Outside Diameter (OD) Grinding
Outside Diameter (OD) Grinding is the opposite of ID Grinding. Material is generally “held” between centers and is rotated as the grinding wheel travels up and down the part. Outside Diameter grinding allows for any cylindrical work piece to be ground to a precise dimension and finish.
Outside diameter (OD) grinding in Illinois is one of the most frequently used grinding techniques such as with in the automotive industry in Chicago, where outside diameter is used in the grinding of camshafts and crankshafts. During the course of industrial development, and in response to the requirements that have emerged as a result, outside diameter grinding has been divided into different variants of the technique depending on the way in which the workpiece is mounted and according to the principle feed direction.
The main methods of outside diameter grinding are: Peripheral-transverse outside diameter (OD) grinding between centers (also known as plunge grinding), centerless peripheral-transverse outside diameter (OD) grinding, peripheral-longitudinal outside diameter (OD) grinding between centers (also known as throughfeed grinding), and centerless peripheral-longitudinal outside diameter (OD) grinding.
The workpiece is clamped firmly between two centers in centering fixtures on its end faces, and in this position the workpiece is driven by the OD grinder machine. Depending on the principle feed direction of the wheel – right-angled plunge feed or parallel movement along the workpiece – this is referred to as transverse or longitudinal grinding. Both techniques generally operate with an up-cutting motion, as better surfaces are produced thanks to the flatter grain action tracks and this helps to improve the supply of grinding fluid to the contact zone.
