AccScience Publishing / MSAM / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/MSAM026250057
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

A novel binder jetting-based process for metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels and its microstructure formation

Dijia Zhang1,2 ,  Hang Chen1,2 ,  Zhengkai Xu1,2*
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1 Research Center for High Performance Ceramics and Precision Manufacturing, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
2 School of Mechanical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
MSAM, 026250057 https://doi.org/10.36922/MSAM026250057
Received: 19 June 2026 | Revised: 28 July 2026 | Accepted: 29 July 2026 | Published online: 19 August 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Conventional metal-bonded diamond abrasive tools with a uniform matrix cannot simultaneously achieve mechanical strength, heat dissipation, and chip clearance. Voids improve heat dissipation and chip clearance, but they compromise structural strength. This study presents a binder jetting‑based approach for fabricating tools with a built‑in strengthening skeleton. The proposed tool integrates a binder jetting-printed 316L skeleton, diamond grains, 316L filler, and infiltrated bronze into a single composite. Binder jetting offers exceptional design freedom and precise thermal control, making it well-suited for temperature-sensitive materials. The skeleton defines the abrasive zone and overall geometry, provides structural strength, and creates channels for heat dissipation and chip removal. After packing the abrasive zone with the diamond-filler mixture, the assembly undergoes bronze infiltration at moderate temperatures to consolidate the structure. In this study, dense and structured abrasive tools with 100% abrasive concentration and uniform diamond distribution in the metal matrix were produced. Interfacial reactions between diamond and the 316L filler led to minor surface degradation, thereby enhancing mechanical interlocking at the diamond-matrix interface. The three-point bending strength of dense specimens increased with bronze content, reaching 350–400 MPa. Grinding tests using SS304 as the workpiece confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed fabrication route.

Keywords
Metal bond diamond tool
Strengthening skeleton
Voids
Binder jetting
Infiltration
Funding
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52305425) and the Hebei Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security Funding (C20230329 and HY2024050015).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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