— On its surface, grinding seems simple: a machine takes a rotating tool (usually a wheel) with abrasive grains and applies it to a workpiece's surface to remove material. Each grain is its own miniature cutting tool, and as grains dull, they tear from the tool and make new, sharp grains prominent.

Explore the many modern grinders available on the market today for a more versatile and efficient addition to your CNC machine shop.

 — Does Your Grinder Have The Shakes? Poor results from cylindrical grinding may be traceable to harmful dynamic forces coupled to the wheel/workpiece interface. A new system of sensors/actuators is helping detect the causes—and leading to a cure.

 — Different types of grinding use different methodologies to determine the work material removal per unit of width, but one consistently useful metric for shops is the grinding gratio, or g-ratio. This is the ratio of volume of work removed to volume of wheel consumed (or, volume of work removed ÷ volume of wheel worn).

 — Using dressing throughout the grinding process is important to consistently produce parts with the required size and surface finish. Instead of replacing the entire grinding wheel, a process called "dressing" is used to restore the wheel.

 — Grinding hand tools. A die grinder is a high-speed rotary tool that is typically powered by compressed air. The tool has a small-diameter abrasive bit that rotates to get the job done. Check out Choosing the Right Air Die Grinder for more information and some recommended models.

 — The best grind size for espresso depends on the type of espresso machine you use. Generally speaking, a fine grind is best for espresso machines that apply high pressure and temperature to the beans. A slightly coarser grind will work better for low-pressure and low-temperature machines.

 — A surface grinder or a surface grinding machine is one of the most important machines in any precision machine shop. While it is not a versatile machine like a lathe or a milling machine, it is a piece of essential equipment for fine metalworking.

 — Machines. Grinding. Roger Cloutier, Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives. Photo Credit: Getty Images. One potential source of serious injury in grinding comes from an oversight that is easy to make: operating the wheel in an over-speed condition.

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