Vitrified bonded PCD/PCBN tool sharpening wheels

PCD (polycrystalline diamond) is a synthetic super-hard material used in the manufacture of cutting tools. It is made up of very hard diamond grains of micron size. The grains are bonded with a metallic bond and deposited on a carbide substrate. This combination results in a material with excellent properties, widely used in machining.

PCD is mainly used to process materials such as ceramics, aluminium, copper, laminates, wood, plastic, and rubber.

PCBN (polycrystalline boron nitride) is a synthetic material produced similarly to PCD, except that micron-sized grains of boron nitride are embedded instead of diamond.

PCBN is mainly used for machining materials such as tool steels, HSS, and high-alloy steels.

Compared to conventional tool materials, sharpening tools made of PCD or PCBN requires a different approach in terms of grinding methods and grinding wheel characteristics. Sharpening polycrystalline tools is a challenging task for both users and wheel manufacturers.

In order for the sharpening process of tools with PCD/PCBN elements to proceed correctly, the following are essential:
– an accurate grinder with appropriate rigidity and a vibration damping system to guarantee the high precision required when sharpening polycrystalline tools
– a specially designed wheel for high-performance and high-precision machining, providing excellent edge quality

Modern diamond grinding wheels designed for sharpening tools with polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and boron nitride (PCBN) cutting elements.
Cutting elements with PCD and PCBN blades are extremely durable tools, but require occasional sharpening.
Thanks to the use of modern technology, these grinding wheels have found their way into accurate and high-performance sharpening processes for super-hard PCD/PCBN tools, which are increasingly used in advanced manufacturing techniques in many industries.

Vitrified bonded diamond grinding wheels have the following advantages when sharpening cutting elements made of PCD and PCBN:
– high edge quality of PCD/PCBN elements after sharpening
– short grinding time
– long wheel life of grinding wheel
– high efficiency and accuracy
– significant reduction in unit sharpening costs
– low temperature machining