GRINDING MACHINE

Introduction
Grinding is a metal cutting operation like any other process of machining removing metal in
comparatively smaller volume. The cutting tool used is an abrasive wheel having many numbers
of cutting edges. The machine on which grinding the operation is performed is called a grinding
machine.
Grinding is done to obtain very high dimensional accuracy and better appearance. The accuracy of
grinding process is 0.000025mm. The amount of material removed from the work is very less.

Types of grinding machines

According to the accuracy of the work to be done on a grinding machine, they are classified as
1. Rough grinding machines
2. Precision grinding machines

Rough grinding machines

The rough grinding machines are used to remove stock with no reference to the accuracy of
results.
Excess metal present on the cast parts and welded joints are removed by rough grinders. The main
types of rough grinders are:
1. Hand grinding machine
2. Bench grinding machine
3. Floor stands grinding machine
4. Flexible shaft grinding machine
5. Swing frame grinding machine
6. Abrasive belt grinding machine

Precision grinding machines

Precision grinders are used to finish parts to very accurate dimensions. The main types of
precision grinders are:
1. Cylindrical grinding machines
2. Internal grinding machines
3. Surface grinding machines
4. Tool and cutter grinding machines
5. Special grinding machines

Cylindrical grinding machine

Cylindrical grinders are generally used to grind external surfaces like cylinders, taper cylinders,
faces and shoulders of work. There are two types of cylindrical grinding machines and they are
1. External cylindrical grinding machines
2. Internal cylindrical grinding machines `

Cylindrical Grinding Machine

Base – The base is made of cast iron and rests on the floor. It supports the parts mounted on. The
top of the base is accurately machined and provides guideways for the table to slide on. The base
contains the table driving mechanisms.
Tables – The tables are mounted on top of the base. There are two tables namely lower table and
upper table. The lower table slides on the guideways on the bed. It can be moved by hand or by
power within required limits.

The upper table can be swivelled upto ±10o and clamped in position. Adjustable dogs are clamped
in longitudinal slots at the side of the lower table. They are set up to reverse the table at the end of
the stroke.

Headstock – The headstock is situated at the left side of upper table. It supports the workpiece by
means of a centre and drives it by means of a dog. It may hold and drive the workpiece in a chuck.
It houses the mechanism meant for driving the work. The headstock of a universal grinding
machine can be swiveled to any required angle.
Tailstock – The tailstock is situated at the right side of the table. It can be adjusted and clamped
in various positions to accommodate different lengths of workpieces.
Wheelhead – The wheelhead may be moved at right angles to the table ways. It is operated by
hand or by power to feed the wheel to the work.The wheelhead carries a grinding wheel.
Its driving motor is mounted on a slide at the top and rear of the base. The grinding wheel rotates
at about 1500 to 2000 r.p.m.

External Cylindrical Grinding Machine

This machine is used to produce external cylindrical surface. The surfaces may be straight,
tapered, steps or profiled. The workpiece is mounted on centres and rotated by a devise known as
a drive dog or centre driver. Broadly there are three different types of cylindrical grinding
machine as follows: 1. Plain centre type cylindrical grinder 2. Universal cylindrical surface
grinder 3. Centreless cylindrical surface grinder

Plain centre type cylindrical grinder

The machine is similar to a centre lathe in many respects. The workpiece is
held between head stock and tailstock centres. A disc type grinding wheel
performs the grinding action with its peripheral surface. Both traverse and
plunge grinding can be carried out in this machine as shown in Figure

What are the characteristic features of a universal cylindrical grinder?

Characteristic features of a universal cylindrical grinder not possessed by plain cylindrical grinder
are:
• Swivelling wheel head
• Swivelling wheel head slide
• Swivelling head stock
CENTRE LESS GRINDING
Centre less grinding is an alternative process for grinding external and internal cylindrical
surfaces. In this method the workpiece is not held between centres. This results in a reduction in
work handling time; hence, centre less grinding is often used for high-production work.
External Centre Less Grinding
The setup for external centre less grinding (Figure.1) consists of two wheels: the grinding wheel
and a regulating wheel. The work parts, which may be many individual short pieces or long rods
(e.g., 3 to 4m long), are supported by a rest blade and fed through between the two wheels
The grinding wheel does the cutting, rotating at surface speeds of 1200 to 1800 m/min.The
regulating wheel rotates at much lower speeds and is inclined at a slight angle I to control through
feed of the work.
 Fig.1 External centre less grinding

Methods of Centerless Grinding

-Through-feed
-Infeed
-Endfeed
In through-feed centreless grinding, the regulating wheel revolving at a much lower
surface speed than grinding wheel controls the rotation and longitudinal motion of the workpiece.
The regulating wheel is kept slightly inclined to the axis of the grinding wheel and the workpiece
is fed longitudinally
Parts with variable diameter can be ground by Centreless infeed grinding as shown in
Figure. The operation is similar to plunge grinding with cylindrical grinder.
End feed grinding shown in Figure is used for workpiece with tapered surface.

