Grinding Assisted by Nd:YAG Lasers

High-performance lasers can be actively used to assist grinding and conditioning (truing, dressing and cleaning) processes, and for an integrated heat treatment. The advantages of laser-assisted conditioning are the force-free working principle and no necessity of expensive conditioning tools. In laser-assisted grinding, the workpiece area is heated directly before the grinding wheel is engaging, thus reducing the temperature gradient as well as surface layer damage. Moreover, the method permits high stock removal rates. This paper deals with the fundamentals of this method and presents a number of results from laser-assisted conditioning of resin-bonded CBN grinding wheels as well as from laser-assisted machining of metal and ceramic components.