Although centered and centerless grinding are both used in manufacturing, centerless grinding technology is continually advancing to make these machines more efficient than ever before. This technique abrades metal workpieces to remove material, shaping them into the desired end forms.
When manufacturers work with centerless grinders, they can expect:
- Smoother finishes
- Tighter tolerances
- Straighter lines
In this post, we explore a few of the best practices regarding centerless grinding, as well as some of the products this process creates.
The Not-So-Obvious Advantages of Grinding
It’s easy to see the physical benefits of centerless grinding in the completed project: you have a superior finished product. Saving money and time is harder to see, but they’re just as important for your company.
Other benefits of centerless grinding include:
- Fast loading: Compared with centered grinding, centerless grinding allows for exceptionally short loading times, resulting in nearly nonstop grinding.
- No need to reset equipment: After you set up your centerless grinding equipment, you can usually complete the full production run without needing to reset it. This saves both time and labor costs while also reducing the possibility of error.
- No deflection: Because the workpiece is completely supported, it’s possible to use heavier passes than those used by centered grinding.
- No axial thrust: Since there’s no added pressure on the ends of the piece, a centerless grinder is great for working with delicate pieces and brittle materials.
- Long life: Centerless grinding wheels can last a long time because there’s no need for external feeding and centering (and the potential error that can accompany these factors).
- High production: An automatic feeding process (via gravity chute, for example) allows for the rapid production of smaller items.
Additional Benefits for Superior Processing
Centerless grinders are capable of processing as many as 200–300 parts per minute (the exact number depends on the size of the part). These machines owe their amazing production capabilities to their ability to run hundreds of parts in through-feed without the need of manual assistance.
By linewise support of the workpiece, it’s also possible to grind soft or brittle materials, as these machines operate via low-tension processes. It’s not necessary to prepare the workpiece for fixing in the grinding, and faults caused by fixing are eliminated.
Additionally, loading or unloading of the workpiece is simple and easy to automate. When using continuous through-feed grinding, there’s no time loss incurred by changing the workpiece. Furthermore, long workpieces can be handled by comparatively small machines.
Do You Need Centerless Grinding?
At Centerless Technology, we bring over two decades experience to offer high-quality grinding services. We remain committed to providing top-notch grinding using the most advanced grinding equipment available. We recently installed our new KELLENBER-VARIA UR 175/1000, which is capable of both multidiameter and internal grinding with 40” between centers and 13.75” swing diameters.
No matter what material you need for your project, we can get it for you. We regularly work with materials such as:
- 416SS
- 303SS
- 12L14
- Tool steel
- Aluminum
We’re happy to serve your centerless grinding needs. Contact our team to get started on your next project, or request a quote.
