Editing Grinding machine (section)

{{Short description|Machine tool used for grinding}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}
[[Image:Rotating grinder.gif|frame|right|Rotating abrasive wheel on a bench grinder.]]
[[File:1902 - Grinding machine.jpg|thumb|upright|Pedal-powered grinding machine, Russia, 1902.]]
A '''grinding machine,''' often shortened to '''grinder,''' is any of various [[power tool]]s or [[machine tool]]s<!--not the same thing; the knowledgeable people who use them know the difference--> used for [[grinding (abrasive cutting)|grinding]]. It is a type of material removal using an [[grinding wheel|abrasive wheel]] as the [[Cutting tool (metalworking)|cutting tool]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grinding machine {{!}} Grinding Wheels, Abrasives, Precision {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/grinding-machine |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Each grain of abrasive on the wheel's surface cuts a small [[swarf|chip]] from the workpiece via shear deformation.

Grinding as a type of [[machining]] is used to finish workpieces that must show high surface quality (e.g., low [[surface roughness]]) and high [[accuracy]] of shape and dimension. As the accuracy in dimensions in grinding is of the order of 0.000025&nbsp; mm, in most applications, it tends to be a finishing operation and removes comparatively little metal, about 0.25 to 0.50&nbsp; mm depth. However, there are some roughing applications in which grinding removes high volumes of metal quite rapidly. Thus, grinding is a diverse field.