The unique WireDress® dressing system for metal bonded CBN and diamond grinding wheels now also provides a technological edge in internal cylindrical grinding.

It was a worldwide innovation when STUDER introduced its non-contact WireDress® dressing system for external cylindrical grinding. It is a wire electro-erosion unit that is fully integrated into the cylindrical grinding machine. It enables metal bonded diamond and CBN grinding wheels to be dressed without contact at full grinding speed. "After extensive further development, we can now use WireDress® for internal cylindrical grinding and also dress even smaller radii," says Michael Klotz, Head of Mechanical Development at STUDER. This means that customers can also benefit when using complex grinding wheel profiles with maximum cutting ability in the internal grinding of steel alloys and very hard materials, such as ceramics or carbides. "To be able to use WireDress® for the deformation-free dressing of long internal grinding arbors and good cutting internal grinding wheels, we had to bring the spark EDM current into the grinding arbor," explains Klotz. The solution: an internal grinding spindle that can transmit an integrated current of hundreds of amperes at full grinding speed. This allows short, long and thin grinding arbors with grinding wheels in the millimeter (0.04 inch) diameter range to be freely profiled on the WireDress® dresser without the application of mechanical force. As a result, previously impossible or very difficult internal machining operations can be ground with process reliability.

There are also major advantages over mechanical dressing methods in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. For example, there is no wear on the dressing tool. The grinding wheel maintains a high grain clearance for maximum cutting ability, which is an important advantage given the generally difficult supply of coolant during internal grinding. Another highlight: All external and internal grinding wheels on the wheelhead, can be dressed fully automatically on the same WireDress® dressing unit, in the same setup, without retooling. A combination with mechanical dressing systems is also possible. "With the extension to internal cylindrical grinding, WireDress® is further establishing itself as a key technology for high-performance grinding processes," summarizes Klotz. Applications that benefit from the new development include medical implants, aerospace components, roller bearing rings, control pistons, and compressors for fuel cells in the energy sector.