A tool and cutter grinder is used to sharpen milling cutters and tool bits along with a host of

other cutting tools.

It is an extremely versatile machine used to perform a variety of grinding operations: surface,

cylindrical, or complex shapes. The image shows a manually operated setup, however highly
automated Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines are becoming increasingly common
due to the complexities involved in the process.

The operation of this machine (in particular, the manually operated variety) requires a high level
of skill. The two main skills needed are understanding of the relationship between the grinding
wheel and the metal being cut and knowledge of tool geometry. The illustrated set-up is only one
of many combinations available. The huge variety in shapes and types of machining cutters
requires flexibility in usage. A variety of dedicated fixtures are included that allow cylindrical
grinding operations or complex angles to be ground. The vise shown can swivel in three planes.

The table moves longitudinally and laterally, the head can swivel as well as being adjustable in
the horizontal plane, as visible in the first image. This flexibility in the head allows the critical
clearance angles required by the various cutters to be achieved.

A grinding machine, often shortened to grinder, is any of various power tools or machine tools
used for grinding, which is a type of machining using an abrasive wheel as the cutting tool. Each
grain of abrasive on the wheel's surface cuts a small chip from the workpiece via shear
deformation.

Grinding is used to finish workpieces that must show high surface quality (e.g., low surface
roughness) and high accuracy of shape and dimension. As the accuracy in dimensions in
grinding is of the order of 0.000025 mm, in most applications it tends to be a finishing operation
and removes comparatively little metal, about 0.25 to 0.50 mm depth. However, there are some
roughing applications in which grinding removes high volumes of metal quite rapidly. Thus,
grinding is a diverse field.

The grinding machine consists of a bed with a fixture to guide and hold the work piece, and a
power-driven grinding wheel spinning at the required speed. The speed is determined by the
wheel’s diameter and manufacturer’s rating. The grinding head can travel across a fixed work
piece, or the work piece can be moved while the grind head stays in a fixed position.

Fine control of the grinding head or table position is possible using a vernier calibrated hand
wheel, or using the features of numerical controls.

Grinding machines remove material from the work piece by abrasion, which can generate
substantial amounts of heat. To cool the work piece so that it does not overheat and go outside its
tolerance, grinding machines incorporate a coolant. The coolant also benefits the machinist as the
heat generated may cause burns. In high-precision grinding machines (most cylindrical and
surface grinders), the final grinding stages are usually set up so that they remove about 200 nm
(less than 1/10000 in) per pass - this generates so little heat that even with no coolant, the
temperature rise is negligible.
These machines include the:

 Belt grinder, which is usually used as a machining method to process metals and other
materials, with the aid of coated abrasives. Analogous to a belt sander (which itself is
often used for wood but sometimes metal). Belt grinding is a versatile process suitable for
all kind of applications, including finishing, deburring, and stock removal.
 Bench grinder, which usually has two wheels of different grain sizes for roughing and
finishing operations and is secured to a workbench or floor stand. Its uses include shaping
tool bits or various tools that need to be made or repaired. Bench grinders are manually
operated.
 Cylindrical grinder, which includes both the types that use centers and the centerless
types. A cylindrical grinder may have multiple grinding wheels. The workpiece is rotated
and fed past the wheel(s) to form a cylinder. It is used to make precision rods, tubes,
bearing races, bushings, and many other parts.
 Surface grinder, which has a head that is lowered to a workpiece, which is moved back
and forth under the grinding wheel on a table that typically has a controllable permanent
magnet (magnetic chuck) for use with magnetic stock (especially ferrous stock) but can
have a vacuum chuck or other fixturing means. The most common surface grinders have
a grinding wheel rotating on a horizontal axis cutting around the circumference of the
grinding wheel. Rotary surface grinders, commonly known as "Blanchard" style grinders,
have a grinding head which rotates the grinding wheel on a vertical axis cutting on the
end face of the grinding wheel, while a table rotates the workpiece in the opposite
direction underneath. This type of machine removes large amounts of material and grinds
flat surfaces with noted spiral grind marks. It can also be used to make and sharpen metal
stamping die sets, flat shear blades, fixture bases or any flat and parallel surfaces. Surface
grinders can be manually operated or have CNC controls.
 Tool and cutter grinder, which usually can perform the minor function of the drill bit
grinder, or other specialist toolroom grinding operations.
 Jig grinder, which as the name implies, has a variety of uses when finishing jigs, dies, and
fixtures. Its primary function is in the realm of grinding holes for drill bushings and
grinding pins. It can also be used for complex surface grinding to finish work started on a
mill.
 Gear grinder, which is usually employed as the final machining process when
manufacturing a high-precision gear. The primary function of these machines is to
remove the remaining few thousandths of an inch of material left by other manufacturing
methods (such as gashing or hobbing).
 Die grinder, which is a high-speed hand-held rotary tool with a small diameter grinding
bit. They are typically air driven (using compressed air), but can be driven with a small
electric motor directly or via a flexible shaft.
 Angle grinder, another handheld power tool, often used in fabrication and construction
work.
IDENTIFYING MACHINE PARTS AND
THEIR FUNCTIONS
On the center-type cylindrical grinder (Figure L-110), the workpiece is mounted between centers
much as it would be in the lathe. The plain cylindrical grinder (Figure L-111) has a fixed
wheelhead that cannot be swiveled, only moved toward or away from the center axis of the
workpiece. The table can be swiveled to permit the grinding of tapered workpieces.
On the universal cylindrical grinder (Figure L-112), both the wheelhead and table may be
swiveled for taper grinding. All possible motions are illustrated in Figure L-113.
Major Parts of the Universal Center-Type Cylindrical Grinder Major parts of the machine
include the bed, slide, swivel table, headstock, footstock, and wheelhead.
Bed The bed is the main structural component and is responsible for the rigidity of the machine
tool. The bed supports the slide, which in turn supports the swivel table.

