Grinding wheels
A “Grinding wheel” is the term given to a highly specialised tool, which is specifically developed and customised by ATLANTIC for a particular application. Grinding wheels are rotationally symmetrical bodies with a hole at the centre, which enables the wheel to be seated in a clamping flange. Grinding wheels are manufactured from abrasive grinding media, which are held in the abrasive wheel matrix by suitable bonding agents. Suitable bonding agents predominantly include synthetic resin or vitrified bonds, as well as metal and galvanic bonds. When selecting the abrasive agent, the user usually reverts to synthetically produced grain materials, as these can be used for a greater variety of grinding applications.
A clear distinction is made between conventional abrasive materials, such as aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and silicon carbide (SiC), and so-called ultra-hard materials, such as cubic boron nitride and synthetically produced diamond.
The three main components of a conventional grinding wheel are the abrasive grain, the bond and the pores. In addition, a variety of fillers and additives are also available. These can be useful for producing the grinding wheel on one hand, and for improving specific properties such as rigidity, heat resistance and durability on the other. Solid lubricants such as graphite and pyrite are used, for example, when the resulting grinding temperatures need to be reduced.
Round, face, ball and camshaft grinding are just four examples of possible applications. The precision grinding process can be divided into pre-grinding, semi-finish grinding and finish grinding depending on the application.
Your benefits in terms of productivity and quality
ATLANTIC's certified production processes and "state of the art" technologies ensure safety, reliability and a consistently high standard of quality for our products. In addition, ATLANTIC is able to formulate and manufacture grinding wheels to precisely fulfil the specific needs of each workpiece. This is reflected by a diverse range of products that not only cater for normal working speeds (up to 40m/s), but also for special higher rated speeds of 50 m/s to 125 m/s. The use of ATLANTIC grinding wheels ensures both the highest possible stock removal rates, as well as optimum surface finishes are achieved in all applications. The combination of over 90 years of experience with on-going research and development ensures our customers are provided with abrasive tools that exhibit a long tool life and consistently high level of quality.
Specification and designation
In line with international standards, ATLANTIC uses an alphanumeric code corresponding to ISO 525 to specify products. This code defines an internally documented grinding wheel composition, which, together with a combination of different test procedures, guarantees the reproducibility of ATLANTIC products.
Information about grain types
Fused aluminium oxide
Behind the chemical formula Al2O3 hides the designation for crystalline aluminium oxide or corundum. We distinguish here between regular, semi-friable and fused aluminium oxide depending on its level of purity.
- Regular aluminium oxide (ATLANTIC designation NK1 to NK9) - purity level of 95-96% AI2O3
- Semi-friable aluminium oxide (ATLANTIC designation HK1 to HK9) - purity level of 97-98% AI2O3
- Fused aluminium oxide (ATLANTIC designation EK1 to EK 9) - purity level in excess of 98% Al2O3
Microcrystalline sintered aluminium oxide
This material ensures optimum utilisation of the abrasive grain, as its fine crystalline structure means only the smallest particles break off.
ATLANTIC designation EB0 to EB9 or EX0 to EX9 - with aluminium oxide as the filler grain.
ATLANTIC designation SB0 to SB9 or SX0 to SX9 - with silicon carbide as the filler grain.
Silicon carbide
Silicon carbide, which is harder, more brittle and sharper edged than aluminium oxide, is used as a suitable abrasive for machining hard and short-chipping materials, such as grey cast iron, carbide, and non-ferrous metals.
ATLANTIC designation for Silicon carbide is SC1 to SC9.
Types of bond
ATLANTIC grinding wheels are available in one of two types of bond depending on the application. These are either a resin bond (designation 'RE') or a vitrified bond (designation 'V'). The bond is responsible for ensuring the grain remains on the grinding wheel until it is blunted or worn by the cutting process, after which it is released to allow the use of a new, sharp grain. An allocation of the various types of bond to the respective applications can be found in the adjacent pdf document.
Grinding wheel hardness
In accordance with international standardisation (ISO 525), Atlantic also designates the grinding wheel hardness with a letter between A and Z, which defines the bonding force holding the abrasive grain. The letters have the following meaning: A to D = extremely soft, E to G = very soft, H to K = soft, L to O = medium, P to S = hard and T to Z = extremely hard.
Structure
The structure of a grinding wheel is denoted by a number between 1 and 18, which relates to the spacing between the individual grain particles. Low numbers mean small spacing of the grain, whereas higher numbers mean large spacing of the grain. (Dense or open structure.)
Pore forming agents
The structure of a vitrified bonded grinding wheel can be coordinated to the respective application in terms of type, quantity and size through the use of pore forming agents. The pore forming agent sublimates during the mixing process and leaves behind a precisely defined pore in terms of shape and volume. This optimises the porous surface of the grinding wheel, thereby enabling more coolant to be channelled into the grinding contact zone and reducing the risk of thermal damage (grinding burn).
For more information please visit www.atlantic-grinding-wheels.com.
ATLANTIC GmbH has been a reliable and innovative market partner for grinding, finishing and honing applications for over 90 years. It has gained extensive experience from thousands of successful projects and applications for renowned companies who are involved in the bearing, steel, automotive and transmission industries, in the turbine manufacturing and medical technology sectors, as well as in numerous other industries. The Bonn-based company has a comprehensive range of more than 40,000 products and is one of the leading manufacturers of bonded abrasives in the world. Grinding wheels, grinding segments, long stroke honing stones, superfinishing stones and honing cups and sleeves are used to machine products and components for numerous industries. Individual adaptation to the customer's existing production conditions is guaranteed through the use of high performance abrasives, such as synthetically produced electro aluminium oxide and sintered aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, cubic boron nitride and diamond in a vitrified or resin bond. The end products manufactured by ATLANTIC GmbH include grinding wheels in diameters ranging from 2 to 1100 mm, grinding segments, honing stones, superfinishing stones and honing cups. The global sales organisation works with its customers and manufacturers of grinding, honing and superfinishing machines to develop innovative grinding concepts. These concepts are often introduced to the market together with applications for patents and test pieces.
• High performance precisionproducts, optimally utilised in mass production under normal production conditions • International networking for optimal quality, servicing multinational production companies • Use of high-quality raw materials • Core competence ranging from coarse to ultrafine grain • Strong consulting expertise with a highly developed distribution network • Excellent reproducibility due to consistently high product quality • Market penetration of all key sectors and numerous industry niches.
For more information please visit www.atlantic-grinding-wheels.com.
