Wire electro discharge trueing and dressing of fine grinding wheels

In this paper fundamental investigations are presented regarding the capabilities of Wire-EDM for trueing and dressing of fine grained metal bonded diamond grinding wheels. These wheels are often used for precision grinding operations of hard and brittle mould materials like ceramics or cemented carbides. They are characterised by high profile constancies and wear resistances. Due to the electrical conductivity of the bond material, Wire-EDM offers an efficient and powerful alternative to conventional trueing and dressing. Achievable grit protrusion and possible thermal damage to smallest diamond grits are theoretically and experimentally examined. Additionally, machining strategies for high profile accuracy are presented. (C) 2010 CIRP.