Vollmer grinds out great results

The recent MACH 2018 exhibition once again proved to be a huge success for Vollmer UK, with the tool and saw-blade grinding and sharpening specialist winning an order at the show as well as generating a high number of enquiries. Vollmer had three machines on its stand.

Making its debut at MACH 2018, the Loroch K850-M for processing metal-cutting saw blades got proceedings off to a flier with Birmingham-based Precise Saw & Tool Ltd placing an order at the show. Purchased to add capacity to its existing operation, the Loroch K850-M has a 50-blade capacity and robotic load/unload for extended unmanned running.
The centrepiece of the Vollmer stand was the new Vgrind 360 tool grinding machine that also made its UK exhibition premiere. Vollmer‘s next-generation Vgrind 360 is the successor to the Vgrind 160 model, now equipped with enhanced travel distances for accommodating carbide drills and milling cutters whose blanks are made from either solid-carbide or carbide-tipped steel bodies up to 200 mm diameter.
Vollmer UK technical sales engineer Kieran Rosling says: “Enquiries for the Loroch K850-M and the CHC840 saw-blade sharpening machine were particularly high. We conducted a number of demonstrations on both machines during MACH week and have a number of further trials with various manufacturers showing serious levels of interest. However, the Vgrind 360 tool grinding machine was certainly the show-stopper for us. The innovation of the Vgrind 360 was evident and the enquiry level and number of follow-on meetings we have booked is really encouraging.“
Featuring two grinding spindles, the Vgrind 360 can be loaded with different tools, while an optional tool magazine with eight grinding wheel packages allows tools on the vertical spindles to be changed automatically.
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

Sixth Walter machine at Techni-Grind

Techni-Grind (Preston), a supplier of tool regrinding services to the aerospace industry, has installed its sixth Walter CNC tool and cutter grinder to increase capacity levels – a Helitronic Vision 400L with integrated robot handling and wheel changer.

The new machine not only extends the length of tooling that can be processed – to 420 mm long – but its automated handling and wheel changing capability will also, says Techni-Grind’s manager Michael Bell, “further extend our ability to confidently run the Vision 400L unmanned and in a lights-out mode, thus further increasing our productivity levels”.
Capable of processing tools up to 315 mm diameter and 420 mm long, and weighing up to 50 kg, the Vision 400L has travels in X, Y and Z of 500, 350 and 700 mm, respectively. Rapid traverse rates are up to 50 m/min, and the machine boasts linear and radial resolutions of 0.0001 mm and 0.0001°. Grinding wheels up to 254 mm diameter can be accommodated within the eight-station wheel changer, and grinding spindle speed is up to 10,500 rpm.
The Vision 400L joins the company’s existing portfolio of Walter tool grinders and tool measuring machines, which have been progressively installed – a Classic Power, a Power, a Power Regrinder and two Helitronic Visions (one with robot loading), plus a Helicheck Basic tool measuring machine.
Now, with the new machine meaning that two of the company’s Visions are equipped with robot loader and pallet-held tools, these automation devices “are key to our often non-stop 24-hour running which, of
course, contributes greatly to
the production efficiencies we attain”, says managing director David Higham.
For further information www.walter-machines.com

Step change for tape finishing

The precision machining of wave-shaped components to reduce roughness and friction, as well as for structuring and increasing the contact area of functional surfaces, can now be carried out even more efficiently: Thielenhaus Superfinish has released a new self-loading tape-finishing machine for machining shafts, bearing and sealing seats. The Cube Evo is available as a freely programmable unit and is designed to meet future Industry 4.0 standards.

A program with all the parameters required for the machining process, such as workpiece speed, machining time, oscillation, grinding pressure and tape speed can be stored and loaded for every workpiece that needs to be produced. This functionality makes it possible to index precisely to all tape finisher positions via the controller, or manually using the positioning system. Furthermore, the self-explanatory user operation surface with its pull-down menus allows all settings to be carried out quickly and easily by the operator without special training, says Thielenhaus.
Automatic loading technology reduces the machine’s non-productive time and loading processes to an absolute minimum. With its quickly adjustable tape-finish units, the modular construction provides flexible, cost-neutral configuration. In the standard working area, workpieces can have dimensions of up to 200 mm diameter and 800 mm length.
As an option, the new finishing machines can be equipped with an integrated three-axis handling system, programmable via the Siemens central control system. The grippers, tailor-made for the workpiece, have been designed as double loading to achieve short changeover times and can be quickly exchanged to adapt to the respective type of component.
For further information www.thielenhaus.com

New range of cartridge rolls by Master

To complete its coated abrasive product line, Master Abrasives has introduced its own range of cartridge rolls under the MASTER brand.

Master cartridge rolls are available in aluminium-oxide and ceramic-oxide abrasive. Rolls are offered with either a straight or tapered side allowing access to angles and corners. The aluminium-oxide variety is now being stocked in a range of grits and sizes at Master Abrasives.
Andy Wright, national sales manager, says: “The nature of a cartridge roll makes it a long-lasting and excellent solution for deburring and metal removal applications. Each product is a length of abrasive cloth wound around a spindle for a multi-layer effect, exposing new abrasive cutting points throughout its operational life.
“The key advantage of cartridge rolls is their unique shape, which makes them ideal for application on contours and hard-to-reach areas on all ferrous materials,” he continues. “They can be used for numerous applications, including deburring, flash removal, edge breaking and removing machining marks.”
For further information www.master-abrasives.co.uk

Tool grinding software upgrade

NUM has unveiled a major upgrade to its Numroto tool grinding software. Offering numerous additional features and enhancements, Version 4.0 is designed to increase the productivity of tool and cutter grinders without the need for additional hardware.

A notable enhancement sees ball-nose and corner radius tools in Numroto allow the programming of a helix step on end mills. For the first time, it is possible to program different helix angles for the end of the radius and beginning of the cylindrical section.
A further upgrade concerns Numroto Draw, which automatically processes the geometry data used for grinding a tool to generate a basic drawing. Many Numroto users choose to provide this drawing together with the finished ground tool to their customers – to show standards compliance. The latest software release extends this capability by automatically displaying the geometry of the grinding wheels and grinding wheel packages needed to make the tool in the drawing. Furthermore, all the important dimensions are added automatically to the grinding wheels. The time-saving benefits of this approach are said to be considerable: a grinding wheel assembly drawing can be printed out for the machine operator to help speed set up without having to involve the design department, which is especially advantageous for companies handling numerous small production runs.
The 3D simulation facilities of Numroto 4.0 have also been enhanced. For instance, coolant holes in the 3D blank are displayed automatically, and users can now add DXF comparison profiles. What’s more, there is a new measurement mode which provides comparator functionality, while the programmed feed rate can now be displayed during 3D simulations.
For further information www.num.com