Precision Centerless Grinding for Hard Materials and High Volumes
Grinding is the best way to achieve tight tolerances and smooth surface finishes on parts made from hard materials. Now add goals like “high production volume” and “low cost” to your wish list, and precision centerless grinding is the answer you’re looking for.
Why Grinding Is Better for Hard Parts
Cutting tools used in conventional machining processes wear quickly and eventually break on hard materials. The cutting tool’s strength places a limit on how hard the material can be before the tool fails.
Grinding is a great solution for hard materials that rank high on the Rockwell C (Rc) scale. The grinding machine’s abrasive cutting wheels can handle even the hardest parts; if the wheel dulls, we simply dress it to sharpen it.
If your material or heat-treated workpiece is 50 Rc or harder, the United CGTR team almost always recommends grinding.
Grinding Methods for Hard Materials
From OD grinding to thread grinding to centerless grinding, grinding uses an abrasive cutting wheel—or, in some cases, a diamond cutting wheel for ultra-hard materials like carbide and tantalum. All three operations deliver tight tolerances and a beautiful finish, but precision centerless grinding is the best bet for high-volume production orders.
OD grinding
Outside diameter (OD) grinding is also called “cylindrical grinding” because it works on parts with a central rotation axis. If your print’s concentricity callout references the centerline of your part, we recommend OD grinding. OD grinding is most frequently used for transverse cylindrical grinding.
Thread grinding
A CNC thread grinder uses a rotating grinding wheel formed to your thread specifications. Thread grinding is an incredibly precise process where the wheel and workpiece both move axially to achieve the desired thread dimensions in a screw or threaded component. Unlike thread rolling, thread grinding is a subtractive manufacturing process that removes material to shape the features.
Precision centerless grinding
When you need critical dimensional tolerances, quality surface finishes, exceptional straightness, high production volumes, and low costs, choose centerless grinding. The subtractive centerless grinding process removes material from a workpiece without the need for a center point.
Precision centerless grinding also offers these advantages:
No deflection. The workpiece, specifically the area being worked, is contained completely between both the regulating wheel and abrasive grinding wheel during the process, eliminating the risk of deflection.
No axial thrust. Because centerless grinding doesn’t create axial thrust, centerless grinders are gentle enough for even brittle materials and distorted parts.
No delays. Centerless grinding supports fast production thanks to its streamlined “thru-grinding” process, which holds each workpiece in place without requiring a center support.
We won’t deny being a bit biased, but we think centerless grinding is one of the most versatile manufacturing processes available.
United CGTR Works with These Hard Materials
Talk to the United CGTR team if you’re planning a production using one of these hard materials:
A-286
Nickel 400, 500, 600, and 625
Inconel (nickel 718)
Cobalt L605
Alloy X
Alloy C-276
MP35N
Kovar
Make United CGTR Your Precision Grinding Company
We’ve worked hard to build a wonderful customer base of hundreds of skilled machine shop partners. We know what you make, which industries you serve, and, for some of you, how you take your coffee—that’s how long we’ve been working with many of you!
When you order parts from United CGTR, we’re committed to providing optimum quality and exceptional value. Thanks to our comprehensive range of in-house and vendor-supported capabilities, you’ll always have the superior parts you need and the top-notch service you deserve.
