Metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels are superhard grinding tools that utilize a metal bond and diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasives; they are primarily used for the precision machining of hard, brittle materials—such as cemented carbide, ceramics, and glass—across sectors including aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and electronics.
Recent technological advancements include the adoption of porous structures to enhance truing capabilities and chip clearance, the incorporation of nanomaterials, and the development of intelligent production lines and eco-friendly grinding wheels.Core manufacturing processes include sintering, electroplating, and brazing. Sintered wheels offer high bond strength but are difficult to true; electroplated wheels feature a single-layer structure suitable for high-speed grinding—supporting speeds of 250–300 m/s—and provide excellent profile retention and machining precision; brazed wheels ensure firm abrasive bonding and ample chip clearance, making them ideal for ultra-high-speed machining. Incorporating a specific proportion of ceramic bond material into the metal bond can improve grinding performance, with the ceramic bond volume fraction typically ranging from 8% to 20% [9]. Manufacturing employs a two-step cold-pressing and hot-pressing process combined with modular mold design; the cold-pressing unit integrates leveling, cooling, and automatic demolding components to optimize the forming process [6]. Some wheels utilize a saucer-shaped (depressed-center) design that integrates heat dissipation holes, chip evacuation grooves, and an integral molding process to enhance bond strength and cooling efficiency [2]. Advanced techniques such as electric-current-assisted sintering and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) are also employed [4]. To address truing challenges, electrolytic, electrical discharge machining (EDM), and hybrid truing methods are used to improve shaping precision [7]. Specifically, EDM processes enhance precision and efficiency by optimizing pulse power supplies, utilizing polarity-switching software, and employing on-line electrode wheel turning compensation [10]; when combined with multi-stage parameter control, these methods enable precision machining with nanometer-level surface roughness .