grinder.
