Current Process:
A legacy thrufeed centerless grinder with a narrow work wheel is used. Multiple passes to grind the Nitinol tubes to size are required. Highly skilled technicians are necessary to ensure proper setup.
Challenges:
Long cycle time limits output per shift. Multiple passes can reduce the quality of the tubes. Shorter work wheels apply too much pressure on thin-walled tubing resulting in deformed parts.
Solution
Solution: TF-9DHD Thrufeed Centerless Grinding Machine
Deliver a solution that allows the 6′ Nitinol tubes to be ground in one pass. Decrease downtime related to setup and complicated changeovers. The TF-9DHD features the widest work wheel on the market measuring 8 5/8″ in length. An 8 5/8″ work wheel removes .005″ of stock material in one pass while maintaining +/- .0002″ tolerance. The wide wheel spreads the grind over a longer distance resulting in a uniform grind, especially on thin-walled tubing. Top and bottom slides can be positioned independently, improving positioning accuracy and reducing setup times. Auto-gauge feedback is used to measure the diameter at the exit point.
Improved cycle times, delivering one 6′ Nitinol tube per minute.
The wider work wheel is capable of grinding shapes up to 8 5/8″ in a single pass by dressing forms in the wheels.
A 10′ long V-track and roller extractor facilitates the thrufeed and extraction from the grinder in one pass.
The longer wheel and more gradual regulating wheel angle reduce the pressure on the tubing, increasing accuracy and maintaining roundness.
Feedback from the auto-gauge is fed back to the TF-9DHD to ensure that the +/-.0002″ tolerance is achieved.
Operator friendly touchscreen HMI stores multiple setups for quick retrieval and changeover.
Explore | TF-9DHD Micro Grinding Machines
TF-9DHD
The computer controlled TF-9DHD Infeed/Thrufeed Micro Grinder grinds both hard and soft materials, specializing in parts from 1” in diameter down to .002″. The TF-9DHD is utilized to grind catheter, guidewires, pins, bushings, PTFE, plastics, ceramics and other engineered materials.
