Today, virtually every product made would not exist as we know it without the grinding process. Many of the parts used in cars must be ground. Airplane turbine blades must be ground to fine tolerances. Grinding is the only way the tiny silicon wafers used in computers and cell phones can be made. Even the lawnmowers and axes we use in our yards are ground. The world without grinding would be a different world, indeed.

Machines used to grind in manufacturing are called grinders, or grinding machines. Both terms refer to the same device. A grinding machine uses an abrasive product — usually a rotating wheel — to shape and finish a workpiece by removing metal and generating a surface within a given tolerance. A grinding wheel is made with abrasive grains bonded together. Each grain acts as a cutting tool, removing tiny chips from the workpiece.

Grinding has many functions in the world of manufacturing. In fact, grinding is so important to manufacturing that modern manufacturing would not be possible without grinding. There are many functions that grinding performs, including sharpening tools, finish surfaces, producing close tolerances, and machining difficult material.