Turbine components like blades & combustor cases are usually produced of unhardened long chipping nickel superalloys. The typical grinding process for this industry is creepfeed grinding: it is characterized by a deep-cut at low table speed and a large arc of contact between the wheel face and the workpiece.
The process undertaken places great demand on grinding wheels, because of high stock removal requirements & the specific characteristics of materials being ground. The materials are known as long-chipping which means that they tend to clog a grinding wheel’s topography. For the creepfeed process the wheel must act very soft and have a very open structure or high porosity to readily transport coolant in and swarf out.
Our innovative technical solutions are especially designed to perform under these testing solutions to ensure productivity is maximised & operating costs are minimised.
We offer a range of high porosity vitrified bonded wheels for creepfeed applications which have optimum cool and fast cutting properties for maximum productivity and quality.
The latest generation of wheels use Vortex technology which is a patented grain technology that offers very high porosity for high and cool cutting. In addition we also offer Norton Altos wheels which have extruded ceramic grains for very difficult operations.
Due to the loss of profile accuracy, conventional grinding wheels are often used with CD grinding (CD: continuous dressing whilst grinding).
The permanent dressing process consequently makes frequent changes of the grinding wheel necessary. In addition the dressing tools have an extremely high wear, too.
As a result of the demanding process, the use of superabrasives grinding wheels is recommended. Due to the much better profile retention, these tools do not need to be dressed continuously. Vitrified cBN grinding tools are increasingly used in this field of application.