Challenge: To grind a variety of tooling punches to extreme precision, while accommodating small lot sizes with short changeover times.
Solution
Hydraulic punch machine tooling goes through punishment when forming and stamping materials of variable thickness and hardness. The punch design is more about stringent material hardness properties, although geometric tolerances are just as important since the punches have to fit precisely into the conforming tool die to precisely shape the component at an extremely high rate.
A company grinding many different punch parts was using a custom machine with a tilted grinding head needed to replace an aging custom German machine tool. The goal was to purchase a standard modular centerless grinding machine that could be configured to grind the parts with extreme precision and one that could accommodate changing over small lot sizes in less than 15 minutes.
The GT-610-CNC was fitted with the patent pending moveable lateral work rest axis, streamlined automation and optimized setup reduction tooling to perform the task. Using quick disconnect pick heads for the gantry, a pre-configured work rest blade and dedicated part program files, the operator is left with little worry of error during the setup process. Not only was Glebar able to grind the parts within stringent 0.0002″ diameter tolerances, the machine automatically starts a dress cycle at a predetermined part count, sizes the grinding wheel, adjusts diameter and returns on line without operator intervention, further automating the process.
Explore | GT‐610 CNC Infeed/Thrufeed Centerless Grinding Machines
GT‐610 CNC
Found at the highest end of the GT‐610 series spectrum, the GT‐610 CNC High Precision Automated Infeed/Thrufeed Centerless Grinding Machine excels at grinding a wide range of materials and is the complete “lights‐out” solution for applications where a high degree of automation, data gathering and gauging feedback is required. In addition to our 10″ work wheel design, Glebar is now offering an ABEC 7 twin-grip work wheel spindle design (with 12″ work wheel option) on the GT-610 CNC for increased rigidity, faster component processing speed and larger diameter parts.
