July 2007 Edition
Spotlight
Grinding
A couple of Swiss-grinding experts established their
own business and profit from keeping their nose to the grindstone
|
| CGS does both
prototype and production grinding |
When Beat Maurer and Raphael Obrecht
started their grinding operation, they were aware of the pitfalls
of starting a business. They had seen shops, such as theirs
in the Dayton, OH, area, close their doors – especially in the
tool, die, and mold business. By offering service diversity
in high-end work they found success.
Maurer and Obrecht worked together
on Studer grinders at United Grinding, Miamisburg, OH, the North
American arm for Studer AG. In January 2006, they left to start
their own business, Complete Grinding Solutions – CGS – in a
1,500 ft2 facility with a Studer S40 universal grinder.
“Anybody out there can buy a Studer
and start grinding parts,” Maurer said, “but the combination
of our experience and grinding knowledge, knowing the machine
inside out, and our partnership with Studer AG are the keys
to our success.”
Maurer said there were five areas
of focus for CGS:
• Training
• Consulting
• Process development
• Prototyping
• Small- to large-production work
One of CGS’ biggest markets is
prototyping; they focus heavily on it.
“On the one hand,” Maurer said,
“there are job shops that run small- to large-volume production.
On the other hand, there are full engineering companies or OEMs.
Neither focus on prototyping. So, it’s a niche we fill, that
and process development.”
Obrecht said a customer often
comes to CGS with a part that needs ground but doesn’t know
the best way to do it. They suggest the alternatives, which
often results in jobs for them.
“We start by developing the process
on our floor or theirs,” Maurer said. “The next steps are grinding
trials, then tests, run-offs, and analysis. We determine grinding
wheels, dressing tools, workholding, cycle times, cost-per-piece
evaluations, and statistical runs. We define the best methods
and parameters to make the part, whether we run the job, the
customer runs it, or it’s contracted out to a third party.”
He said CGS’ focus is on high-end
work: parts that are difficult and complex due to size, tolerances,
surface finishes, or high accuracy. The company specializes
in things that not everybody can, or wants, to do.
Swiss Made
Maurer said he’s been involved
with Studer for 25 years; both he and Obrecht were born in Switzerland.
He began as an apprentice with Studer in Switzerland. He earned
an engineering degree while working for the company.
He was transferred to Studer in
Connecticut and worked there for about three years until the
company was bought by the Schleifring Group, where he was then
transferred to Miamisburg, working for United Grinding for 13
years. Obrecht has worked at the same company on Studer products
for 4-1/2 years.
“There is no better product out
there for the kind of work we do,” Maurer said. “We can grind
better than anyone can even measure. When that level is reached,
there’s just no question about the accuracy of the machine.
We have no downtime.”
CGS uses a fully-loaded Studer
S40 universal grinder. Maurer said it is capable of both prototype
and production work.
“It’s precise and accurate,” he
said. “We do form grinding, which means we can do cam and crank
grinding, any type of out-of-round grinding, as well as thread
grinding, cylindrical, I.D./O.D. grinding – the whole spectrum
of cylindrical grinding.
“The machine combines operations.
We can do a form on a cam, thread on the other side, I.D./O.D.
– all in one shot. We don’t know anybody out there that can
do anything like that: multiple features, multiple operations
in a single setup, and a reduction in changeover time and accuracies
in millions of an inch.
“Also, the S40 is equipped with
a rotary disk dresser with touch dressing, which provides the
possibility to dress super-abrasive wheels like diamond and
CBN. High frequency O.D. and I.D. spindles allow for process
stability and control. Setup time can be reduced up to 90 percent
by using the Studer Quickset software, keeping track of wheel,
part, and dressing locations.”
Anything Goes
Borscht said the S40 grinds almost
anything: ceramics, carbide, silicon carbide, exotic materials,
glass and rubber.
“If we can get it on the machine,
we can grind it,” he said.
One of the beauties of running
a Studer S40, Maurer said, is its flexibility.
“Today,” he said, “we might be
running a shaft, next week an aerospace component. In the same
week, we’ll do a spindle for a machine tool builder in Taiwan,
and the following week we will start grinding toolholders.”
Something substantial has happened
since 9/11, said Maurer.
“I believe the big companies shifted
everything down to smaller companies, the tier ones and tier
twos. These tier suppliers have done the same things to their
suppliers, the smaller job shops. These companies let people
go, from engineers to process development people.
“Now, the larger companies are
relying more and more on the OEMs to provide the support they
used to have internally. A customer may come to Miamisburg and
say, ‘We want to buy a Studer from you, but we need to have
you do the prototyping and process development.’ This is where
we can step in and do some of the work for them. We do this
parallel to the machine sale.”
Maurer said that occasionally
a customer may have a grinder that is temporarily down. CGS
runs production for the customer while the machine is repaired.
In other cases, a machine may
come in that’s bound for China.
