What is Grinding - CRATEX Abrasives

What is Grinding?

Grinding (or abrasive cutting) is a machining operation that results in light cuts made by different abrasives. The tools used the most for grinding is a grinding wheel. 

Grinding wheel is an abrasive cutting tool used to grind down, polish or cut different material, like metal or glass. It is composed of an abrasive compound, so it uses thousands of small abrasive grains distributed across the wheel and held together by a certain bonding material to wear away the surface. Each abrasive grain acts like a small cutting tool that passes over the workpiece and leaves a smooth surface. Dull abrasive grains break away from the bonding material, so the process of grinding sharpens the wheel. That way new sharp points are exposed, and a new cycle starts.

Grinding is used as a finishing process, and different grit sizes are responsible for finer or rougher grinding passes. The wheel you will use depends on the metalwork in question. Choosing the right wheel is essential, because if the chosen wheel is wrong for your project, you’ll end up losing time and money.

Chapter 1 of this article will present different grinding wheels and their basic applications, which should help choose the right tool for the job.