C06-01-1

2006 POWDER METALLURGY

*Invited
World Congress

Powder Metallurgy Diamond Tools – A Review of Manufacturing Routes

Janusz Konstanty

AGH - University of Science & Technology, Mickiewicz Avenue 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
email: konstant@uci.agh.edu.pl

Abstract

Nowadays the market for diamond tools grows rapidly. The present decline in the price of industrial diamond makes it
a commoditised product capable of competing with conventional abrasives. In terms of production volume, the largest group
of diamond tools comprises the metal-bonded diamond impregnated tools, such as sawblades, wire saws, and core drills for
cutting stone and construction materials, and core bits for mining applications. This article provides a compendious
coverage of the powder metallurgy (PM) diamond tool-making routes, and identifies the recent trends towards changing the
tool design and composition to render it cheaper and more efficient.

Keywords: diamond grit, metallic matrix, diamond impregnated tool

1. Tool Composition diffusion-type bond with the matrix. Another benefit of

The chemical composition, particle size and shape of the
matrix powder as well as the size, shape, strength and
thermal stability of the diamond grit all need careful
selection if excellent tool performance is to be achieved.
Except in mining bits that are made by infiltration, fine
Co, Cu, Sn, W and WC powders are often used for tools
made by the hot pressing and cold pressing/sintering routes.
In regards to the diamond abrasive, its type, size and
concentration are factors that have the greatest significance.
The major difference between the natural and synthetic
diamond is in the particle shape and purity. Irregularly
shaped natural grits have lower toughness but excellent
bonding characteristics which make them suitable for frame
sawing operations. The advantage of using synthetic
diamond is that it can be tailor-made to satisfy a broad range
of application requirements. By using either Co- or Ni-base
alloy as a solvent in the diamond synthesis, crystals of
different internal structure and particle properties can be
obtained. The cobalt grades are characterised by ordered
arrays of metal inclusions and hence the crystals tend to
fracture in an irregular manner. This imparts free-cutting
qualities to the tool. In the nickel grades impurities are
uniformly distributed throughout the particle, resulting in
higher toughness after processing at elevated temperatures.
The particle shape will also affect the crystal breakdown
behaviour. A cubo-octahedral shape imparts toughness to
synthetic diamonds but harms their retention in the matrix.
The best way to minimize the pullout of high-grade
synthetic diamonds is by coating them with a thin film of
strong carbide former. A proper selection of coating type,
matrix composition, and tool fabrication conditions results
in a strong hold on the diamond arising from a
coating is the protection for diamond surface from
graphitisation and attack by aggressive matrix components.
The combination of diamond size and concentration
governs the number of cutting points on the working face of
a tool. The grit size, along with its strength and retention
behaviour, determines the crystal protrusion window and
thus affects the distance by which the matrix clears the
workpiece. For efficient machining it is vital that the cutting
grits remain sharp and that there is sufficient space for swarf
accumulation and its removal from the cutting zone.
2. Fabrication Process
The common PM routes used to manufacture diamond
impregnated tools and tool components are shown in Fig. 1.
Mixing of matrix powders with diamond grits is usually
carried out in a Turbula-type mixer. Binding agents and
lubricants are added to the mixture at various stages of
mixing so as to prevent segregation and minimise wear of
steel dies during subsequent cold pressing.
When the mixture is to be compacted by a volumetric
cold press the powder has to be granulated. The diamonds
may either be used in as-received condition or coated with
a suitable powder prior to mixing with the matrix powder.
Cold pressing is a part of the cold pressing/sintering
route but it must also be applied when multi-layer segments
are produced by hot pressing. Cold pressing is performed in
steel dies using either gravimetric or volumetric die filling
principle. Gravimetric presses offer higher flexibility in the
production of tools and lower investment costs; whereas the
volumetric ones are preferred for mass production due to
their greater throughput and lower running costs.

