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Use of metal bond diamond grinding wheel

mc_n_g

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Location
Western PA
I uncovered a metal bond (copper?) 80/63 (approx 400 grit) saucer style diamond grinding wheel in a box I did not know I had.
It is not electroplated.
What are metal bonded wheels used for? I am not familiar with them.
Anyone use them on a regular basis?
What type of performance?

Thanks for your time
 
Good for glass and ceramics and other hard brittle materials. Bronze bond is long lasting, 400 grit is pretty fine.
Might have been used bevel sharp corners.
What shape is the diamond section and hole dia ?

SM
 
Yes, definitely glass, ceramics/porcelain and maybe a bit of natural stone, depending on the application.
Could the grit size be closer to D220 ? How did you come to 80/63 being a 400 grit ? Just wondering :) .
 
I looked at the wrong row on a chart.
Looks like 40-50 is around 350-400.
Looks like I am around a 220 like you said.
 
I looked at the wrong row on a chart.
Looks like 40-50 is around 350-400.
Looks like I am around a 220 like you said.

A D220 grit will be able to give you a first step finish on the above mentioned materials. It won't remove material very quickly, but should be great for touch ups.
Frequent dressing will help to keep the surface area cooler when grinding. Dress (re-expose) the diamond with a silicon carbide dressing stick, or even use an old SIC grinding wheel. Typically a soft grade of SIC is recommended. Soaking the stick in water is not uncommon to create a slurry for dressing.

One main thing to remember with any diamond wheel but especially metal bond, is to grind wet. A lot of heat is generated with diamond and metal bond and this heat may be transferred to the material being ground/cut.
The recommended speed for metal bond diamond wheels is 4000 to 6000 SFPM.
 
I did not even think about the heat. The copper base alone would act as a big heat sink.

Overall I want to thank all that have replied. Good info.
 
I did not even think about the heat. The copper base alone would act as a big heat sink.

Overall I want to thank all that have replied. Good info.

You are most welcome ! Regarding the copper...this filler is used in the bonds to assist in taking the heat out of the work piece. For "resin bond" wheels we sometimes use copper coated (synthetic) diamond as well for dry applications (also to assist with heat issues). For "metal bond", wet grinding is the only way to go.
Have fun with your wheel ! :)
 
" For "metal bond", wet grinding is the only way to go."

can you explain why?

i have been using this wheel for ages dry and its like new:



i use it on steel and carbide (it grinds glass too). why would the copper bonded wheel be good for stones only?
 
There are so many theories in the diamond world, and everything relates to one another...operator, machine quality/rigidity, available speeds, wet or dry, material, removal rates etc.

Metal Bond diamond wheels contain metal fillers like cobalt, bronze, copper, tin and more. Those fillers create a lot of heat, which is not good for the diamond itself. They are meant to withstand the high abrasiveness of glass, stone and ceramics. Wet grinding also helps to flush away the material being ground and the diamond/bond fragments that are being ground off the wheel. Not grinding wet can cause the wheel to load up and create even more heat. Health-wise grinding wet will allow most of the contaminates coming from the material being ground and the wheel itself to be flushed away and not be dispersed into the air you breathe.

The wheel shown in your photo is a diamond electroplated wheel which is made up of one layer of a certain diamond grit size coated with a nickle plating. Electroplated can indeed be used dry as there is only the nickel plating involved. Of course we always recommend wet to increase the life of the diamond (heat is a diamond's worst enemy...it tends to break down prematurely). The through holes in your wheel can also help to cool down the application slightly.
By the way, once you notice your electroplated wheel wearing down, turn it around and you might be able to get a bit more life out of it.

Glass is a recommended material for electroplated, metal bond and resin bond diamond wheels, as is all other non-ferrous yet hard or abrasive materials including carbide and stone and plastics. Diamond can grind steel, but the chemical properties associated with grinding iron will eventually prematurely break down the diamond to its original state of carbon. At this point it will wear more quickly had you not used it on steel. CBN is the synthetic crystal that is recommended for grinding iron based materials with a minimum Rockwell hardness of 45c (in most cases).

Again its all theory based...if you are just touching up the odd steel here and there you probably won't see much wear. If you were continuously grinding steel you would most likely see a rapid wear rate.

Metal bond("copper bonded") wheels will typically grind : glass, ceramics, porcelain, stone, carbide and perhaps gem stones.
 
Metal bond diamond grinding wheel is mostly used for grinding automotive glass, optical glass, monocrystalline silicon,High bonding strength, good wear resistance and long service life,However, there are also disadvantages in that the wheel is difficult to dress.
 
I have a 20" dia copper bonded diamond wheel (ballpark 200 grit if I recall...) for grinding a spherical profile in tungsten carbide coating. Mostly got the metal bonded due to form stability over the grinding of several parts to reduce dressing time (not really for sharpening, but for re-establishing wheel form). Application is on a Studer S41 cnc grinder.
 
Hi guys, I've just received two bonded diamond wheels, I only use them for sharping T/C tipped gun drills and never use them for grinding steel, this can stuff them up . Another thing I`m trying to find is small "D" shaped slip stones, anyone know where to get them, Thanks, Homebrew.357
 








 
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