Comparison of honing and grinding, Part 2

What's the difference between honing and grinding?

If we look at where each process is performed on the part, the difference between honing and grinding begins to emerge: while honing is used for parts that require precise ids, the grinding is done on an externally flat surface.

The difference between honing and grinding is obvious when we look at what each process is. This is because although honing and grinding are both wear processes, they are done in very different ways.

Honing process

Used to remove material from an inner circular surface to improve part geometry or produce a finer surface finish, honing is performed at a much slower rate than is typically used in precision grinding.

Unlike internal grinding of metal, which is used to remove one-thousandth of an inch, honing removes metal at one-thousandth of an inch. This means honing is used for polishing or to achieve very precise surface finish and ID shape.

The cutting action is achieved by rotating a sharpener or stone bonded to very fine abrasive gravel and mounted on a metal mandrel. Instead of clamping into place, the workpiece is fixed to allow floating and prevent deformation, resulting in an oval rather than a round hole.

Grinding rotates on the surface of the part in a controlled path. In some cases, the mechanic may move the workpiece back and forth on the rotating whetstone to ensure that the part is floating and not pressed against the whetstone -- again, to avoid elliptical holes.

With a horizontal honing machine, the workpiece can be held in a self-aligning fixture while the machine controls the speed and length of the stroke. The grinding gong expands hydraulically or mechanically until the desired aperture is reached.

In addition, cutting fluids must be used. The purpose is threefold: cleaning small chips from the work area, cooling the workpiece and sharpening, and lubricating the cutting action.

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