- 871 - © Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute

 DIAMOND GRIT PCD RECTANGLES
MATRIX POWDERS INFILTRATION ALLOY
Powder Coating Granulation
Mixing Mixing
Cold Pressing
Hot Pressing Sintering
De-burring HIP Infiltration PM PROCESS
Quality Control & Finishing Operations
Fig. 1. Diamond tool production process.
Hot pressing of segments is usually accomplished using
direct resistance heating equipment and graphite moulds.
The principle of resistance heating has, however, limitations
with respect to the size and geometry of the consolidated
parts. Experience has demonstrated that production of tools
having large dimensions, such as continuous rim sawblades,
is slow and energy consuming. In addition, difficulties are
encountered in assuring uniform temperature distribution
across the mould. Therefore the favoured equipment for this
application is a furnace press wherein the batch is heated in
inert gas by radiation and convection. A typical furnace
press enables simultaneous processing of several steel dies,
piled one on top of the other, wherein the cutting rims are
densified and cemented to steel centres in one operation.
De-burring follows the hot consolidation step. During
this operation the edge residuals are removed by means of
tumbling the segments with a conventional abrasive grit.
The application of pressure-less sintering in the
manufacture of diamond impregnated tools is limited by
restrictions on the composition, mechanical strength and
dimensional accuracy of the final product. The conventional
cold pressing/sintering route has, however, gained ground in
the production of wire saw beads. Cost savings and high
production rates achieved by the use of furnace sintering
outweigh, in this case, the shortcomings of this operation.
Infiltration is ideally suited to produce surface-set bits,
polycrystalline diamond (PCD) bits, and hybrid bits, used in
drilling in earth formations. Depending on the bit type,
coarse diamonds, PCD rectangles and various displacement
parts are disposed in sockets pre-machined in a graphite
mould and secured with an adhesive. A tubular steel blank is
also positioned and held in place by a suitable fixture. Then
the matrix powder, or its mixture with diamonds, is
introduced and compacted by tamping or vibration. To ease
mould filling, the powder may be applied in a liquid carrier.
Once the mould has been loaded, a suitable infiltration
alloy is positioned adjacent to the matrix powder. Then the
mould assembly is placed in a furnace and heated so that the
infiltration alloy melts and bonds the powder mass to the
© Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute
steel blank. The process is carried out in a reducing gas,
vacuum, or even in air if a suitable flux is applied.
After infiltration the bits undergo a visual inspection to
assure correct diamond setting and protrusion. Radiography
may also be utilised to detect internal flaws in the bit crown.
The quality control of segments and beads is often
limited to the hardness test. A properly consolidated
material acquires a narrow hardness range, whereas an
incompletely densified one has insufficient toughness which
results in its rapid wear and poor ability to retain diamonds.
Therefore it is advisable that the final density is checked
before the segments, or beads, are attached to a suitable
steel support.
Wire saw beads are mechanically fixed on a steel cable
which is then protected against abrasion with plastic or
rubber. Segments are either brazed or laser welded. Brazing
is used in the manufacture of sawblades, core drills and
grinding tools for wet applications and allows re-tipping of
the tool body. Laser welding is employed to minimise the
risk of segment detachment in small diameter blades for dry
cutting operations. Sawblade steel centres require further
processing, by rolling and hammering, to counteract forces
acting on the working tool.
3. Present Trends and Developments
The recent cut in diamond prices and fierce competition
with low-cost labour countries have brought pressure on the
leading edge of the industry to speed innovation and carve
a market niche for non-commodity products. In practical
terms a lot of effort is going into seeking novel segment
compositions and grit distribution patterns so as to improve
the tool performance and lower machining costs. To date,
several pre-alloyed Fe- and Cu-base matrix powders have
been developed and launched commercially under brand
names Cobalite, Next and Keen to replace expensive
Co-base matrices. Parallel developments have been seen in
the diamond coating technology. These days, the toolmakers
enjoy a growing freedom of choice of Ti, Cr and Si coated
grits that have been designed to suit a wide spectrum of
applications and tool fabrication conditions.
It is obvious that less power consumption and longer tool
live can be achieved by ensuring even spacing of diamond
particles in the matrix. A technological breakthrough in the
manufacture of sawblade segments, wherein diamonds are
positioned in a regular manner, has been made but the grit
setting procedures are a trade secret and this technology has
not been implemented on a broader scale yet.
Further Reading
J. Konstanty, Powder Metallurgy Diamond Tools, Elsevier,
Oxford, 2005.
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 C06-01-2
2006 POWDER METALLURGY
World Congress

New PCBN for Heavy Interrupted Cutting of Hardened Steel

Katsumi Okamura1,a, Satoru Kukino1,b, and Tomohiro Fukaya1,c
1
Super Hard Materials Development Group, Development Department,
Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal Corporation, 1-1-1, Koya-Kita, Itami, Hyogo, Japan
a
okamura-katsumi@sei.co.jp, bkukino@sei.co.jp, cfuyaka-tomohiro@sei.co.jp

Abstract

PCBN tools are used worldwide for machining of hardened steel parts in automotive industries. But in heavy interrupted
cutting of hardened steel, the tool life is not so stable by sudden breakage of the cutting edge, and total cost of cutting by
PCBN is not so economical compared to the grinding. To solve this problem, new PCBN has been developed. New PCBN has
very fine and homogeneous microstructure to increase the toughness of sintered body that it provides a reliable tool life for
heavy interrupted cutting.

Keywords : PCBN. Heavy interrupted cutting, Hardened steel

1. Introduction on the cBN content, the particle size of cBN and binder
material and mixing method. The bonding phase is weaker
Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) has hardness compared to cBN particle. Therefore thicker bonding phase
and thermal conductivity second only to diamond and low increases the defects that cause the decrease in sintered
reactivity with ferrous metals. In 1977 the first PCBN tools
were developed in Japan which successfully replaced
grinding processes with cutting processes for the finish Table 1. Features of PCBN-1 and PCBN-2
CBN CBN grain Binder Hardness T.R.S
machining of hardened steel products such as automotive Grade Microstructure Content Size Materials [GPa] [GPa]
parts and machine parts [1]. [vol%] [μm]

Since then, PCBN cutting tools have been widely applied

for the machining of hardened steels and manufacturers in PCBN-1 60 1 TiN 33-35 1.2-1.3
various fields such as automobiles, aircraft and other
industries have benefited from the improved productivity.
Up to now several kinds of PCBN materials have been PCBN-2 60 1 TiN 32-34 1.1-1.2
developed to machine work pieces which were thought to
be difficult to be cut before [2],[3].
The trend is from grinding towards cutting, but still there
remain some cases where cutting cannot be applied. Heavy 1.4 ■ TRS 1.2
PCBN-1
interrupted cutting has been such an application. The □ Thickness of
the bonding phase 1.1
problem of cutting for those applications exists in the
of the bonding phase [μ m]
Average value of thickness

1.3
unreliability of tool life due to sudden breakage. To solve PCBN-2 1
this problem, new PCBN, which has ultra fine and 1.2
TRS [GPa]

0.9
homogeneous microstructure, was developed. This paper
reports features and cutting performances of this new grade. 1.1 0.8

0.7
1
2. Heavy interrupted cutting of hardened steel 0.6
0.9
Features of PCBN. Table 1 shows the features of PCBN-1 0.5
and conventional PCBN-2. PCBN-1 has ultra fine and 0.8 0.4
homogeneous microstructure and uses TiN-based special 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 1.2
ceramic binder to increase the toughness of sintered body. Fig.
Standard deviation of thickness of the bonding phase [μ m]
1 shows the relationship between transverse rupture strength
(TRS) and the thickness of the bonding phase which holds Fig. 1. Relationship between TRS and thickness of the
cBN particles. The thickness of the bonding phase depends bonding phase.

