Top ten tips to create premium grinding conditions for any workshop.

 

Grinding Machinery is used for the common form of abrasive machining. The process involves material cutting which consists of an abrasive tool whose cutting elements are grains of abrasive material known as grit. These grits are characterised by sharp cutting points, high hot hardness, and wear resistance.

 

The machines are used for fine surface finishing by removing excessive amount of material on a given surface/product. These are normally used for providing precise shape and finishing to the given semi-finished products/materials having little surface roughness and requiring high surface quality. This is typically used for smoothening relatively small quantities of metal, so as to deliver highly accurate products. These machines have been facing continual evolution over the years so as to cater to the diversifying needs of different industry verticals. The most popular types of machine grinders used in industry are surface grinder, tool and cutter grinder and cylindrical machine grinder. The overall grinding machine market is majorly driven by the huge industrial manufacturing industry worldwide demonstrating consistent growth.

 

In other words these machines are used for finishing different work pieces ranging from domestic consumer goods to aerospace parts and components. This makes grinding machine useful for an extensive range of applications. Due to stringent requirement for precise finishing across various applications, grinding machines have found immense penetration across different industry verticals worldwide.

 

Most of the tips given below would be a part of an operators’ everyday activity, but is always good to remind ourselves of some important housekeeping tasks. Following these tips will help grinders produce better tools, increase productivity, reduce breakdowns and extend the life of their machine.

 

Keep things tidy and in order

Every interaction with your company builds your brand – including your workshop. A tidy, clean and structured workplace will also ensure equipment is always within reach and readily available. This saves time, means items are not lost or misplaced, it also looks better when you have visitors. Start a 5S program within your company. You will be surprised of the results.

 

Tightly maintain the ambient and coolant temperatures

When producing accurate tools, it is critical the ambient and coolant temperature is stabilised within one degree of each other. A chiller will ensure the correct oil temperature is maintained and is definitely worth the investment.

 

Use the best coolant system you can’t afford

A lot of companies don’t spend enough or see the value in a decent coolant system. Clean filtered coolant will enhance the grinding performance and keep the machine looking good like new. A good filtration system will also ensure the longevity of the machine and maximise the return on investment.

 

Handle and store precious items carefully

Items such as collet adaptors and grinding wheels can be expensive and are critical to producing quality tools, so they need to be stored and handled with care. Providing proper storage not only protects these valuable items but also keeps your inventory visible and manageable.

 

Dress and condition grinding wheels on a regular basis

Frequent dressing and conditioning of grinding wheels will ensure higher productivity, the wheels will perform better and the surface finish of the tools will improve. Worn wheels also makes your spindle work harder putting this critical machine part under unnecessary stress.  

 

Keep collets clean and in good condition 

This may sound like a no brainer, but you will be surprised how many grinding shops use collets with grinding marks on the nose and dirt inside the collet. Sometimes we just hang on to collets too long. Collets should be considered a consumable item and replaced as required.

 

Use high quality blanks and the correct insert depth into the collet

You can’t breed a winning racehorse from mules. Similarly, if you want to produce a good quality tool, start with a good quality blank. Put the maximum amount of tool into the collet, ANCA’s 3D Cimulator can calculate the maximum insertion depth for you automatically – preventing you from grinding into the collet. 

 

Read the machine manual

If you buy a new machine or the machine is not familiar to you, then read the manual and documentation that comes with the machine, you will be amazed how much you will learn and time you will save. You may also avoid some expensive mistakes. 

 

Follow the maintenance schedule advised by the machine manufacturer

Dedicate time at the end of the week to conduct the stipulated maintenance tasks and clean the machine. Like any technology, taking the time out to conduct preventative maintenance will be of great value in the long term. Preventative maintenance is better managed and has less impact on your company then unplanned breakdown maintenance.

 

Ensure the air supply and electrical power to the machine meet the machine manufacturers recommendations 

Follow the guidelines as stipulated by the manufacturers in terms of air quality and electrical supply to the machine. You will be surprised how many costly breakdowns can be avoided by following a few simple rules upon installation. Following these guidelines – prepared from multiple grinding application experiences – would definitely lead to efficient results.  

 

Having an overview on the global grinding machinery sector, it is observed that the sector will be booming majorly due to growing global automotive industry and rising demand from end-use industries. Also, the growing number of innovation in grinding machines, is expected to boost the market growth. Several companies have continuously been focusing on evolving grinding machinery market by developing technologically advanced grinding machines. This has led to the introduction of advance machinery that helps in the manufacture of precise and accurate products in lesser time and at lower costs.

 

Courtesy: ANCA CNC machines, credenceresearch, researchandmarkets, market research future.