Wexmar provides surface grinding services for plates, blocks, spacers, wear parts, and machined components that need tight flatness, parallelism, thickness, or surface finish. Our in-house surface grinder works alongside six Mazak horizontal machining centers and our tool room, so milled parts can be finished to size without being sent out. For buyers searching for a surface grinding machine shop or surface grinding near me in Central New York, our Canastota shop near Syracuse handles milled-and-ground parts from start to finish.
What surface grinding is
Surface grinding uses a rotating abrasive wheel to remove small amounts of material from a flat surface. The part is usually held on a magnetic chuck and moved back and forth under the wheel, with the wheel stepping down a few ten-thousandths of an inch at a time. Because the cut is light and the machine is built for precision, surface grinding produces flatter, more parallel, and smoother surfaces than milling. It also works on hardened materials that are difficult to mill accurately.
When a buyer needs surface grinding
- Plates, spacers, and shims with tight thickness and parallelism callouts
- Mounting faces and locating surfaces on fixtures and tooling
- Hardened wear plates, punches, and die components finished after heat treat
- Parts where milled flatness is not tight enough for a sealing or mating surface
- Gage blocks, set-up blocks, and tool room components
Wexmar equipment for surface grinding
Parts are typically milled on our Mazak FH4800, PFH4800, Nexus 4000-II, or Nexus 5000-II horizontal machining centers with grind stock left on critical faces, then finished on our in-house surface grinder. Our tool room supports fixtures and the tool work that precision grinding often needs. Parts that require hardening are heat treated through qualified outside processors managed by Wexmar and returned for finish grinding. Our surface grinder is suited to plates and blocks within its table capacity; send part dimensions and we will confirm fit. See the machine list and our CNC milling page.
Typical tolerances and finishes
| Feature | Typical milled | Typical surface ground |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | ±0.001 to ±0.005 in | ±0.0002 to ±0.0005 in |
| Flatness | 0.001 to 0.002 in | 0.0002 to 0.0005 in, size dependent |
| Parallelism | 0.001 to 0.002 in | 0.0002 to 0.0005 in |
| Squareness (ground faces) | 0.001 in | 0.0003 to 0.0005 in |
| Surface finish | 32 to 63 Ra | 8 to 16 Ra |
Values are typical. Thin parts can warp when stress is relieved during grinding, and large parts need more careful setup, so we review flatness callouts against part size and thickness before quoting.
Controlling distortion in thin parts
Thin plates tend to bow as material is removed from one side, especially after heat treatment. We grind alternating sides, use light final passes, and choose holding methods that do not pull the part flat on the chuck only to have it spring back when released. When a part is prone to movement, we may recommend a stress relief step through an outside processor between roughing and finishing.
Materials
Surface grinding at Wexmar covers carbon and alloy steels, hardened tool and alloy steels, 400-series and PH stainless, which hold well on a magnetic chuck, and 300-series stainless, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, and titanium, which need mechanical or vacuum-style fixturing because they are not magnetic. Nickel alloys can be ground with appropriate wheel choice. See our materials page.
Quantity fit
When milling is enough
Not every flat part needs grinding. Our horizontal machining centers routinely hold flatness around 0.001 to 0.002 inch on moderate-size faces with finishes near 32 to 63 Ra. Grinding adds an operation and cost, so we recommend precision flat grinding only when the print calls for tighter flatness, parallelism, thickness, or finish, or when the part is hardened. We will point out on the quote if a ground callout could be met by milling alone.
Surface grinding fits single tool room parts, prototype plates, and production batches of spacers or wear components. For production, several parts can be ground in one setup on the chuck, which keeps cost per part reasonable.
Inspection deliverables
Ground parts are measured with calibrated micrometers, height gages, and indicators on a granite surface plate, and flatness, parallelism, and squareness are verified on our Brown & Sharpe CMMs when the print requires. We provide CMM reports, AS9102-format first articles, material certifications, heat-treat certifications, and heat-lot traceability under an ISO 9001:2015-aligned quality system.
Getting a quote
Show thickness, flatness, parallelism, finish, and hardness on your drawing. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and a human estimator confirms every quote before release. Call (315) 400-2654 or email ron@backwell.com, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.