Electrolytic In-Process Dressing (ELID) and Super-Precision Grinding for the Ring Raceway of Ball Bearings

Electrolytic In-process Dressing (ELID) grinding technique is a newly developed technique based on electro-chemical machining and electrolytic grinding. The technology provides in-process dressing to super-abrasive wheels during grinding process to achieve a mirror surface in high efficiency and low cost especially on hard and brittle materials such as ceramics and hard alloys. ELID promotes the applications of hard and brittle materials in the new and high-tech fields. This paper describes the essential elements of ELID grinding system, the principle of ELID grinding and its applications. The feasibility of applying ELID to ultra-precision grinding for the ring raceway of ball bearings is discussed. (Workpiece materials: Wc-Co, alumina-titanium carbide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide.)