Slide and Swivel Table The slide carries the swivel table and provides the traverse motion to
carry the workpiece past the wheel. The swivel table is mounted on the slide and supports the
headstock and footstocks. The swivel table has graduations for establishing taper angles.
Headstock The headstock (Figure L-114) mounts on the swivel table and is used to support one
end of the workpiece.
The headstock also provides the rotating motion for the workpiece. The headstock spindle is
typically designed to accept a chuck or face plate. The headstock center is used when workpieces
are mounted between centers. Variable headstock spindle speed selection is also available. For
the most precise cylindrical grinding, the headstock center is held stationary while the driving
plate that rotates the part rotates concentric to the dead center. This procedure eliminates the
possibility of duplicating headstock bearing irregularities into the workpiece. For parts that can
tolerate minor runout errors, it is preferable to have the center turn with the driving plate.

Footstock The footstock (Figure L-115) is also mounted on the swivel table and supports the
opposite end of a workpiece mounted between centers. The footstock center does not rotate. It is
spring loaded and retracted by a lever.
This permits easy installation and removal of the workpiece.Compression loading on the spring
is adjustable, and the footstock spindle typically can be locked after it is adjusted.
Figure L-115 Typical footstock. The lever on top of the footstock retracts the work center so that
the workpiece can be mounted on the grinder. The spring (right end of sketch) provides tension
to hold the workpiece in place.
The footstock assembly is positioned on the swivel table at whatever distance is needed to
accommodate the length of
the workpiece.
Wheelhead The wheelhead, located at the back of the machine, contains the spindle, bearings,
drive, and main motor.

The grinding machine includes a power driven grinding wheel(abrasive wheel) spinning at the
required speed (decided by the wheel’s diameter and manufacturer’s rating, usually by a
formula) and a bed(without bed for centerless grinding machine) with a fixture to guide and hold
the workpiece. The grinding head can be controlled to travel across a fixed workpiece or the
workpiece can be moved while the grinding head stays in a fixed position. Very fine control of
the grinding head or table’s position is possible using a vernier calibrated hand wheel, or using
the features of numerical controls.

Grinding machines remove material from the workpiece by abrasion, which can generate
substantial amounts of heat; they therefore incorporate a coolant to cool the workpiece so that it
does not overheat and go outside its tolerance. The coolant also benefits the machinist as the heat
generated may cause burns in some cases. In very high-precision grinding machines (most
cylindrical and surface grinders) the final grinding stages are usually set up so that they remove
about 200nm per pass - this generates so little heat that even with no coolant, the temperature rise
is negligible. The final surface finish of product processed by grinding machine could be Ra0.08-
0.01micron.