Surface Grinding is the most reliable and most efficient way to get clean workpiece surfaces ready for processing. Before a continuously cast, rolled or forged semi finished product of stainless steel can be refined to a high-grade finished product, it must be ensured that the surface is free from cracks, scale or other inclusions.

 

Surface grinding produces flat, angular, or contoured surfaces by feeding work in a horizontal plane beneath a rotating grinding wheel. Most surface grinding machines use a horizontal spindle which adjusts up and down allowing either the edge or the face of the wheel to contact the work. Work is most often magnetically attached to the table, and may be ground by either a traversing or rotating movement of the table.

 

Workpiece surfaces produced by grinding are influenced by the following factors:

• Workpiece material - harder materials allow finer finishes

• Type of wheel - fine grains yield finer finishes

• dressing procedure - improperly dressed wheels will mar the work surface

• Lubricant cleanliness - coolant filtration removes waste that could damage workpiece surface

• Machine rigidity - older, worn machines yield a poor quality finish

• Wheel condition - clogged wheels cannot produce a good finish

• Feed rate - finer finishes are obtained with slower feed rates.

 

The material of the grinding wheel and the material of the piece being worked on are the two most important factors to consider when choosing the type of surface grinder and the type of grinding disk. There are three main types of surface grinders used in welding shops and machine shops: Horizontal-spindle, Vertical-spindle, and Disc grinders. Each is designed to produce slightly different effects and levels of intricacy depending on the specific job, and the type of material being polished.

Surface Grinding and Processes were first developed to manufacture very tight tolerances, smooth surface finishes, and remove very hard materials from the surface. As technologies have advanced, machine shops and welding shops have become more adept and efficient at all types of metal work. Precision measurement technologies have allowed for more accurate measurement, minimal errors, and much more intricate and delicate work. Minimizing errors is not only important for safety, but it is also crucial to cost efficiency and profit.