Surface grinding is a precision machining process used to produce flat, smooth surfaces on a workpiece. It involves the use of a rotating abrasive wheel that removes small amounts of material from the surface through a controlled and consistent process. The workpiece is usually held firmly on a magnetic chuck or other fixture while the grinding wheel moves over it, either in a back-and-forth motion or in a circular pattern, depending on the machine setup. The depth of cut and feed rate are carefully controlled to achieve the desired flatness and surface quality.

This process is commonly performed on materials such as steel, aluminum, and other metals, as well as certain non-metallic materials. Surface grinding machines come in various types, such as horizontal-spindle and vertical-spindle configurations, which determine the orientation of the grinding wheel relative to the workpiece. The primary goal of surface grinding is to create a precise, flat surface by removing material in a uniform manner, often as a final machining step before assembly or finishing.