The Difference Between Grinding and Cutting
Grinding and Cutting are important parts of machining, but what is the difference between them?
Using different tools
First let’s know more about the using tools of grinding and machine, when grinding the tools need are grinding wheels, while when cutting the tools need are cutting tools. Functionally,the abrasive particles of grinding wheel equals to the tips of cutting tools; the bond agent of grinding wheel equal to the retainer or tool holder that holds the tooltips;the pore of grinding wheels equals to the chip space of cutting tools.
Characteristics of grinding
Cutting versus grinding, due to its different processing physics, when processing material which is soft and easy to process, it can play a high speed role of machining.
In addition, it is able to meet the requirements of complex workpiece grinding.
While Grinding has the following characteristics:
1.Abrasives are harder than the workpiece
Mineral abrasives are much harder than metal, so they can be used to grind very hard materials
2.Abrasives are produced continuously
When the tool tip is passivated, the tool can only be replaced, while the grinding wheel has “self-sharpening effect”, the abrasive grains can automatically generate new grains after passivated.
3.Fast grinding speed
When countless cutting tools work together, even its cutting feed is small, it can still have high processing efficiency.
Machining angle
When process hard cutting materials due to its different machining angle, grinding processing also enjoys more advantages!
Differences of machining hard to grind and cutting materials
| Grinding | Cutting | |
| Dimensional Accuracy | Large thermal deformation | Fixed cost,can truing or dressing |
| Surface Roughness | Big chipping edge and cracks | Small chipping edge |
|
Workpiece Chipping |
Cutting tips easy to dull |
Abrasives have self sharping effect and can automatically generate new grains after passivated |
| Processing Temperature | Hard to cut,high temperature,
workpiece easy to wear |
Grinding wheel enjoys the features of high heat resistance |
| Tool Life Span | Less tool tips,tool tip need to be replaced if passivated | Countless tool tips, small chips and can easy to predict wear rate |
Differences of machining hard to grind and cutting materials
Therefore if want to get better dimensional accuracy and surface roughness, and the workpiece materials are hard, grinding is a better choice.
In addition, it is also common to take cutting as the pre-process processing, while grinding as the post-process finishing.
