Development of a hybrid method for electrically dressing metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels

In order to restore its cutting ability, a grinding wheel needs a periodic dressing process to remove dulled grains from its cutting face and then to disclose new and sharp grains beneath. An electrical dressing method was developed recently for overcoming the limitations of the conventional dressing methods available in relation to a diamond wheel because of the hardness of its abrasive grains and the durability of its bonding material. Development of a hybrid electrical dressing method for metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels is proposed in this paper. This method consists of a combination of electrochemical and electro-discharge dressing. The dressing method was implemented on a surface grinder with twin copper electrodes and two AC power supplies. Both on-line (in process) dressing and off-line dressing have been performed using static and dynamic electrodes. The results show that a better wheel profile and a better surface roughness are produced using the proposed method compared with the traditional SiC wheel dressing technique. It is concluded that more consistent results can be achieved by applying in-process electrical dressing.