- 873 - © Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute

body’s toughness. As both the standard deviation and average
value of the thickness of bonding phase are decreasing, the
average value of TRS is increasing and the variation of TRS
is decreasing as shown in Fig. 1. As a result, PCBN-1 has
higher TRS compared to PCBN-2, and the toughness of
PCBN-1 is improved considerably. PCBN-1 provides reliable
tool life in heavy interrupted cutting, in which the stress PCBN -1 PCBN -2
applied to cutting edge is very high. Fig. 4. Photos of the cutting edge after 30 thousand times
impacts.
Experimental procedure. Experimental cutting was
performed in order to verify the performance of the newly
developed PCBN-1 mentioned above. Fig. 2 shows the test 3. Conclusions
conditions. The work material is carburized steel with
HRC58-62 hardness. And also it has four U-shaped grooves Fig. 5 shows the distribution of hardened steel parts about
at the end face for heavy interrupted cutting. This tooling surface roughness and stress at cutting edge. As shown in
system reconstructs the same failure mode as customers, Fig. 5, the newly developed PCBN-1, which has ultra fine
which is chipping of the end cutting edge. The chipping size and homogeneous microstructure, have enabled the
was measured. The tool was deemed to break and the introduction of hard turning under heavy interrupted cutting
cutting test was stopped when the chipping size reached to conditions instead of the presently prevailing grinding
0.1mm. The number of impacts until breakage was process.
calculated.
Stress at cutting edge
Continuous Medium Interrupted Heavy
Work : 34CrMo4 HRC58-62
Insert : CNGA120408 Surface
Conditions : V=120m/min., d=0.2mm, roughness Cutting area
PCBN-2 Gear,
f=0.1mm/rev., DRY 6.3s
Connecting PCBN-1 Shaft,
Gear, Rod Pinion
Steering (Spline groove)
Shaft O.D.
parts Sleeve O.D. Shaft
(Short length)
3.2s Hub
(Key groove)

Fuel Injection parts CVT Gear

2.4s (Direct injection, parts
Common rail)
Grinding area
1.6s ABS Pinion O.D.
Parts
Shaft O.D.
Fig. 2. Test conditions.
0.8s

Results and discussion. Fig. 3 shows the number of
impacts until breakage. Tool life of PCBN-1 was 1.7 times
longer than that of PCBN-2. As shown in Fig. 4, compared
to the end cutting edge of PCBN-2, in which chipping
occurs, the end cutting edge of PCBN-1 is worn smoothly.
As PCBN-1 has ultra fine and homogeneous microstructure,
probability of micro cracks occurring at the end cutting
edge of PCBN-1 is lower than in the case of PCBN-2,
whose variation of binder phase thickness is large.
PCBN-1
PCBN-2
Fig. 5. Distribution of hardened steel parts.
4. References
[1] N. Tabuchi, A. Hara, S. Yazu, Y. Kono, K. Asai, K.
Tsuji, S. Nakatani, T. Uchida, Y. Mori: Sumitomo
Electric, No. 18 (1978), p. 57-65
[2] J. Shiraishi, T. Fukaya, Y. Ogata, T. Nakai: 1st French
and German Conference on High Speed Machining,
1997.
[3] S. Kukino, Y. Kanada, T. Fukaya, J. Shiraishi, K.
Tomita, T. Nakai: SEI TECHNICAL REVIEW, No. 48
(1999), p. 49-52

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Number of impacts until breakage (thousand times)

Fig. 3. Tool life determined by breakage.

© Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute - 874 -

 C06-01-3
2006 POWDER METALLURGY
World Congress

Thermal Protection Shield Concept for Diamond Impregnated Tools

W. Tillmann1,a, M. Gathen1,b, and C. Kronholz1,c
1
Institute of Materials Engineering, University of Dortmund
Leonhard-Euler-Str. 2, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
a
wolfgang.tillmann@udo.edu,bmiriam.gathen@udo.du,cchristian.kronholz@udo.edu

Abstract

For dry machining of mineral materials the Institute of Materials Engineering pursues a novel thermal protection shield
concept for diamond tools, in which thermal insulating materials in diamond composite structures act as heat shield, which
protects diamonds in deeper layers against high temperature and graphitisation. Before the effectiveness of this concept
could be investigated suitable composites have to be manufactured. In this paper the powder metallurgical production
processes of diamond-alumina-cobalt-composites with varying alumina and cobalt particle sizes, their microstructures and
porosities are described. It could be observed that the distribution of small-sized alumina particles (< 70 µm) in the cobalt
matrix is uniform and the porosity of the composite decrease.

