Automation makes precise grinding

Just like any other operation commonly found on shop floors in Asia, the grinding process in the region is developing, becoming more automated and productive. Today, metal products manufacturers in Asia want to grind parts in a single clamping. Thanks to advanced CNCs and new software available on modern grinding equipment, a single machine now can perform various grinding operations within the same work envelope.
Automating the load/unload process also has made grinding more productive, as has the automation introduced for changing the grinding wheel. It is the CNC and software technology that has driven most of the productivity growth in grinding.
One of the big changes in CNC grinding, like many other processes, is that new control technology is making the machines easier to run. Grinding experts say that one of the largest steps forward recently has been the ability to simulate the grinding process in an offline environment.
The big challenge in simulation is reproducing the actual shape of the wheel going into the part and compensating for any change in the profile when you do 3-D simulation in an offline environment.
Grinding is a truly dynamic machining process. The part changes as it is ground, the grinding wheel breaks down from use, and changes in temperature cause changes in the machine. It is these changes that make the simulation process much more difficult.
Similar to many other machine tools, the controls on grinding machines are becoming more sophisticated and powerful, yet at the same time are becoming easier to use. They are also combining previously separate peripheral devices and displays into a single unit.
For example, taking all of the peripheral devices that are normally separate from human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and make them icons on the control?ˉs screen will allow the control to handle all the interfaces.
This eliminates the need to program each device separately through its own HMI and allows the operator to do so through one control, either directly at the machine or remotely. Also, the more devices that can be brought under the command of a single control, the better the program can be simulated. It also eliminates possible maintenance issues that can arise in multiple-HMI setups.
Even as the controls become more powerful and more intuitive, less programming is being performed at the machine. One of the trends in grinding is the centralisation of the programming. Not only can the machine be programmed offline, something that is rapidly becoming mandatory, but the process itself also can be monitored remotely as well.

Automation in grinding

Another trend in grinding is the automating of the machines. One of the big changes in loading and unloading a grinding machine takes its cue from the horizontal machining center (HMC): pallet changers. While pallet changers have been commonplace in HMC applications for years, when you add this type of load/unload device to a grinder, the parts need to be located in a known position because of the tight tolerances involved in grinding.
This time the solution comes from the electrical discharge machine (EDM) way of loading and unloading pallets. In this manner, parts are preloaded onto a pallet outside of the machining environment and trued to the prequalified pallet. The machine then switches the finished set of parts with a new pallet of blanks.
Setting up parts while the machine is in use increases machine utilisation, as well as throughput. This means that you are creating free cycle time, while you are grinding other parts. If you can do this, it can have some serious implications on the capital cost per piece because in traditional grinding environments, load/unload timeAir Max 90 Ultra BR