INTERNAL GRINDING MACHINES

This machine is used to produce internal cylindrical surface. The surface may be straight, tapered,
grooved or profiled. Tapered holes can be ground with the use of internal grinders that can swivel on
the horizontal. Broadly there are three different types of internal grinding machine as follows: 1.
Chucking type internal grinder 2. Planetary internal grinder 3. Centreless internal grinder
Chucking type internal grinder
The workpiece is usually mounted in a chuck. A magnetic face plate can also be used. A small
grinding wheel performs the necessary grinding with its peripheral surface. Both transverse and
plunge grinding can be carried out in this machine as shown in Figure
Planetary internal grinder
Planetary internal grinder is used where the workpiece is of irregular shape and can not be rotated
conveniently as shown in Figure. In this machine the workpiece does not rotate. Instead, the
grinding wheel orbits the axis of the hole in the workpiece.

A: rotation of grinding wheel

B: orbiting motion of grinding

Centreless internal grinder

This machine is used for grinding cylindrical and tapered holes in cylindrical parts (e.g.
cylindrical liners, various bushings etc). The workpiece is rotated between supporting roll,
pressure roll and regulating wheel and is ground by the grinding wheel as illustrated in Figure
Advantages of Centreless Grinding
1. The workpiece is supported throughout the entire length by work rest. So small diameter
workpiece with long .Lengths can be ground without any deflection.
2, The size of the workpiece can be controlled easily by the regulating wheel.
3. The process is continuous, So suitable for mass production,
4, Work holding devices like chuck, dogs, mandrels, centres, etc, are not needed,
5. Less skilled worker is sufficient.

Diadvantages of Centreless Grinding

1. In centreless grinding, grinding the outside diameter of a hollow workpiece is not done with
reference to the inside diameter. So these two diameters may not be concentric,
2. Workpieces with steps and multiple diameters cannot be ground easily.

Surface grinding machines

Surface grinding is normally used to grind plain flat surfaces. It is performed using moreover the
periphery of the grinding wheel or the flat face of the wheel. Because the work is normally held in
a horizontal orientation, peripheral grinding is performed by rotating the wheel about a horizontal
axis, and face grinding is performed by rotating the wheel about a vertical axis. In either case, the
relative motion of the work part is achieved by reciprocating the work past the wheel or by
rotating it. These possible combinations of wheel orientations and work part motions provide the
four types of surface grinding machines illustrated in Figure.

There are four different types of surface grinders. They are:

1. Horizontal spindle and reciprocating table type
2. Horizontal spindle and rotary table type
3. Vertical spindle and reciprocating table type
4. Vertical spindle and rotary table type

Horizontal spindle surface grinding machine

The majority of surface grinders are of horizontal spindle type. In the horizontal type of the
machine, grinding is performed by the abrasives on the periphery of the wheel. Though the area of
contact between the wheel and the work is small, the speed is uniform over the grinding surface
and the surface finish is good. The grinding wheel is mounted on a horizontal spindle and the
table is reciprocated to perform grinding operation.
Vertical spindle surface grinding machine
The face or sides of the wheel are used for grinding in the vertical type surface grinders. The area
of contact is large and stock can be removed quickly. But a criss-cross pattern of grinding
scratches is left on the work surface. Considering the quality of surface finish obtained, the
horizontal spindle type machines are widely used.
 a

Tool and Cutter Grinding Machines

Tool and cutter grinders are used mainly to sharpen the cutting edges of various tools and cutters.
The can also do surface, cylindrical and internal grinding to finish jigs, fixtures, dies and gauges
Tool grinding may be divided into two subgroups: tool manufacturing and tool resharpening.
There are many types of tool and cutter grinding machine to meet these requirements. Simple
single point tools are occasionally sharpened by hand on bench or pedestal grinder. However,
tools and cutters with complex geometry like milling cutter, drills, reamers and hobs require
sophisticated grinding machine commonly known as universal tool and cutter grinder. Present
trend is to use tool and cutter grinder equipped with CNC to grind tool angles, concentricity,
cutting edges and dimensional size with high precision.
Base – The base of the machine gives rigidity and stability to the machine. It is bolted rigidly to
the floor of the shop by bolts and nuts. It supports all the other parts of the machine. It is box type
and houses all the mechanisms for the saddle movements.
Saddle – The saddle is mounted directly on the top of the base and slides over it. The column is
mounted on the saddle. It can be moved up and down and swivelled to either side.
Table – The table resets and moves on a top base, which is mounted over the saddle. The table
has two layers. The worktable is mounted on the sub table which has ‘T’ slots for mounting the
work and attachments used on the machine. The worktable can be swiveled while grinding tapers.
Headstock and Tailstock – The headstock and tailstock are mounted on either side of the table.
The workpieces are positioned between centres and driven exactly as in a cylindrical grinder.
Wheelhead – The wheelhead is mounted on a column on the back of the machine. It can be
swiveled and positioned in the base for different set-up. A straight wheel and a cup wheel are
mounted on either sides of the wheelhead.