Review of Productivity improvement by implementing automation In manufacturing of a grinding wheel

Grinding wheels are made of natural or synthetic abrasive minerals bonded together in a matrix to form a wheel. For manufacturers, grinding wheels provide an efficient way to shape and finish metals and other materials. Grinding wheels are the only way to create parts with precision dimensions and high-quality surface finishes. At this time, grinding wheels are used in almost every industry. Manufacturing of a grinding wheel consist of mixing abrasive grains, binders and bonding materials. Three important components, abrasive grains with binders and bonding materials, make up any grinding wheel. The, additives are mixed to create a wheel with the properties necessary to shape a particular material in the manner desired. Abrasive grains include the central part of any grinding wheel, and the toughness and friability of the grinding materials will significantly affect the behavior of a given wheel. In the next step the ingredient mix is poured into the mold and compressed by a hydraulic press. Most grinding wheels are manufactured by the compression method, in which a mixture of components is pressed into shape at room temperature. The wheel is then fired at 200 0C-1260 0C depending upon the type of the bond. The purposes of the firing are to melt the binder around the abrasives and to convert it to a form that will resist the heat and solvents encountered during grinding. Variety of furnaces is used to fire grinding wheels. After firing, wheels are moved to a finishing area, where holes are reamed to the specified size and the wheel circumference is made concentric with the center. Some work may be necessary to correct thickness or parallelism of wheel sides, or to make a special contour on the side or circumference of the wheel. Sometimes balancing of large wheels is necessary to reduce the vibration that will be generated when the wheel is spun on a grinding machine.