The differences between diamond and CBN grinding wheels are as follows:
Material & Hardness:
- Diamond wheels are the hardest available, making them ideal for grinding non-ferrous materials like glass, ceramics, and certain hardened steels .
- CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) wheels are slightly less hard but excel at grinding ferrous materials (e.g., tool steels, carbides) without reacting chemically, unlike diamond, which can degrade under high heat from ferrous alloys .
Cost:
- CBN wheels generally have higher production costs compared to diamond wheels . However, diamond wheels may still be preferred for specific applications if the workpiece material allows .
Heat Resistance & Usage:
- Both are fragile compared to conventional wheels and require careful handling . CBN is optimized for high-speed dry grinding, while diamond wheels may struggle with heat sensitivity in ferrous materials .
Applications:
- Diamond wheels are used for brittle, non-metallic materials (e.g., ceramics, glass) .
- CBN wheels are better for grinding carbide, hardened steels, and other ferrous alloys .
Wheel Properties:
- Superabrasive wheels (both types) use a hardness designation (letter after grit size), but they do not cover the full hardness range of conventional wheels .
In summary, choose diamond for non-ferrous/hard non-metallic materials and CBN for ferrous/carbide applications, balancing cost and performance .
