Modern industrial manufacturing demands ever-higher levels of precision, efficiency, and design flexibility. Alongside traditional subtractive manufacturing methods such as milling and grinding, additive manufacturing (3D printing) is rapidly emerging as a key driver of innovation. Each approach has its distinct advantages and is widely used in industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and machinery. In both manufacturing methods, abrasives play a critical role, directly impacting processing quality and production efficiency.
Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, builds parts by depositing material layer by layer. Common AM techniques include Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and Stereolithography (SLA). These technologies are renowned for their high design freedom, enabling the fabrication of complex geometries, including internal cavities and lattice structures. Additive processes are highly material-efficient, minimizing waste, and are particularly suitable for rapid prototyping, small-batch production, and customized solutions. Widely applied in aerospace, automotive, medical devices, and mold making, AM also shortens development cycles and facilitates innovative and diversified product designs.
While AM can directly produce intricate structures, the resulting parts often have rough surfaces with visible layer lines and micro-defects. Post-processing is required to achieve the desired dimensional accuracy and surface quality—this is where abrasives become essential. Tools such as grinding wheels, abrasive belts, flap wheels, and polishing discs are commonly used for deburring, smoothing, and finishing AM parts, ensuring they meet industrial standards for precision and aesthetics. In high-demand sectors like aerospace and healthcare, stringent requirements for surface quality and functionality are driving abrasives toward high-performance, wear-resistant materials tailored for AM-specific finishing needs.
Subtractive manufacturing (SM) involves removing material from a workpiece through processes like cutting, milling, and grinding to shape it into the desired form. This mature and well-established approach is ideal for mass production, excelling in high dimensional accuracy and superior surface finishes. Common SM methods include CNC milling, turning, grinding, wire EDM, electrical discharge machining (EDM), laser cutting, and waterjet cutting. Subtractive processes are central to industries such as automotive, aerospace, machinery, and medical equipment manufacturing, efficiently processing materials like steel, cast iron, aluminum alloys, and composites to meet stringent durability and functionality requirements.
In SM, abrasives serve as fundamental and indispensable tools, especially in grinding operations. Various types of grinding wheels (e.g., vitrified or resin-bonded) and polishing tools are used in roughing, finishing, and fine surface polishing processes, ensuring components meet high precision and mirror-finish surface standards. Abrasive performance directly influences processing speed and product quality, prompting continuous innovation in abrasive materials and structures to meet the challenges of machining high-hardness materials and complex geometries.
Additive and subtractive manufacturing each offer distinct advantages: AM excels in design freedom and material efficiency, making it ideal for complex, customized parts; SM shines in achieving high accuracy and superior surface quality, making it well-suited for mass production and high-performance components. Looking ahead, the integration of both technologies is poised to become mainstream. For example, a complex part can be quickly produced as a semi-finished product using 3D printing, then refined through subtractive machining to meet high-precision and surface finish requirements—combining design innovation with manufacturing excellence.
Abrasives serve as a critical bridge between AM and SM, enabling seamless transition from additive fabrication to subtractive finishing. As the use of composite and high-hardness materials continues to rise, advancements in abrasive technology are essential to ensuring manufacturing quality. To address AM's surface roughness and SM's demand for precision, abrasives are evolving toward higher hardness, optimized structures, and longer service life—driving the entire manufacturing chain toward greater intelligence and efficiency.