Why Do You Need a Small Cylindrical Grinder?

Posted on Apr 22, 2021

Small Cylindrical Grinder

The cylindrical grinding process can be subdivided to the center and the centerless grinding type, and the small cylindrical grinders today are mostly controlled by CNC system and are available for single-center grinding operation, either outside diameter grinding or inside diameter grinding, or combining the OD/ID grinding in single automated equipment.

What Is a Small Cylindrical Grinder?

A small cylindrical grinder is a modern CNC cylindrical grinding equipment that is widely used for outside diameter (OD) and inside diameter grinding production. The cylindrical grinding machine is greatly suitable for precision grinding applications to remove the materials from the surfaces under the rotation of both the grinding wheel and the workpiece, producing unique and critical product profiles. The abrasive cutting process performed on the central axis is available for unlimited applications in a small cylindrical grinder to provide products with different dimensions, materials, and shapes. 

The cylindrical grinding process can be subdivided to the center and the centerless grinding type, and the small cylindrical grinders today are mostly controlled by CNC system and are available for single-center grinding operation, either outside diameter grinding or inside diameter grinding, or combining the OD/ID grinding in single automated equipment. In the next paragraph, we will introduce more about the OD and ID grinding operations. In many new small cylindrical grinders, there are multiple grinding wheel units that can be automatically changed and fed to the workpieces during the production cycle, providing high-performance material removal and shaving to shape the precise contours. 

As mentioned, in general, in small cylindrical grinding machines, there are 4 universal working motions, but some of the cylindrical grinders can only perform three of the four movements. The motions during the grinding production include the rotation of the clamped workpieces, the back-and-forth feeding movement of the grinding wheels and the rotation of the wheels, and last, the transverse movement between the metal parts and the abrasive wheels.
 

OD and ID Cylindrical Grinding

As long as the small cylindrical grinder has a central rotational axis, the versatile grinding equipment can handle a wide variety of parts that come in different sizes and shapes. These small cylindrical grinders are typically used for finishing off the inside or outside diameter grinding operations of, mostly, cylindrical parts. 

In a single-purpose small cylindrical grinder machine for outside diameter grinding, the machine works on the external surfaces of the metal parts as they are rotated between the centers. The centers refer to end elements that permit the work to be rotated. As for the inside diameter grinding, there is only a little material sheared to precisely finishing the inner surfaces. The inside diameter grinding requires the grinding wheel to rotate in the opposite direction when in contact with each other. The area of reversed directional contact in the process is where the abrasive cutting takes place. 

There are not only single-purpose small cylindrical grinders but also many smart grinding machines today that combine the OD and ID grinding technologies as well as automatic table feed and other grinding techniques in a single piece of equipment, enhancing the accuracy and flexibility in usage. Small cylindrical grinders are widely used to produce pipes, bearings, rods, and many more complex products requiring high levels of tight tolerance in manufacturing. The high-precision grinding machines are also efficient and reliable solutions for automotive, aerospace, or even military applications.
 

:: Read More: What Is a CNC Cylindrical Grinder?

How Does a Small Cylindrical Grinder Work?

Most popular small cylindrical grinders for shops and factories employ the CNC system and automated feed and headstock to offer high precision OD and ID grinding operations under full servo control. With the software, the operator can rapidly complete the simple setup in relation to the details of the grinding operations and the measurements and dimensions of the materials.

A basic structure of the small cylindrical grinder consists of the work holding device to support and rotate the pieces, grinding wheel units which are powered to rotate with the predetermined rate, the feed. The materials and quality of the grinding wheels and the applications should be considered when setting the operating speed of the rotation of both the wheels and the work.

Some components of modern small cylindrical grinding machines are upgraded to achieve the utmost efficiency and versatility in single grinders. For high-performance OD and ID as well as tapered surface applications, a swivel grinding head will be useful which is equipped with an internal grinding wheel pack. The grinding headstock can be driven to rotate and change from the outside diameter grinding mode to the inside grinding mode. The automated table feed, which can be actuated by a hydraulic system, can increase efficiency and productivity.
 

Why Do You Need a Small Cylindrical Grinder?

Now we understand the flexibility of the small cylindrical grinders in usage with the evolution of the equipment, the high-performance OD and ID grinding can create high-quality finishes of the product surfaces with great precision. Therefore, a small cylindrical grinding machine is evidently an invaluable investment that meets the requirement of tighter tolerance across the industries. 

With the CNC control and the simple, quick setup procedures which the grinder manufacturers are always trying to speed up, the lack of experienced operators will not be a problem. Some smart grinders also equip sensor monitoring devices and dressing processes for the grinding units, or multiple grinding and facing tools to save time and cost. On top of that, even grinding wheels have been improved with new bonds and advanced abrasives which can handle tougher materials and operate much faster. These benefits of the new small cylindrical grinder not only provide higher quality products more consistently but also shorten the set-up time, improving the usability and the performance of high volume production.

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