Keywords: diamond impregnated tool, thermal protection, heat shield concept, pressureless sintering

In comparison to conventional tools based on tungsten particle sizes: 350-500 µm, 150-210 µm and below 70 µm
carbide diamond tools become more important for the have been employed. Pure cobalt powders with particles
machining of mineral materials due to their better sizes between 45-90 µm (GTV GmbH) and particle sizes
mechanical and physical properties, particularly their below 40 µm (Eurotungstene Poudres) have been used as
extreme hardness [1,2,3]. During the machining processes metal binder. By addition of a small amount of a pressing
the tribological contact between the diamond tool and the additive based on wax six different powder mixtures were
mineral material result in the deterioration of the diamonds produced in a tumble mixer, table 1. Each mixture has been
owing to the low fracture toughness and the heat sensitivity filled into a mould (ø = 15 mm, h = 10 mm) and pressed
of the diamonds, that graphitise and oxidise at temperatures uniaxially with a compacting pressure of 550 MPa. The
above 500°C in air [3,4]. To reduce such deteriorations green compacts have been subsequently sintered free
diamond tools are cooled with water during machining and standing in a vacuum furnace at 1373 K (~ 0.73 Tm) for
so the major problem is to guarantee water supply on 4 hours. The structures of the various samples have been
building sites and the risk of contaminating occupied investigated by light microscopy and the porosities have
buildings by concrete/rock-water-mixtures. Therefore a dry been measured by digital image analysis.
machining of mineral materials has significant advantages. The microstructure investigation of the sintered samples
However, during a dry application of conventional diamond shows that in all three samples with mixed cobalt particle
tools the tribological and thermal wear will increase. In the sizes (cocf/d/ac, cocf/d/am, cocf/d/af) the areas of fine cobalt
case of diamond impregnated composites not only fill the pores between the coarse cobalt leading to decent
diamonds directly exposed to contact with mineral materials, sintering results. The coarse cobalt particles are at the
but also diamonds in deeper layers of the segments will be beginning of the intermediate stage of sintering associated
damaged due to the heat transfer [5]. The Institute of with neck formation of different progress. In these three
Materials Engineering pursues a novel thermal protection
shield concept for powder metallurgically produced
diamond impregnated composites [6]. Thermal insulating Table 1. Composition of the used powder mixtures in vol.-%
materials such as alumina are inserted into the composite cobalt diamond alumina
structure to act as a heat shield, which protects the 45- 300- 350- 150-
< 40 µm < 70 µm
diamonds in deeper layers against high temperatures and 90 µm 450 µm 500 µm 210 µm
resulting damages. Consequently a new improved cutting cocf/d/ac 63 27 5 5
behaviour can be expected. cocf/d/am 63 27 5 5
To realise the thermal protection shield concept the
cocf/d/af 63 27 5 5
embedding of diamond and alumina particles with varying
particle sizes has been investigated at first. Diamonds cof/d/ac 0 90 5 5
(Element Six) with particle sizes between 300-450 µm and cof/d/am 0 90 5 5
alumina (Munk + Schmitz GmbH) with three different cof/d/af 0 90 5 5

