High-productivity grinding of chromium oxide–coated anilox rollers using dressing-controlled vitrified-bond diamond grinding wheels

Abstract Anilox rollers used in flexographic printing and various coating processes are precision components designed to transfer a precise and controlled amount of ink or coating to a substrate. These rollers are typically coated with chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ) to ensure high wear resistance and stable surface performance. In industrial practice, chromium oxide–coated anilox rollers are commonly ground using resin-bond diamond wheels, which suffer from limited dressing stability and productivity. This study investigates the capability of vitrified-bond diamond wheels to enable high-productivity external cylindrical grinding of chromium oxide–coated anilox rollers through dressing-controlled process optimization. Grinding experiments were conducted on an industrial cylindrical grinding machine using a vitrified-bond diamond wheel under longitudinal grinding mode. The effects of cutting speed, grinding speed ratio, dressing speed ratio, and dressing overlap ratio on tangential grinding force and surface roughness were systematically evaluated. Among the investigated parameters, dressing speed ratio showed the strongest influence on grinding performance, with down-dressing reducing the tangential grinding force by up to 49%, although with a trade-off in surface quality. Under appropriate dressing conditions, R z values below 3 μm were achieved. A direct comparison with an industrial resin-bond grinding process demonstrated approximately 60% improvement in surface roughness in both R a and R z , while simultaneously enabling a material removal rate approximately 2.5 times higher than that of the resin-bond wheel. The results confirm that vitrified-bond diamond grinding wheel, when combined with controlled dressing strategies, provides a robust and productive alternative for finishing chromium oxide–coated anilox rollers.