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WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE DIAMOND AND CBN ELECTROPLATED TOOLING
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING ELECTROPLATED TOOLING
- MATERIAL TO BE GROUND
- SPEEDS AND FEEDS
- FINISH REQUIREMENTS
- FORMS AND ACCURACY
- ABRASIVE ALLOWANCE CHART
- COOLANT
- SAFETY


WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE DIAMOND AND CBN ELECTROPLATED TOOLING

When you are faced with the challenges of cutting or grinding the difficult materials of today's modern technology, Wolfco, Inc. can provide you the right tools to help you successfully complete the job. In this section of our site we hope to dispel some of the mystery surrounding when and why you would select diamond or CBN electroplated products. To start, there are a few major reasons why you should consider diamond or CBN electroplated products over conventional aluminum oxide, silicon carbide or even diamond or CBN bonded wheels.

For example, electroplated products offer:
  • Freer cutting action resulting in better removal rates and less thermal damage to the part.
  • The ability to hold simple and intricate forms for the entire life of the tool or wheel, from first grind to last.
  • Lower long term cost with the potential reduction or elimination of time associated with set-up, dressing and wheel changes.
  • The ability to strip & replate with potential savings of 25% over new electroplated products.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING ELECTROPLATED TOOLING

In order to fully benefit from everything electroplated tooling has to offer, there are a few very important issues to consider first:
MATERIAL TO BE GROUND

Becoming familiar with when to choose diamond tooling or when to choose CBN tooling is critical. Consider the fact that using a diamond product in a hard ferrous application better suited for CBN, literally turns the diamond back into it's carbon state rendering it useless for any application. That's an expensive mistake!!

Diamond electroplated products work best on non-metallic/non-ferrous materials, while CBN electroplated products work best on hard metallic/ferrous materials with Rc greater than 45 and superalloys.

The following is a listing of a few of the materials where diamond and CBN electroplated products are used successfully:
DIAMOND

Fiberglass
Carbon
FRP
Ceramics
Carbide
Quartz
Marble/Granite
...and other non-ferrous abrasion
resistant materials
CBN

High speed tool steels
Die steels
Hardened carbon steels
Monel
Inconel
Rene
Waspalloy
...and other hard, ferrous superalloys

SPEEDS AND FEEDS

Once you have determined the appropriate superabrasive for your application, it's important to know if you have the speeds necessary to have the tooling operate to the best of it's ability. This is particularly important with CBN which requires high speeds and pressure to perform successfully.

**
Feed rates are dependent on workpiece material ranging from fine furnishing cuts
to high energy deep grinding. Ask your Wolfco representative for recommendations.

**Diamond: 5,000 to 6,000 SFPM (Surface Feet Per Minute)

**CBN: 6,500 to 12,000 SFPM

**SFPM = Wheel Speed in RPM's X Wheel Diameter in Inches X .262


FINISH REQUIREMENTS

Due to the aggressive nature of diamond and CBN electroplated products, "super fine" finishes can be difficult to achieve. The following will help you select the appropriate grit size to achieve your required finish:
GRIT SIZE APPROXIMATE RMS
30/40
40/50
60/80
80/100
100/120
120/140
140/170
170/200
200/230
230/270
270/325
45 Micron (400)
30 Micron (600)
15 Micron (1200)
200-250+
150-200
125-150
90+125
64-90
48-64
32-48
24-32
20-24
16-20
14-16
13-14
12
12
??*When converting from conventional aluminum oxide or silicon carbide wheels to electroplated products, double the conventional grit size to find the equivalent electroplated grit size. For example: a 60 grit Aluminum Oxide would equal 120 grit electroplated.

FORMS AND ACCURACY

If your application requires repeating specific forms or close tolerances or both, electroplated products are the right choice. With this in mind, it's important to be familiar with the specific tolerances and sizes of the abrasive particles to insure the makability of the wheel or tool.

For example, the female radius in the steel preform must be larger than the finished plated size and so naturally a male radius must be smaller. Just how much larger or smaller the radius must be depends on the grit size selected. Based on the required grit size and the specifications on the form we can determine the markability of your wheel or tool. (See illustration below.)


  • Female radius on the steel preform must be larger than the finished size required.
Area to be Plated
(Female Radius)
  • Male radius on the steel preform must be smaller than the finished size required.
Area to be Plated
(Male Radius)

We have included the following Abrasive Allowance Chart to help you select the appropriate grit size for your application.

ABRASIVE ALLOWANCE CHART



GRIT SIZE

LAYER
THICKNESS
STANDARD
TOLERANCE
+/-
30/40
40/50
60/80
80/100
100/120
120/140
140/170
170/200
200/230
230/270
270/325
325/400
45 Micron (400)
30 Micron (600)
15 Micron (1200)
0.022"
0.018
0.010
0.007
0.0065
0.006
0.005
0.0045
0.004
0.0035
0.003
0.0025
0.002
0.0015
0.001
0.010"
0.006
0.004
0.003
0.003
0.002
0.002
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.001
0.001
0.001
0.001

COOLANT

Diamond
Electroplated diamond wheels and tools can be used dry, however, the life of the product is extended whenever coolant can be introduced. Water based coolant is recommended.

CBN
We would recommend straight oil coolant be used whenever possible with CBN electroplated wheels and tools. However, the coolant industry has responded with new synthetic water soluble oil coolants due to the rising health and environmental issues associated with straight oil coolants. Many companies today are achieving success with these water based oil coolants when grinding with CBN.

Please keep in mind that the life of the product is severely hampered if run dry or with water based coolants.


SAFETY

Safe operating practices must be part of every grinding wheel user's operation.

Before mounting any superabrasive wheel, use a tachometer to measure the spindle speed directly on the wheel spindle. Speeds should never exceed the maximum speed shown on the wheel or those established by ANSI Safety Requirements B7.1.

Ensure the mounting flanges, backplate or adapter supplied by the machine manufacturer are used and kept in good condition. ANSI Safety Requirements B7.1 provides wheels mounting requirements.

Always examine the grinding wheel for any damage before starting to grind. Never operate a wheel that shows any signs of damage.

Superabrasive electroplated wheels and tools are expensive, but performance justifies their cost. To obtain maximum performance from the wheel or tool, these procedures must extend to what is done with the wheel both before and after it's actual use. The greatest efficiency and lowest overall cost can be realized only if proven care, maintenance and use techniques become standard procedure.


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