CNC Vertical grinder
For industrial machining, grinding is one of the most important links in the whole process. After forming, cutting, and other complex processing, many work pieces would go to this step for further finishing. The process of grinding is used to produce a smooth finished surface on either flat or other specific surfaces. It is a widely used abrasive machining process by which a spinning wheel is covered in rough particles (grinding wheel) that cuts chips of metallic or nonmetallic substance from a work piece, rendering a flat or smooth face. Among all the grinding processes, surface grinding is the one of the most general one of the various grinding operations. CNC grinding is a finishing process which utilizes a rotational abrasive wheel to smooth the surface of metallic or non-metallic materials in order to deliver a refined physical situation by removing the layer and impurities on the work piece surfaces under the control of computer numerical control mechanism that is driven by programmed processes.
Therefore, these processes will attain a desired surface for functional purposes that are planned and programmed by engineers. Regarding the mechanical composition, the mechanical structure of CNC vertical grinders are composed of an abrasive wheel, a controller, a work piece holding device, and a reciprocating table. During machining, the holding device holds the material in place while it is being machined. The clamping mechanism can be done via two methods: one is for the ferromagnetic pieces, which are held in place by a magnetic chuck, while for the non-ferromagnetic and nonmetallic pieces, they are held in place by either vacuum or mechanical means. The clamping mechanism is crucial to the whole processing since only with the rigid positioning and clamping, can the work be done and goal be achieved accurately and precisely.
Critical factors that affect grinding are the material of the grinding wheels and the material of the work pieces. Typically, work piece materials include aluminum, brass, steel, cast iron, and mild steel. Some of them are more stable and will not attach to the wheel during processing, while some are with different physical natures that would lead to corrosion that is not ideal for further application. On the other hand, speaking of the shape of the grinding wheel, the shape is not confined to specific shapes but could be a variety of shapes. Onsite operators can dress the wheels for specific usages and purposes. There is one thing that is noteworthy that, during surface grinding, the wheel shape will be affected to the reverse shape of the work piece, so that operators have to be aware of the change of the shapes in order to instant modifications onto the grinding wheels so that the desired grinding could be continued.
Since all the grinders are machine tools utilized to provide precision ground surfaces and the purpose could be of specific size or for the surface finishing, the typical accuracy of a grinding machine depends on the types and usages, however a certain accuracy values should be achievable on most surface grinders.