“We do development work and then
follow the machine to its destination where we prove out the
process, offer consulting, and then do training,” Maurer said.
“We can run with the ball from A to Z.”
Maurer said they do grinding training
either using their own Studer or one at the customer site.
“We do quite a bit of field training,”
he said. “One of the sad things is that grinding isn’t taught
at any college or vocational schools. When it is taught, the
methods and machines are predictably out of date. We’re trying
to change that by hooking up with schools and offering grinding
seminars. It’s important to spread the word about grinding,
to get young people interested in this technology. The sky’s
the limit. Grinding can be, and is, a rewarding career.” Studer
www.rsleads.com/707mn-221
Dual-Purpose Machine Can
Grind and Machine
The
MicroTol is a CNC grinding machine that can do machining as
well. It has applications in bearings, aerospace, and automotive
industries. Its first use was for grinding spheres and aspheres
in BK7 optical glass. A cross-axis approach is used with the
axis of the work spindle horizontal, and the axis of the wheel
spindle vertical. The workpiece is routed around the periphery
of the grinding wheel by X- and Z-axis interpolation to produce
either a spherical or an aspherical shape. Spherical shapes
can be programmed as a single parameter: radius. Aspherical
shapes, such as paraboloids, can be programmed as a point table
or with a parametric equation. Tool radius compensation features
are used to adjust for wheel diameter. The MicroTol has an enclosed
work area for coolant containment. Standard X-axis travel is
8". Z-axis travel is 4". Rough and finish wheel spindles on
a rotary table can be added for grinding small optics and molds.
Accura Technics
www.rsleads.com/707mn-222
Quick-Change Part-to-Part
Changeover
The
Gustine R220 double-disc grinder processes parts from 18mm to
40mm wide with flat and parallel surfaces. The machine’s design
features, in combination with the exclusive rotary plunge grinding
process, provide parallelism, flatness, size control, and squareness.
The rotary plunge process also results in improved grinding
wheel and diamond dresser life. CNC programmability, combined
with machine design features, enable part-to-part changeover
in as little as three seconds. The R220 also accommodates wheel
changes in 30 minutes or less. Cinetic Landis Grinding Corp.
www.rsleads.com/707mn-223
Cordless Grinder with
Motor Protection
The
IQV Series GS25 and GR25 die grinders are designed for automotive
and maintenance professionals. The cordless grinders leverage
the IQV battery line’s compatibility and flexibility. The grinder
has proprietary, microprocessor-controlled protection. By continuously
monitoring tool operation and motor temperature, the microprocessor
warns the user by “pulsing” the motor on and off continuously
if the tool begins to overheat. If the maximum temperature limit
is reached, the microprocessor disables the tool until it cools
to the optimum range. The 14.4V die grinders come in both straight
and right-angle configurations. The motors deliver 0.35 hp.
Ingersoll Rand Industrial Technologies
www.rsleads.com/707mn-224
Porous Disc Wheels
Black
Magic disc wheels feature bond material that incorporates induced
porosity with internal lubricants, promoting productivity in
spring grinding. Reversing direction of grinding wheel every
three to four hours minimizes dressing downtime. Featuring multiple
layers of bonded cBN, cBN button wheels promote consistent finish
throughout their life in spring dry grinding applications at
speeds of 10,000 sfpm to 24,000 sfpm. They achieve interrupted
spring end cut for optimal heat dissipation. Gardner Abrasives
www.rsleads.com/707mn-225
Grinding Wheels for Aggressive
Cleaning
EZ
Strip Wheels are a line of non-woven abrasive wheels for aggressive
cleaning applications. The wheels are engineered for quick cleaning
welds and removal of abrasive clogging materials, such as paints,
sealants, and scaling. The line includes rigid red wheels for
finishing angled and irregular surfaces and black wheels for
cleaning and satin finishes. Both wheels are available in 4-1/2"
and 7" diameters with 7/8" or 5/8-11 arbor holes. All can be
used on stainless steel, aluminum, steel, non-ferrous materials,
fiber glass, and stone. CGW-Camel Grinding Wheels
www.rsleads.com/707mn-226
Centerless Grinder Has
Fanuc Controller
The
Model CNC 1 Entry Level CNC Centerless Grinder features the
Fanuc Power mate ID Control with color touch screen interface
for simple operator input, the CNC is now capable of storing
program parameters for many different part numbers, and also
controlling the available Constant Surface Speed option. The
CNC controls the combined regulating wheel and work rest slides
via a brushless digital servo drive motor with encoder positioning
feedback. The slide movement is actuated via a precision planetary
roller satellite screw, offering a 2mm pitch, and multi-lead
design to eliminate backlash. The minimum programmable increment
is 0.0005mm. Monza Corp.
www.rsleads.com/707mn-227
What do you think?
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www.ModernApplicationsNews.com or e-mail the editor at
pnofel@nelsonpub.com.