Tool Selection Considerations for Truing and Dressing

It is essential to understand not only the difference between dressing and truing but also how to select the appropriate dressing wheel, taking into consideration factors such as size, bond, contact area, and more.

Choosing the correct dressing wheel will effectively help grinders work with carbide and other hard materials, providing benefits to users that include:

• Cutting tool manufacturers
• Grinding wheel makers
• Production grinding shops
• Regrinding facilities
• Medical, semiconductor, and other markets

Production grinding relies on specific characteristics to ensure the system functions efficiently. When choosing a dressing wheel, there are several considerations that are important to weigh according to your project.

Learn more about truing and dressing and how to select the right dressing wheel depending on your application.

When mounted, a grinding wheel should be dressed and trued correctly for optimal performance. While both processes are done for conditioning purposes and usually occur at the same time, there are some key differences between dressing and truing.

Truing

The profile or form of the grinding wheel gets altered during truing operations. The grinding face of a new abrasive wheel must undergo adjustments so the abrasive product can perform its necessary function. Correcting the grinding wheel profile during routine truing can compensate for the loss of form that typically occurs when the wheel deteriorates during regular operation.

When properly trued, a grinding wheel can create an accurate profile on the workpiece, with the right geometry, dimensions, and form to meet the application specifications. Truing corrects imperfections and inaccuracies, regardless of how small, allowing the grinding wheel to create the desired results.

Dressing

The dressing process alters or restores the condition of the wheel face. Properly dressing a grinding wheel can effectively generate a specific finish or remove stock. Dressing a grinding face exposes fresh, sharp diamond cutting points so the wheel can cut with an increased material removal rate.

When dressing a grinder wheel in this way, it is considered open. If the grinding face gets dressed to blunt or dull the cutting points, it is considered closed.

When dressing and truing diamond grinding wheels, consider the following factors.

The Size, Bond, and Abrasive Type of the Grinding Wheel

Diamond grinding wheels have various sizes, abrasive types, and bonding characteristics. It is essential to understand these properties when selecting a dressing tool.

In a grinding wheel, the bonding material holds the abrasive grains together with various degrees of strength. Standard grinding wheel bonds consist of the following:

• Vitrified
• Shellac
• Silicate
• Rubber
• Resinoid
• Metal

The abrasive grain size plays a vital role because of its ability to affect the chip clearance, influence the material removal rate, and obtain the desired surface finish. The size of the screen opening determines the size of the abrasive grain. The number of openings per inch in the screen that the abrasive grits pass through determines the nominal size.

At Rush Machinery, we carry an extensive line of wheel truing products to meet the demands of various industries and applications. Our machines provide truing and dressing for flats, radii, and angles on diamond and CBN single wheels and multiple wheel packs. The equipment allows for quick-change spindle options with the adapters needed to meet the specifications of a CNC or non-CNC grinding machine. Our machinery also contains two pairs of angular contact bearings for precise rotary table pivots. Rush Machinery wheel truers and dressers are cost-effective, accurate, and easy to use.

We also utilize RushVision software so that operators can seamlessly select from a variety of standard and custom wheel specifications. By entering the project parameters, operators can true the wheel to match a given outline. CAD drawings can be imported, and the program can save all files for future use. An included camera offers zoom with magnification levels ranging from 10x to 180x. The optional AutoView feature enables even more zoom levels for close tolerance applications. With just the click of a mouse, operators can easily manipulate the zoom and drawing size by positioning the camera to capture the desired view.

Contact us to receive a free quote and to discuss the specific demands of your next application.