At high rpms. and relatively high feed rates the CBN wheels provide surface finishes equal to grinding. Less thermal stress enhances part quality. Plated wheels have higher material removal rate capabilities, but are freer cutting, which reduces thermal metallurgical damage to the work's surface. Plated wheels grind virtually the same profile from the first cut to the last, grinding hundreds or thousands of workpieces. Smaller production runs and more setups, he says, means that many companies no longer have the luxury to amortize the cost of diamond rolls and the long nonproductive setup times associated with bonded wheels, over long production runs.
Skepticism is an issue.
At Fortune 500 companies, traditional grinding people and manufacturing managers often say 'You can't do that,' when told of this process. What follows are stories of the people doing it, even if they can't decide what to call it. Keeping a half-dozen CBN wheels in stock is much less costly and is more timely than broach maintenance, and, besides, says Tedeschi, 'Broach setup is so long that we can not always ship blades within 24 hours. With the Edgetek and a supply of wheels, we can often build one order and start a different design within 24 hours. Inc. All rights reserved.