What Is Dressing?
Instead of replacing the entire grinding wheel, there is a process called “dressing” that is used to restore the wheel. Like any cutting tool, grinding wheels see wear and tear over time, which may lead to poor surface finishes and part quality. Using dressing during the grinding process is crucial to consistently produce parts with the required size and surface finish.
Dressing will ultimately return the grinding wheel to its original sharpness by removing old grains to reveal the fresh grain that is located underneath. This process removes clogs, dulled abrasive grains, and excess bonding material to help minimize vibration. Which in turn will effectively improve the surface finish.
Dressing also helps restore the shape of the wheel, which can change over time due to the wear and tear of the wheel. The following are types of dressing and the different tools used to get the job done.
Types of Dressing
In general, there are two main types of dressing: truing and standard dressing. Truing is a type of dressing that is performed after installing a new grinding wheel. Truing can also be used to straighten the grinding wheel/removing runout and it can be done to form the grinding wheel into a desired form. Standard dressing will occur at varying intervals during the grinding process. The frequency of standard dressing will depend on a few factors, like the amount of material being removed, surface finish requirements, and accuracy of forms required on the grinding wheel.
Types of Dressing Tools
Stationary Diamond Dressing Tool
All stationary diamond tools have a long dressing time, a flexible shape, and a short diamond life. There are several types of stationary dressing tools out there, which include:
- Single-point cone tool: This is when a single-stone diamond is embedded in one shank. This tool is perfect for complicated forms and radius dressing. As the diamond wears, a flat will develop, which results in a dull grinding wheel. In the end, the diamond tool needs to be frequently rotated.
- Blade tool: This tool has several natural or synthetic diamond logs embedded into the blade tip. It is good for complicated forms and radius dressing. There is no rotation required for this dressing tool.
- Multi-point tool: This tool has many small diamonds embedded into the diamond section. It is only good to use for straight or taper dressing. You cannot use it for dressing a form into the wheel.
Rotary Diamond Dressing Tools
These require a rotary dressing spindle to rotate:
- Rotary dressing diamond disc: This is a narrow disc that has diamonds embedded in the outside diameter. The disc is spanned across the grinding wheel to dress the required shape into the grinding wheel. This disc has a medium dressing time, a flexible shape, and a long diamond life.
- Rotary dressing diamond roll: This wide roll is shaped to the specific shape required on the grinding wheel. Once that is figured, it is plunged into the grinding wheel to dress the required shape. This roll has a short dressing time, a fixed shape, and a long diamond life.
Contact Lieber & Solow
With our direct sourcing of natural diamonds, we are able to stay well-positioned for ordering. We have a full line of materials that is readily available. Every item we sell is ready to go out the door when ordered, which includes single point dressers, shape and form dressers and rotary dressers.
At Lieber & Solow, we are able to stock all sizes of die stones. Get select stones for cutting tool materials, drilling materials, and a wide range of premium natural mesh is available. We also have reliable manufacturing equipment available. This selection includes tools for dressing grinding wheels, drawing fine wire, precision cutting, construction, mining and exploration. Get in touch with us today.
So please, do not hesitate to reach out to our office today. Give us a call and we can go over our various price points for anything in our inventory. When you turn to Lieber & Solow, you are turning to leaders in the industry.