Grinding: In grinding a bonded grinding wheel, usually disk shaped and which operates at very high surface speeds, contains the abrasive particles. Cutting may occur on the periphery or the face of the grinding wheel.

Honing: Honing is used to enlarge and finish holes in a workpiece through the use of a set of bonded abrasive sticks, the number of which depends on the size of the hole. Honing produces a crosshatched surface that tends to retain lubrication during operation of the component because the motion of the honing tool is a combination of rotating and linear reciprocation.

Lapping: Lapping can produce surface finishes with close accuracy and smoothness. Lapping uses a fluid with small abrasive particles, known as a lapping compound, between the workpiece and the lapping tool, which is called the lap. The lap has the reverse image of the desired shape for the workpiece and is pressed against the part and moved back and forth over its surface.

Back to Metal Manufacturing Processes Page