Extreme Metal Removal Rates

The S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine is equipped with a hydraulically clamped tailstock to machine heavier workpieces with weights of up to 551 lb.

United Grinding Technologies (UGT; Miamisburg, OH) announces in Booth N-6800 at IMTS 2012 the new Studer S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinder that features outstanding technology and cost-effectiveness. The machine grinds with superior precision and at extreme metal removal rates. The longitudinal and cross slide, as well as the swivel axis for the wheelhead, features electric direct drives that move to the working position very swiftly and precisely.

Higher precision, better surface quality, higher metal removal rates are the constantly increasing requirements made by the market. To address these requirements, the S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinder works quickly and precisely in a broader range of applications with cost-effective production options that save on auxiliary times and considerably shorten the cycle times of the grinding process.

The Granitan® S103 machine bed provides a very solid, rigid and thermally stable S41. The formula of this mineral casting is designed for optimal grinding operation conditions. This machine bed literally provides the integrated guide system with a stable basis for absorbing the high forces that occur during grinding with high metal removal rates.

Thanks to its remarkable thermal behavior, the machine bed largely equalizes brief variations in temperature so that the machine operates with consistently high precision even with changing ambient temperatures. Its high rigidity and excellent damping provide the basic prerequisites for outstanding surface quality of ground parts and long grinding wheel lifetimes. The guideways of both the longitudinal slide and the cross slide are molded directly into the machine bed. To ensure that the high forces that occur during grinding with high metal removal rates are optimally absorbed into the machine bed, the guideways have a larger spacing.

The new StuderGuide® guideway system ensures high precision of the longitudinal and cross slides when both stationary and during movement. This system uses the advantages of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic guide systems and avoids the slip-stick effect or floating of the slide. Also contributing to the machine’s high precision is how the solid gray cast iron longitudinal and cross slides rest completely on the guideways over the entire travel. With this maintenance-free guide system, UGT guarantees a straightness of < 0.0001 in over a measured length of 37.4 in.

The longitudinal slide (Z-axis) has a ground work table which carries the workhead and tailstock as well as additional accessories and devices. A ground T-slot over the entire length of the guideway enables optimal positioning of dressing tools. The cross slide (X-axis) supports the wheelhead. Longitudinal and cross slides are moved by linear direct drives and, with up to 66 fpm, achieve four times higher travel speeds and axis system resolutions of ten nm. This enables high-precision and highly efficient grinding, as well as making a huge contribution to reducing auxiliary times.

The swivel movement of the turret wheelhead (B-axis) is also by a direct drive. It swivels the turret wheelhead around three times faster and positions the new grinding wheels in a much shorter time with a positioning resolution of 0.00005 deg. This new concept makes a considerable contribution to saving on auxiliary times, particularly when the workpiece grinding process requires frequent swiveling-in of different wheels.