A BONDED ABRASIVE IS MADE OF GRAINS FIXED IN A MATRIX.

Manufacture of vitrified
grinding wheels.
A bonded abrasive is made of grains of aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide or silicon carbide fixed in a matrix made of

- either a clay-based binder in the case of vitrified grinding wheels,
- or a polymerized resin-based binder in the case of organic grinding wheels.

Initially, the raw materials are mixed to form a consistent mixture, which is then poured into a mold and pressed (and dried in the case of vitrified products to eliminate part of the volatile matter).

The grinding wheels are then fired at a high temperature for the vitrified products (1200°C or 2192°F), or at low temperature for organic products (180°C or 356°F).

This is followed by the various finishing and forming stages for the grinding wheel. The final inspection operation checks compliance of our products with the most stringent safety standards.

To meet specific customer requirements, it is possible to vary the types of abrasives and bonding agent as well as the relative proportion of each of the constituents. The degree of porosity in particular plays an essential role in applications.

Altogether, there are more than 250,000 types of grinding wheels, with diameters ranging from just a few millimeters up to nearly 2 meters (6'5").

Vitrified wheels are used for grinding:

- precision grinding,
- sharpening,
- and lapping

in the automotive, aerospace and machine tool sectors in particular.

Organic wheels are used for operations ranging from milling material on deburring stations all the way to obtaining very precise dimensions for rolling mill cylinders and machining hypodermic needles!