Projects in Brazil

Modern high-precision grinding machines are able to achieve minutely consistent output even when working in micrometer ranges. However, in order to do this they depend on the grinding wheels exhibiting the exact same properties at all times. Yet, grinding wheels that were manufactured under divergent production conditions can slightly differ, even if their substantial and volumetric composition is verifiably identical.

 The reason for this can be found, for example, in differences in the manufacturing process. All of this makes it difficult for producing companies to switch between grinding wheels of different making, although this might be necessary for financial reasons. Hence it is the goal of the BRAGECRIM project “Development of a Quick Test Method for the Characterization of the In-process Properties of Conventional Grinding Wheels” to develop a method for testing within a short period of time if grinding wheels are suitable for certain grinding tasks.

While grinding with a test wheel, highly sensitive sensors register parameters like high frequency vibrations and grinding forces which occur in a machining process. The measured values are then compared to the respective values measured in a reference grinding wheel known to display the desired grinding behavior. Even smallest differences can be detected. This way, when switching between grinding wheels of differing fabrication, unwanted deviance from the desired result will not only be noticed when valuable material has undergone a machining process, but beforehand.