Abrasive waterjet turning-An efficient method to profile and dress grinding wheels

Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) turning is a technology that still tries to find its niche field of application where it can be economically viable. The paper reports on a particular application of AWJ turning that proved its technological and economical capability, i.e. profiling and dressing of grinding wheels. Starting from the theoretical considerations, the key operating parameters of AWJ turning are identified and included in a methodology to generate various profiles of grinding wheels by means of tangential movement of the jet plume. Roughing in single pass to concave/convex geometries (experimented depth of cuts <30 mm), generation of thin walls/slots (thickness <2 mm, depth >30 mm) and intricate profiles (e.g. succession of tight radii) on a variety of grinding wheels show the capability of AWJ turning to fulfil the requirements of this niche application. With or without employing abrasive grits, a summary of the parameters of AWJ turning is presented along with an assessment of geometrical accuracy of profiled grinding wheels; additionally, evaluations of operational times to support the efficiency of the methods are presented. Finally, the paper discusses the limitations of the method and other possible applications of the AWJ in profiling of grinding wheels to help the definition of the "new applicative portfolio" of this technology.