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
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WHY YOU
SHOULD CHOOSE DIAMOND AND CBN ELECTROPLATED
TOOLING
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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: |
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- 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.
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THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING
ELECTROPLATED TOOLING
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In order to fully benefit from everything electroplated
tooling has to offer, there are a few very important issues to
consider first:
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MATERIAL TO BE
GROUND
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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
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CBN
High speed tool steels
Die
steels
Hardened carbon
steels
Monel
Inconel
Rene
Waspalloy
...and
other hard, ferrous
superalloys |
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SPEEDS AND FEEDS
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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
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FINISH
REQUIREMENTS
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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) |
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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 |
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??*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. |
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FORMS AND ACCURACY
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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.
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Area
to be Plated
(Female Radius) |
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- Male radius on the steel preform must be smaller than
the finished size required.
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Area
to be Plated
(Male Radius) |
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We have
included the following Abrasive Allowance Chart to help you select
the appropriate grit size for your
application.
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ABRASIVE ALLOWANCE CHART
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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) |
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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 |
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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 |
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COOLANT
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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.
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SAFETY
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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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