ITS Rotary (Spindle) Table
+ Sodick Flat Linear Wire-Cut EDM
EDM Grinding Wheel Dressing
Wire EDM + Spindle Table
Grinding wheel dressing using wire-cut EDM has a long—though often overlooked—history, even among industry professionals.
As early as the 1980s, some advanced users of JAPAX wire EDM machines developed their own rotating attachments to enable dressing and sharpening of diamond and CBN (cubic boron nitride) grinding wheels.
While these early solutions were largely artisan and improvised, they proved the feasibility and value of the method.
Wheels Longevity
Faster Process
Cost Saving
Today, a far more reliable and high-precision solution is available with the combination of an ITS rotary spindle table and a Sodick Wire EDM with flat Linear Motors. This setup enables precise and repeatable EDM dressing of conductive-bond wheels.
Importantly, all Sodick Wire-Cut EDM machines—whether from the ALC, VN, or even AP series—are fully capable of supporting this technology.
EDM dressing is applicable to CBN and diamond grinding wheels with electrically conductive bonding materials. This process enables high-precision profile shaping and the formation of very small corner radii.
Wire EDM technology can be used to dress grinding wheels that incorporate metal or hybrid (metal + resin) bonds, such as Resimet wheels. In EDM dressing, only the bond material is eroded, while the diamond grains—being dielectric—are not affected or deformed, ensuring their full cutting potential is preserved.
EDM Dressing with Flat Linear Motor EDM
Compared to conventional Wire EDMs with ball-screw or fancy shaft-cylinder (tubular shaft) drives, machines equipped with flat linear motors offer superior accuracy, longer service life, and higher dynamic stability. For this reason EDM dressing using flat linear motor drives is beneficial.
Depending on the table size and Z-axis stroke of the EDM machine, it is possible to dress grinding wheels with diameters up to Ø400 mm.
EDM dressing is conducted in a dielectric medium—either deionized water or oil—which makes the process clean, dust-free, and environmentally friendly. No dust extraction system is required, unlike with mechanical dressing.
In contrast to conventional methods, Wire EDM dressing creates a more open, porous grinding surface with greater grit protrusion, allowing the wheel to cut more freely and aggressively, improving both cutting efficiency and coolant access.
This results in lower spindle loads for the same material removal rate and extended wheel life, as the diamond grits remain securely bonded and intact throughout the dressing process.
Grinding wheels dressed via EDM maintain their form longer and support higher feed rates, significantly boosting tool production in CNC tool and cutter grinders. The enhanced profile accuracy minimizes the need for compensation or rework, reducing cycle times and improving consistency.
EDM enables easy dressing of inner (concave) profiles, without applying mechanical stress to the grinding wheel. There are no “shadow” effects, and the direction of rotation is irrelevant.
Altogether, EDM dressing of metal bond wheels offers:
Higher productivity
Longer tool life
Improved surface quality
Faster return on investment
🏭 Relevant Machine Brands of
Profile Grinding Machines:
🇯🇵 Amada
🇦🇺 ANCA
🇩🇪 EWAG
🇺🇸 Kellenberger
🇸🇪 Lidköping / UVA
🇯🇵 Mitsui Seiki
🇯🇵 Nachi-Fujikoshi
🇯🇵 Okamoto
🇨🇭 Rollomatic
🇩🇪 Saacke
🇩🇪 Schneeberger
Relevant terms:
“MB wheels” refers to Metal Bond wheels — a type of grinding wheel where abrasive grains (typically diamond or CBN = cubic boron nitride) are held together by a metallic bonding matrix.
A Metal Bond (MB) grinding wheel is composed of:
Superabrasives: Diamond or CBN (for high-hardness materials)
Metallic bond matrix: Usually a mix of copper, tin, cobalt, iron, or other metals
The metal bond holds the abrasive grains in place and gradually wears down to expose fresh cutting edges.