ELECTRODE CHIP GRINDING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode chip grinding method capable of efficiently grinding an electrode chip without any waste. SOLUTION: In the grinding method, a used electrode chip 1 is ground in a usable manner successively via a setting step, a grinding step, and a collecting step. In the setting step, a fore end face 3 of the electrode chip 1 held by a holding member 10 is abutted on a stopping member 12 so that the electrode chip 1 is arranged at the grinding position SP, and the chip 1 is held to a rotation holding bar 14 by using a set hole 7. In the grinding step, the chip 1 is ground by placing a cutter 18 on the electrode chip 1 rotated by the rotation holding bar 14. The grinding method further comprises a length measuring step of measuring the length of the electrode chip 1 before the grinding step, and an eliminating step of eliminating the chip 1 by operating a pusher 16 without shifting the chip to the grinding step when it is determined that the length of the chip 1 is too short to be for re-use. In the length measuring step, the movement distance of the holding bar 14 when the bar is fitted to the hole 7 in the setting step is measured. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT