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The surface grinding machine is an indispensable tool not only in tool making

The surface grinding machine was already used at the beginning of the 19th century. Its advantage lies in the possibility of machining hardened materials. This was previously not possible by milling. The machine grinds surfaces flat, which is how it got its name. Today, these grinding machines are mostly CNC machines. Almost every manufacturer offers this grinding technology. These machines work with very high precision, so they can realize the grinding height with an accuracy of up to 1/1,000 millimeter. By using grinding wheels with different hardness and bond, a wide range of materials can be processed in the highest quality.

A distinction is made in these grinding machines between peripheral grinding and face grinding. These two types of surface grinding machine differ in the way the grinding wheel is used. Another variant is the profile grinding machine.

This is how a surface grinding machine is constructed

The core of the surface grinding machine is the machine body, which is usually made of sturdy cast iron. In the rear part of the machine is a stand that supports the adjustable grinding head. In front sits the machine table with clamping grooves. This table can be moved horizontally in two axes. In conventional surface grinding machines, the grinding wheel is moved vertically to the workpiece by means of a hand crank. The machine table is also adjusted by a hand crank. With CNC machines, these movements are carried out automatically, determined by the programming. If the wheel is suitably dressed, the surface grinding machine can also be used to grind profiles. If the clamping device on the machine table is tilted accordingly, it is also possible to grind angles.

How does peripheral grinding work?

In peripheral grinding, the circumference of the grinding wheel is used to machine the material. The workpiece is usually clamped on a magnetic clamping table, more rarely with T-slot bolts. The grinding machine has either a rectangular table or a rotary table. The grinding spindle is guided horizontally. The result is straight-line grinding marks on the surface of the workpiece. This grinding technology is divided into full-cut and pendulum grinding.

How a machine for face grinding works

In this type of surface grinding, the face of the grinding wheel is used for grinding. The grinding spindle is perpendicular to the workpiece to be machined. The workpiece performs the feed motion, and the grinding wheel performs the infeed and cutting motion. Circular grinding grooves can be seen on the surface of the workpiece. Due to the large contact area between the material and the grinding wheel, and because of the high forces and torques generated, this type of grinding machine must have a high static rigidity. For this reason, the machines are often designed as gantries.

Machines for profile grinding

Profile grinding machines are divided into machines for actual profile grinding and those for form grinding.

The actual profile grinding is also called insert grinding. In this process, the profile to be produced is located as a negative on the grinding wheel. During grinding, the profile is then transferred to the workpiece.
Profile grinding is also known as fully automatic profile grinding. CNC grinding machines are used for this purpose. The profile to be produced is created by the movement of the grinding head, which is programmed.

Where are surface grinding machines used?

Surface grinding machines are mainly used in jig, mold and cutting tool making as well as in general tool making, mechanical engineering and the automotive industry. There they are used, for example:

• Cylinder bases
• cylinder heads
• housings
• covers
• guide rails

machined. In addition, these grinding machines are used for machining hardened materials.

How is honing different from grinding?

Some suppliers of surface grinding machines also offer honing machines. Honing is also called draw grinding. As the second name already expresses, honing is related to grinding. However, unlike grinding, honing involves two movements at the same time. The cutting movement from top to bottom is superimposed by a rotating cutting movement and results in crossed grinding. Whereas grinding produces parallel machining marks, honing produces a top-quality cross cut without any gloss. Honing produces very fine surfaces with a high degree of shape and dimensional accuracy. Find the right manufacturer for Surface grinding machine on Exportpages.