Dressing of Hybrid Bond CBN Wheels Using Short-Pulse Fiber Laser

A systematic research analysis has been applied to study the effect of dressing parameters on grinding forces, work piece roughness and wheel wear of a hybrid bond CBN grinding wheel. This paper presents some of the results achieved by the comparison between a conventional SiC dressed wheel and a grinding wheel dressed by means of a short-pulse fiber laser. The results show high technological potential for the laser dressing method compared to conventional dressing. Lower grinding forces and specific energy, with relatively the same surface roughness and lower total grinding wear (wear by dressing plus wear by grinding) are the biggest advantages of the laser dressing method over the conventional method. However, the economic aspects of laser dressing (investment on laser source and associated add-ons) at the moment, cannot justify the integration of such systems on the grinding machine for all types of applications. The next challenge is optimization of the laser dressing process to increase the efficiency of the process and expand the possible applications both from a technical and commercial point of view.