Diamond grinding of tools for machining printing plates

In the manufacture of small monolithic carbide tools for machining printing plates, the most time consuming operations are centerless diamond, cylindrical plunge, and deep profile grinding. Analysis of the available information shows that traditional technological processes using standard diamond wheels with V2-01 and M2-01 bonds, conventional coolants, and series produced universal equipment cannot satisfy the increasingly stringent requirements. It is impossible to attain the best possible results simply by improving the diamond wheels, coolants, or attachments. The authors therefore undertook the task, using a comprehensive approach, of determining the optimum combination of elements of the machine-tool-workpiece-fixture system, the grinding conditions, and the coolant compositions, for all the above types of grinding.