Surface grinders are the most basic and common type of grinding machines whose main aim is to provide a smooth finish by removing excessively small metal pieces. They can be compared to the cutting tool in a Milling machine, only the Surface grinder has a grinding wheel that performs the abrasive actions on the required piece.

The workpiece is held firmly in place, usually by a chuck, while the surface to be smoothed is pressed against the rapid rotations of the grinding wheel to smooth out the rough surface. The surface finish is made smoother still by either holding the workpiece for a long while against the grinding wheel or utilizing a wheel with a greater grit count to remove the minute metal pieces.

Brief Working of the Surface Grinder Tables

Surface grinding is essentially a final process executed after all the carving and machining. The object or workpiece is set a little deeper in the grinding table, secured and moved back and forth by the chuck. Intervals of grinding can be set with each pass as required.

The grinding process gradually shaves away a minute and stray excess metal providing a smooth finish and bringing the tolerance of the workpiece to a certain level.

Types of Surface Grinders

When it comes to the basic design of a new or a used surface grinder, all of them have a doughnut-like design. Even though manufactured by numerous companies out there, Surface grinders have either a Vertical or Horizontal spindle designed structure.

  • Vertical spindles utilize the entire width of the grinding wheel and are generally used when there is a need to ground large amounts of the material swiftly.
  • Horizontal spindles utilize a really small grinding surface to make precision orders possible and are used to make accurate angling and profiling.

Accordingly, based on the type of spindle, there are 2 types of surface grinders that work on flat surfaces only.

  • Rotary-type vertical or horizontal grinders, with circular-shaped revolving worktables.
  • Planer vertical or horizontal grinders, where the grinding wheel stays in place and the worktable is moved around it accordingly.

Abrasive Materials used in a Surface Grinder

Depending on the ductility of the workpiece, there are 2 types of abrasives used.

  • For materials with high ductility, Aluminium oxide is the abrasive used.
  • For materials with low ductility, Silicon oxide is used.

In any case, the abrasive grains of the grinding wheel is coated with diamonds for smooth finishes.

Investing in a Surface Grinder

Being essential equipment in the Manufacturing industry, surface grinders have undergone necessary upgrades for ease of use. From becoming portable to advancing to CNC interface machines, even used surface grinders are a hype now.

Generally, a used surface grinder for sale may not bring in much attention, but when furnished by reputed companies, these used surface grinders become a valuable asset to own. Finding one has never been easier than simply searching for a used surface grinder near me. With the plethora of well-established companies offering their services, finding your required Surface Grinder is a breeze.