SAG Tooling Range (Shape Adaptive Grinding)

Precision Polishing Tools

SAG-Tek's precision polishing tools are engineered for Shape Adaptive Grinding — a process that uses compliant, pressure-controlled contact to achieve consistent material removal and mirror-grade surface finishes on freeform, curved, and complex 3D geometries. Compatible with CNC machining centres and robotic polishing cells. Used in aerospace, optics, medical, and mould & die manufacturing.

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Tooling Range

SAG Tool Geometry

Five tool geometries, each engineered for a specific class of surface and component profile. All SAG tools use compliant, pressure-controlled contact — conforming to the workpiece rather than forcing the workpiece to conform to the tool. Available in resin-bond and nickel-bond diamond grades.

Teardrop
SAG Tool

Teardrop

Optimised for aspheric, freeform, and complex 3D surfaces. The teardrop geometry delivers consistent SAG contact on profiles that bonnet or disc tools cannot fully reach — widely used in precision optics and aerospace finishing.

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Bonnet
SAG Tool

Bonnet

The most versatile SAG tool geometry. The bonnet conforms to convex and concave surfaces under controlled pressure, delivering uniform material removal on mould cavities, turbine blades, and curved optical elements.

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Cap
SAG Tool

Cap

A compact tool for small radii, tight internal corners, and localised surface correction. The cap geometry accesses recessed features and fine detail that larger tool forms cannot reach.

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Disc
SAG Tool

Disc

Designed for flat, near-flat, and gently curved surfaces. The disc tool provides high contact area and efficient material removal — ideal for large optical flats, die faces, and precision engineering surfaces.

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Drum
SAG Tool

Drum

Engineered for cylindrical bores, internal channels, and barrel-shaped components. The drum geometry maintains consistent SAG contact on internal curved surfaces where other tool types cannot operate.

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What SAG Does

Grinding and Polishing
in One Process

Shape Adaptive Grinding (SAG) combines controlled sub-surface grinding and precision polishing into a single automated process step. Unlike rigid abrasive tools, SAG tooling conforms elastically to the workpiece — maintaining consistent contact pressure across varying curvature without operator skill dependency. The result is a faster, more repeatable surface finishing process with measurably lower scrap rates.

SAG polishing stages
Removing machining marksEliminates lay patterns and tool marks left by CNC milling or turning without altering part geometry.
Achieving mirror surface finishesRa < 0.01μm achievable on metals, ceramics, and optical glass.
Reducing production cycle timeUp to 60% faster than manual hand-finishing on typical components.
Reducing manual polishing labourOperator involvement limited to setup and inspection — the polishing cycle runs unattended.
Eliminating part-specific toolingOne SAG tool geometry covers a wide range of component profiles — no bespoke fixtures required for each new part.
Reducing scrap ratesConsistent, controlled material removal reduces the risk of over-polishing or geometry deviation that scraps high-value parts.
Improving process repeatabilityEvery part in a batch leaves the process to the same surface specification — no variation between operators or shifts.
Applications

Ideal for Complex
Surface Finishing

SAG tooling is deployed wherever a component surface must meet tight roughness or form specifications that manual polishing cannot reliably achieve. Common applications include:

Complex CNC machined surfacesRemoving tool marks and chatter from milled or turned parts without re-fixture or geometry loss.
Metal additive manufacturing (AM)Post-process finishing for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and DED parts — reducing surface roughness from Ra 10–20μm down to Ra < 0.5μm or better.
Medical implants and surgical instrumentsAchieving the surface cleanliness and roughness requirements for implant-grade titanium and cobalt-chrome components.
Aerospace componentsTurbine blades, structural housings, and optical sensor windows requiring controlled material removal and tight dimensional tolerance.
Mould & die finishingInjection mould cavities, forging dies, and press tools — polished to mirror finish for part release quality and surface replication accuracy.
High-value production partsAny component where scrap from over-polishing is unacceptable and batch-to-batch consistency is required.