Laser Touch Dressing of Electroplated CBN Grinding Tools

In this paper, an alternative process for dressing electroplated cBN grinding wheels using an ultrashort pulsed laser is presented. Other than abrasive grains dressed conventionally, laser touch dressed cBN grains exhibit cutting edges that have partially defined geometric elements with a positive clearance angle. Grinding experiments, including long-term tests, are performed on hardened steel, for a comparative study on the performances of laser dressed and conventionally dressed tools. While the processing forces are slightly higher for the laser touch dressed tools, the roughness of the ground surface is improved.