Belt grinding is an

abrasive An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...

machining Machining is a manufacturing process where a desired shape or part is created using the controlled removal of material, most often metal, from a larger piece of raw material by cutting. Machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, which util ...

process used on metals and other materials. It is typically used as a finishing process in industry. A belt, coated in

material, is run over the surface to be processed in order to remove material or produce the desired finish.

Applications

Belt grinding is a versatile process suitable for all kinds of different applications. There are three different applications of the belt grinding technology: * Deburring: Radiusing, burr removal, edge breaking * Finishing:

Surface roughness Surface roughness or simply roughness is the quality of a surface of not being smooth and it is hence linked to human ( haptic) perception of the surface texture. From a mathematical perspective it is related to the spatial variability structure ...

, removal of micro burrs, cosmetic finishes, polishing *

Stock removal Stock removal is the process of removing material (stock) from a workpiece. Stock removal processes include:Degarmo, p. viii. *Machining *Milling *Turning *Drilling * Grinding * Filing * Broaching * Shaping * Planing *Sawing Stock removal processe ...

: High stock removal, cleaning (e.g. of corrosion), eliminating mill or tool marks, dimensioning

Grinding methods

Wide belt grinding is a familiar process in industry as well as home applications. There are several basic methods for belt grinding: * Stroke belt * Platen belt * Wide belt * Centreless * Portable (manual) * Backstand (pressure) In general there are three basic elements of the belt-grinding machine: work rest support, grinding head and a regulating head. These components differ for all the methods but in general the workpiece is pressed between the grinding head and the rest support. The objective of the regulating head is to coordinate the belt pressure.

Wide belt grinding

One of the most common methods is wide belt grinding. The belt grinding process is variable by adjusting certain parameters such as belt speed, grinding pressure, feed speed, durometer of the contact drum, size of the contact drum and the abrasive belt that is used. The machines can be made for wet or dry operation. Furthermore, a wide belt grinding machine can be constructed with single or multiple heads. The first head is used for coarse grinding and the next heads gradually make a finer finish. Wide belt grinding is also used as a high stock removal method for special metals (e.g.

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

, and

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

alloys).

Changing variables

There are several objectives possible for grinding with coated abrasives. Among them are the right application (e.g. finish or stock removal), time saving and efficiency of the abrasive tool. To achieve the above objectives, it is essential to look in more detail to the variables which affect them. These include the work material properties, the grit and abrasive type of the grinding belt, belt speed, belt sequences, contact wheel hardness and diameter, serration, type of lubricant (or dry) and grinding pressure. Changing these variables will affect the performances of the belt grinding process. In the wide belt method, a contact wheel supports the abrasive belt. The selection of the contact wheel and abrasive to match the grinding parameters required for a specific operation is very critical. Stock removal generally requires a harder, serrated rubber contact wheel, and coarse grade ceramic abrasives. Finishing generally requires the use of a smooth faced contact wheel and fine grade abrasives.Wolfgang Heidtmann, Martin Pischel: ''Bandschleifen mit Schleifmitteln auf Unterlage'' S.689-991, in: Uwe Heisel, Fritz Klocke, Eckart Uhlmann, Günter Spur: ''Handbuch Spanen.'' Hanser, Munich, 2014. .

References

External links