Surface grinding is the most common of the grinding operations. It is a finishing process that uses a rotating abrasive wheel to smooth the flat surface of metallic or non-metallic materials to give them a more refined look or to attain a desired surface for a functional purpose.
The surface grinder is composed of an abrasive wheel, a work holding device known as a chuck, and a reciprocating or rotary table. The chuck holds the material in place while it is being worked on. It can do this one of two ways: ferromagnetic pieces are held in place by a magnetic chuck, while non-ferromagnetic and non-metallic pieces are held in place by vacuum or mechanical means. A machine vice placed on the magnetic chuck can be used to hold non-ferromagnetic work pieces if only a magnetic chuck is available.
Typical work piece materials include cast iron,mild steel and tool steel. These are materials which don’t tend to clog the grinding wheel while being processed. Other materials are aluminium, stainless steel, brass and some plastics.