- 875 - © Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute


(a)
(b)
(c)
Fig. 1. Diamond-alumina-composites with varying
lumina particle sizes after pressureless sintering in a
vacuum furnace at 1100°C for 4 hours.
(a) cof/d/ac, (b) cof/d/am, (c) cof/d/af
samples the alumina particles as well as the diamonds seem
to be sufficiently embedded in the cobalt binder. With
decreasing particle size of the alumina (cocf/d/af) the
alumina particles are more homogenous distributed in the
metal matrix. The microstructures of the three sintered
samples with only fine cobalt particle sizes (cof/d/ac,
cof/d/am, cof/d/af) seem to be more compacted in
comparison to the three samples mentioned above,
figure 1 (a, b, c). The solid state sintering of the fine cobalt
particles is in the intermediate stage. Significant neck
growth can be observed and the original grain boundaries
© Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute
are not identifiable. The alumina particles and the diamonds
are well embedded in the fine cobalt matrix. Similarly to the
samples before the distribution of the alumina particles in
the cobalt becomes more homogenous with decreasing
particle sizes (cof/d/af), Figure 1 (c). The measurement of
the porosity shows that the porosity of the examined
samples is still high, up to 18 %. With lower particle sizes
of the alumina the porosity is decreased to approximately
13 % for the samples with mixed cobalt particle sizes
(cocf/d/af) and to approximately 6 % for the samples with
fine cobalt (cof/d/af). It is irrelevant, if diamonds or alumina
particles are inserted in the cobalt matrix. Rather the particle
size and the amount of material inserted are important for
the composite-porosity.
The investigations presented are the fundamental steps
towards the realisation of the thermal protection shield
concept for diamond impregnated composites. Alumina
particles with various particle sizes are successfully inserted
into the cobalt matrix. With decreasing particle size of
the alumina the compactibility of the diamond-alumina-
composite increases. The diamonds as well as the alumina
particles can be sufficiently embedded in the cobalt matrix
with mixed particle sizes. Further improvement can be
achieved by the application of pure fine cobalt powder. But
for the solid state sintering of the cobalt particle sizes
employed the sintering parameters are not sufficient to
reach the final stage of sintering in a pressureless sintering.
In addition to the optimisation of the sintering parameters
the use of cobalt powder with finer particle sizes, alloying
additions or the encapsulation of the powder mixtures
combined with sintering under pressure are further
approaches to achieve diamond-alumina-composites of high
density. The influence of insulating materials on thermal
stability, strength, hardness and particular the behaviour of
the corresponding diamond composites during machining
are topics of further investigations. Appropriate machining
tests under real conditions with special emphasis on heat
development and wear resistance will be conducted to
evaluate the efficiency of the thermal protection shield
concept.
References
1. Denkena, B., Tönshoff, H. K. et al., Werkstatttechnik
online, Vol. 92 (6), 2002, p. 290-296
2. Tillmann, W., International Journal of Refractory Metals
and Hard Materials, 18, 2000, p. 301-306
3. Marx, C., Druckschrift der Fa. Christensen Diamond
Products GmbH, Celle, 1967
4. Schatt, W., Wieters, K.-P., VDI-Verlag, ISBN 3-18-
401343-X, 1994
5. Tillmann, W., Werkstoffwissenschaftliche Schriftenreihe,
Band 41, Shaker Verlag, Aachen, ISBN 3-8265-7301-3,
2000, p. 39-54
6. Tillmann, W.; Klaassen, M.; 16th International Plansee
Seminar, Reutte (Österreich), Vol. 3, 2005, p. 95-104.
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 C06-01-4
2006 POWDER METALLURGY
World Congress

Grinding Mechanism and Case Study on Double-Disc Grinding

of Ferrous Sintered Material
Masaru Tanaka1,a, Akinori Yoshimoto1,b, Hideo Ohshita1,c, and Toshihiko Hashimoto2,d
1
1816-174, Kotaka-Kuroishi, Kato City, Hyogo 679-0221, Japan
2
2901, Nariwacho-Nariwa, Takahashi City, Okayama 716-0192, Japan
a
masaru-tanaka@allied-material.co.jp, bakinori-yoshimoto@allied-meterial.co.jp,
c
hideo-ohshita@allied-material.co.jp, dhashimoto-toshihiko@gr.sei.co.jp

Abstract

The sintered parts are mainly used for automobile industry, and a part of air conditioners. In automobile industry, the
application range of sintered parts is very broad and use for a driving and a lubricating system. And air conditioner uses
them for compressor. Grinding of compressor and pump parts is very difficult these days, because these parts use High
hardness materials and require high precision grinding. Tool life has to be extended to decrease production cost. We
analyzed processing mechanism and developed new grinding wheels for Double Disk Grinding. And, we introduce new
truing technology that improved tool-life and precision.

Keyword: Chip form, Double Disk Grinding, Wear resistance, Electro-Discharge Truing

1. Introduction chips obtained at the time of processing are shown in Fig. 1.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, the dulling of the abrasive
Sintered alloy parts are broadly used as components for grains is significant, and at the time of base material
compressors and oil pumps. Compressor and oil pump processing, it was found that large flow type chips were
components demand high-precision flatness, parallelism, discharged.
and high-quality processing.
In recent years, in conjunction with the introduction of Table 1. Processing Conditions
environmental countermeasure technologies, the efficiency Equipment
KVD-300 manufactured by Koyo
of air conditioners and pumps has been advanced, and the Machine Industries
demand for high-precision processing of their component Wheel CBN140-60B φ305-75W-3X-50T
parts is increasing. Moreover, with the objective of reducing
Oil Pump Parts
manufacturing cost, the improvement of tool life is Work
Base material equivalent to SMF-4040
becoming an important concern.
One method of making these requirements a reality is Wheel Rotation 1500 min-1
Double Disk Grinding. D.D.G is able to the grind the end Machining Allowance 0.3 mm / Both Sides
face of a work piece at one time; so many production Grinding Speed 0.03 mm/ sec
factories use it and get higher flatness and parallelism.
Spark Out 2 sec.
We studied the D.D.G and conducted analysis on the processing
mechanism of sintered parts. We succeeded in developing a
wheel that has excellent grinding characteristics. In relation to the above results, the following two points were
We report on the development of a new technology that concluded for wheels used for double-disc processing of
realizes higher quality precision processing and longer tool life. ferrous sintered parts, namely; (1) a bond system having
wear resistance against flow type chips is necessary; and (2)
selection of abrasive grains that can prevent dulling is
2. Processing Mechanism important.

