Superabrasive Bonding Systems

There are a number of superabrasive bonding systems on the market today, each one tailored to suit a range of different applications and grinding process requirements. Below is a short summary describing the five most common bond types.  Also, please follow the link below to view a comparison chart with additional details, photos, typical uses, and pros/cons of each system.

Superabrasive Bond System Comparison Chart

VITRIFIED BOND: Meister's specialty, this technology is one of the most recently developed and advanced bonding systems available for superabrasive grinding wheels. The bondings are comprised of a sintered ceramic material and have a uniquely porous structure, making them ideal for coolant and chip carrying capacity, maximum stock removal rates, and low grinding forces. Unlike any other bond system, vitrified bonds are “self-dressing”, which means they can be trued and sharpened in one operation with a rotary dressing tool, eliminating the need for subsequent stick dressing.  This unique attribute makes vit-bonded wheels ideally suited for CNC and "hands-off" grinding applications. Vitrified bonded wheels can also be custom engineered to suit the application; abrasive type/size, hardness, porosity, concentration, and grit retention properties can all be adjusted and fine-tuned.

HYBRID BOND (Ceramet): Pioneered by Meister, this new product combines the free-cutting structure of vitrified bond with the durability of metal bond. This next-generation technology is ideally suited to grinding super-hard materials such as carbides and ceramics.  Hybrid bonds have also proven themselves extremely useful in rotary dressing tools.

ELECTROPLATED BOND: This bonding process deposits a single layer of CBN or Diamond onto a steel body.  Plated wheels are economic for short runs and ideal for complex forms such as gears and some aerospace components. The grinding action of a plated wheel is very open and aggressive, making fast stock removal one of its advantages; however the single layer of abrasive limits its longevity.

RESIN BOND: Resin bonds are most popular in tool-room grinding wheels. They comprise of a relatively dense yet forgiving epoxy-based matrix, impregnated with CBN or Diamond.  Resin bonded wheels are relatively low cost but are limited in capability and customization.  They are not self dressing, and like metal bonds require frequent conditioning.