Many people are surprised to learn that there are actually several ways to hold a workpiece in a cylindrical grinder. The most common method is to use three centers.
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Cylindrical Grinder
A cylindrical grinder is a manufacturing process that produces very precise shapes and sizes on a workpiece. It is usually used to create objects that have a cylindrical shape, such as pipes and tubes. The process can also be used to create other objects, such as spheres and cones.
What is a Cylindrical Grinder?
A cylindrical grinder is a machine tool that is used to shape the outside of an object by rotating it around a central axis. This means that the object being worked on is brought into contact with an abrasive wheel, which will then remove small pieces of material from the object until it has the desired shape.
The cylindrical grinder can be used to grind materials with a variety of different shapes, but the most common objects that are ground in this way are cylinders. This is because cylinders are symmetrical around their axes, which makes them easy to work with. There are also many different types of abrasive wheels that can be used, depending on the material that needs to be removed and the desired finish.
How Many Centers Hold the Workpiece?
The cylindrical grinder is used to grind the outside surface of a workpiece. The workpiece is held between two centers, one of which is adjustable. The WheelGuard covers most of the wheel and spindle area.
CNC Cylindrical Grinding
CNC cylindrical grinding is a specialty form of CNC machining. Unlike other forms of CNC machining, such as CNC lathe or CNC mill, cylindrical grinding requires a higher level of precision. This is because the workpiece is often times held between two centers, and the grinding wheel must be very precise in order to avoid damaging the workpiece.
What is CNC Cylindrical Grinding?
CNC cylindrical grinding is a specialty form of computer numeric controlled (CNC) grinding. An operator uses the CNC machine to grip the workpiece. The computer program then tells the wheels where to spin and how deep to cut. This specific form of grinding produces more precise results than manual cylindrical grinding, which still uses many of the same tools but without the aid of a computer.
How Many Centers Hold the Workpiece?
The size of the workpiece and the type of grinding operation will dictate how many centers the workpiece will need to be held in. For example, a small diameter pipe being ground on the OD will only need to be held in one center while a larger block being ground on all sides will need multiple centers. A CNC universal grinder can be set up to hold the workpiece in multiple centers, allowing for very precise grinding operations.
Creep-Feed Grinding
Creep-feed grinding is an abrasive machining process, but beyond that, it can be classified according to the specific abrasive machining process: platen grinding, centerless grinding, ID grinding, and OD grinding.
What is Creep-Feed Grinding?
Creep-feed grinding is generally used to describe a surface grinding operation performed in a production environment. It can be used to describe both cylindrical and surface grinding. The main difference between the two processes is the depth of cut. Creep-feed grinding allows for much deeper cuts than surface grinding, which results in faster material removal. In order to perform creep-feed grinding, the workpiece must be held in a chuck or similar device that will allow it to rotate while the wheel or table moves back and forth. The table can either be programmed to move in a linear fashion or it can be fitted with a CNC control that will allow for more complex shapes to be ground.
How Many Centers Hold the Workpiece?
Depending on the size and weight of the workpiece, as well as the type of cylindrical grinder being used, it may be necessary to use more than one center to hold the workpiece during grinding. For example, on a small precision grinder such as a jig borer, it may only be necessary to use one center. However, on a large creep-feed grinder, it may be necessary to use two or even three centers.