The Case FOR Synthetic Diamonds In Wheel Dressing Tools

摘要

Synthetic-diamond dressing tools are often a superior alternative to natural-diamond dressing tools for conditioning a grinding wheel. The reason is the consistency that the synthetic-diamond tools bring to the process. That is a key point in the case for synthetic diamond dressing tools made by William D. James, a product engineer in the stationary tool group at Saint-Gobain Abrasives (Worcester, Massachusetts). According to Mr. James, synthetic tool stones start out as more consistent products because the manufacturing process that creates them is tightly controlled and predictable. Synthetic stones are available in a variety of close-tolerance sizes, are longer than most elongated natural stones and have a uniform rectangular shape through their entire length. As he explains, all dressing tool diamonds (natural or synthetic) develop wear flats over time. With natural diamonds, problems begin as wear flats increase in size and eventually become too big to sharpen the wheel. Instead of opening the wheel's grain structure, the dressing tool closes it, leaving the wheel dull. Synthetic diamonds are consistently shaped so that their wear flats never get large enough for this to happen.