An investigation was conducted on the wheel wear form

of the double-disc grinding process used for oil pump
components made of Ferrous Sintered Alloys (Equivalent to
SMF-4040).
The processing conditions were as shown in Table 1, and the
conditions of the wheel abrasive grain layer and the form of the
3. Development of Bond System Optimization of Abrasive
Grains
Based on the knowledge obtained from the investigation of the
processing technology, development of a bond system that
excels in wear resistance was conducted.

- 877 - © Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute

 By combining the new bond system and high strength
abrasive grains, the dress interval on the production line can
be improved by two times. Together with the improvement
in the tool life, an improvement in the utilization rate of the
equipment was realized.

Condition of Abrasive Grain Surface Chip Form Conventional Product-Top Conventional Product-Bottom
10 High Strength Product-Top High Strength Product-Bottom

Load Current Value (A)

9
Fig. 1. Condition of Abrasive Grain Surface and Chip Form. 8
7
In order to increase wear resistance, comparatively large 6
5
hard grains were dispersed in the bond, as shown in Fig. 2. 4
Figure 3 shows changes in the wear amount of the wheel when 3
processing was conducted, under the conditions shown in Table 2
1, using a conventional bond and a new bond. 1
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Number of pieces Processed (pieces)

Work-piece Fig. 4. Comparison of Cutting Edge by Changes in

Abrasive Grains.
Abrasive
Grain
Bonding 4. Introduction of New Technology
Material
The recent development clearly demonstrated that the wear
Fig. 2. Outline of Bond System. resistance of the bond and the strength of the abrasive grain
were important.
From the standpoint of wear resistance of the bond, metal
bond is ideal, and for the strength of the abrasive grain,
Amount of Wheel Wear (mm / both sides)

0.10 CBN140- Conventional Bond

diamond is ideal. A double-disc grinder equipped with an
0.09
0.08
CBN140- New Bond
electro-discharge truing function made possible processing
0.07 that is based on a wheel which combines the aforementioned
0.06 two points.
0.05 In the processing of oil pump components made of sintered
0.04 alloy, by using a diamond metal bond wheel, we were able
0.03
0.02
to achieve a dress interval of over four times that of the
0.01 CBN resin bond wheel.
0.00
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Number of pieces Processed (pieces) 5. Summary

Fig. 3. Changes in Wheel Wear. 1) As a result of the mechanism analysis of the

double-disc grinding processing of ferrous sintered
As it is clear from Fig. 3, it was found that the new bond parts, it was clearly shown that the wear resistance of
excels in wear resistance in the processing where flow type the bond and the strength of the abrasive grains are
chips are discharged. important.
Next, with the purpose of preventing dulling of the abrasive 2) Adding large particle size hard grains to the bond
grains, the optimization of the abrasive grains was improved the wear resistance.
conducted. Since the strength of the abrasive grains greatly 3) Utilizing high strength abrasive grains improved the
influences the dulling of the abrasive grains, tests were sustainability of the cutting edge during the processing
conducted by using abrasive grains of higher strength. of ferrous sintered parts.
In Fig. 4, comparison of the cutting edge of the abrasive 4) The technology developed allows the use of diamond
grains based on the changes in abrasive grains is shown. metal bond wheels, which realize a considerable
Figure 4 shows that high strength abrasive grains have low improvement in tool life.
load during the grinding processing, and they excel in
sustaining their cutting edge.

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