Scientists at IIT Madras develop technology to produce new-generation super-abrasive tools

n indigenous technology developed at IIT Madras can now produce new-generation super-abrasive tools for advanced grinding applications to meet high productivity and energy-efficient material removal requirements, said the Ministry of Science and Technology in a press release on Thursday.

“A research team led by Amitava Ghosh at IIT Madras used advanced chemical bonding technology with an application-specific novel formulation of filler material and controlled spacing of grits on the tools by an indigenously developed semi-automatic grit-printing device,” the ministry added.

The team has recommended application-specific-advanced coatings to develop new-generation super abrasive tools. The novel formulation offers an excellent blend of strength, wear resistance, and wetting characteristics (ability to spread well in a liquid state with low contact angle on solid super abrasives during brazing).

The grit-planting (planting/placing of grits in pre-defined co-ordinate position on grinding wheel’s working surface) setup allows a manufacturer to print grit in customized pattern to suit the requirement of an application. The recommended coating enhances the durability of the bond, thus adding life to the developed tools.

“These super abrasive tools can be produced using active brazing technology with remarkably striking attributes of high crystal exposure above bond level. The joint strength and wear-resistant characteristics of bond of these tools are superior to those of their commercial counterparts. These tools can withstand more grinding force, offer significantly higher tool life, and execute load-free grinding of advanced materials with an extremely high material removal rate,” the ministry said.

The tool is supported by the Core Research Grant (CRG) of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). It offers a competitive cost with a superior quality tool, which is also tailor-made as per the needs of industries like aerospace, automobile, mining, and dental surgery.

“The technology can produce new-generation tools with versatile geometries. The prototypes of various tools have been developed in the laboratory and are being experimentally test-simulated under industrial conditions. This innovative route of showcasing the novel pathway of manufacturing super abrasive tools has been published in ‘Journal of Manufacturing Process’, and patents filed are under review for approval,” the ministry added.

This technology fits the requirements of Make-in-India National Mission and is under lab validation. It is near-ready to be taken up by a start-up or any industry for a full-scale launch.

The application-specific indigenous formulation of active fillers for joining super abrasives to metal substrates through state-of-the-art active-brazing technology is a critical novelty that may be exploited for large-scale manufacturing industries.