A method includes: providing a mold having a plurality of mold cavities, wherein each mold cavity is bounded by a plurality of faces joined along common edges; filling at least some of the mold cavities with a sol-gel composition that includes a release agent dispersed therein; at least partially drying the sol-gel composition thereby forming shaped ceramic precursor particles; calcining at least a portion of the shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles; and sintering at least a portion of the calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide ceramic shaped abrasive particles. A sol-gel composition, shaped ceramic precursor particles, and ceramic shaped abrasive particles associated with practice of the method are also disclosed.

An integrated system for automatic forming, picking, and inspection of a grinding wheel mesh piece and a method thereof, including a visual inspection system (1), a conveying system (2), a cutting system (3), and a picking system (4); the conveying system (2) is used to precisely control a conveying action of a cutting section conveying platform (51) and a picking section conveying platform (52), and the visual inspection system (1) is used to acquire an image of a grinding wheel mesh cloth, establish virtual origin coordinates of a cutting layout and center coordinates of the grinding wheel mesh piece after cutting, recognize defects of the grinding wheel mesh cloth, and calibrate qualified center coordinates and unqualified center coordinates; the cutting system (3) is used to cut the grinding wheel mesh cloth moved to the cutting section conveying platform (51) to obtain a circular grinding wheel mesh piece.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to overmolded protective leaching masks, and methods of manufacturing and using the same for leaching superabrasive elements such as polycrystalline diamond elements. In an embodiment, a protective leaching mask assembly includes a superabrasive element including a central axis and a superabrasive table, and a protective mask overmolded onto at least a portion of the superabrasive element. The protective mask includes a base portion and at least one sidewall extending from the base portion and defining an opening generally opposite the base portion. The at least one sidewall includes an inner surface configured to abut with a selected portion of the superabrasive element being chemically resistant to a leaching agent and an outer surface sloping at an oblique angle relative to the central axis.

A method for fabricating a polishing pad including a plurality of polishing structures includes providing a mold having a top surface and a bottom surface, the mold including a plurality of recesses that correspond to polishing structures formed on the top surface thereof; dispensing a polymer mix on the mold and allowing the polymer mix to fill the plurality of recesses to be formed as the polishing structures; laminating a base film on the top surface of the mold; curing the polymer mix to allow the polymer mix to adhere to the base film and to form the polishing structures on the base film; and demolding the base film and the polishing structures from the mold to obtain a polishing pad sheet. Subsequently, the polishing pad sheet is cut into a plurality of polishing pads.

A mirror finishing method for forming a mirror surface on a workpiece with a mirror finishing tool including a conically shaped cutting tool made of polycrystalline diamond or cubic boron nitride that is attached to a distal end of a shank, performs mirror polishing by abutting a conical surface of the cutting tool against a machined surface of the workpiece with the shank tilted with respect to the machined surface of the workpiece.

The invention refers to a backing pad (2) for a hand-guided polishing or sanding power tool, comprising a support layer (4) made of a rigid material, the support layer (4) comprising a connection element (6) on its top surface (8) for connection of the backing pad (2) to a driving shaft (18) or an eccentric element of the polishing or sanding power tool, a damping layer (10) made of a resilient material, the damping layer (10) being fixedly attached to a bottom surface (12) of the support layer (4), and an adhesive layer (14) for releasable attachment of a polishing or sanding member to the backing pad (2), the adhesive layer (14) being fixedly attached to a bottom surface (16) of the damping layer (10)

It is suggested that the bottom surface (12) of the support layer (4) is provided with reinforcement elements (24, 26, 28; 46; 50, 52) for enhancing flexural rigidity of the support layer (4), and the bottom surface (12) of the support layer (4) is further provided with recesses (30) formed between and at least partially limited by the reinforcement elements (24, 26, 28; 46; 50, 52), wherein during manufacture of the backing pad (2) the resilient material of the damping layer (10) enters into the recesses (30) and after curing of the resilient material entirely fills the recesses (30).

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to protective leaching masks, and methods of manufacturing and using the same for leaching superabrasive elements such as polycrystalline diamond elements. In an embodiment, a protective leaching mask assembly includes a superabrasive element including a central axis and a superabrasive table, and a protective mask formed to protect at least a portion of the superabrasive element. The protective mask includes a base portion and at least one sidewall extending from the base portion and defining an opening generally opposite the base portion. The at least one sidewall includes an inner surface configured to abut with a selected portion of the superabrasive element being chemically resistant to a leaching agent and an outer surface sloping at an oblique angle relative to the central axis.

A method of fabricating an object using an additive manufacturing system includes receiving data indicative of a desired shape of the object to be fabricated by droplet ejection. The desired shape defines a profile including a top surface and one or more recesses. Data indicative of a pattern of dispensing feed material is generated to at least partially compensate for distortions of the profile caused by the additive manufacturing system, and a plurality of layers of the feed material are dispensed by droplet ejection in accordance to the pattern.

A system for forming an abrasive article is presented. The system includes a workspace and an abrasive material dispenser that deposits a layer of abrasive material onto the workspace. The system also includes a leveler that levels a surface of abrasive material on the workspace. The system also includes a binder jet printer that dispenses a liquid binder onto the layer of abrasive material. The workspace is on a moving surface that moves the workspace between a dispensing position under the dispenser, a leveling position under the leveler, and a printing position, under the printer.

In an embodiment, a protective leaching cup may include a base portion, at least one sidewall defining an opening general opposite the base portion, and a receiving space in communication with the opening and at least partially defined by the base portion and the sidewall. The receiving space is sized and configured to receive at least a portion of the superabrasive element. A seal contact portion is located on an inner surface of the sidewall. The seal contact portion is configured to form a seal against the superabrasive element that is at least partially impermeable to fluid(s). At least one of the seal contact portion or the sidewall includes material(s) exhibiting a flexural modulus greater than about 150,000 psi at room temperature.