Hard Turning Challenges Traditional Grinding Method

Recently, there is a new emerging grinding method, which is called hard turning, and has impacted the traditional grinding method. What is the prospect of hard turning and whether it will replace traditional grinding method will be discussed in this article.

What is the definition of hard turning?

Hard turning refers to make use of CNC tools, CBN tools or ceramic tools to harden workpieces. This new method can be used to cut hardened steel, gray iron, ductile iron, powder metallurgy and special materials. Certainly, there are some materials such as bronze, which are not suitable for hard turning. Surface machining, tapping, miling and grooving can be done through hard turning. Based on American articles, the finish remains 16μm in the hard turning. In the normal conditions, the finish can reach 6~8 μm.

Advantages of hard turning

The cost is low which only accounts for 1/4 of grinding.

There is no need for special tools and machines in hard turning, while the grinding requires the grinders.

The productivity of hard turning is high, because the cutting speed of CBN tools can reach 274m/min.

Additionally, on the aspects of waste disposal and environment protection, hard turning is better than traditional grinding. The traditional grinding will bring mixture of abrasive dust and cooling liquid. That mixture cannot be used again and will pollute the environment.

In the light of those advantages, some foreign experts believed that hard turning represented the current technology and would be popular in the future. Some of them even questioned why you still use traditional grinding.

However, will the high-speed machining and hard turning replace traditional grinding? The domestic experts don't think so. They thought grinder has its own advantages, such as high grinding accuracy, which is suitable for the strict requirements. What's more important, lately the new materials have appeared in succession to substitute for traditional materials, while in practice, it has been proved that grinders are the better choices to process those new materials. Therefore, in the future the grinders are still essential.

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