Small Grinding Center Offers Big Productivity Boost with Fast Set up Times

In the development of EMAG’s (Salach, Germany) VLC 100 G Vertical Grinding Center, grinding specialists made sure to offer a concept with efficient, error-free machining processes for the production of small chucked components. Small chucked components are typically produced in large quantities, with demand for components, such as gearwheels, planetary gears, chain gears or flanged components for cars, typically in quantities of millions. Thus, short cycle times in production have become mandatory.

The internal contour of a gearwheel, for example, must be ground in the shortest possible time and the machine’s workholding unit must be loaded with a new workpiece equally as efficiently. This represents a critical moment in many production environments, as idle time is often a decisive factor in establishing the economic viability of an entire production process.

High output levels with short cycle times; this is exactly what the VLC 100 G Vertical Grinding Center from EMAG was developed for. Designed for small chucked components with a maximum diameter of 100 mm, the VLC 100 G utilizes its built-in pick-up system to load itself. While one workpiece is being machined, the operator – or the automation system – re-loads the raw-parts onto the conveyor belt.

This reduces idle times and increases output rates. Another benefit is the vertical machining concept, the signature EMAG design ensuring that grinding sludge falls to the bottom of the machine unhindered and away from the machining process, where it is then transported out of the machine.

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A demonstration of the VLC 100 G: The production of small food items is often associated with very large numbers: cam rings, pump rings, cams and other food items with different inner and outer contours. The vertical grinding machine VLC 100 G was developed specifically for the productive and high-precision manufacture of these components. The grinding machine loads through the pick-up system itself, and is ground while a member of the operator or automation can place the next blanks already on the revolving conveyor belt. In this way, the downtime of the machine reduce dramatically. An important issue for the efficient grinding production is also the possibility of using two grinding spindles. The first tool provides a certain extent “for Grobe’s.” With high feed it carries excess material from the blank. The second tool then takes over the fine work and guaranteed even in complex geometries perfect surfaces.

Measuring can also be integrated into the machine, making quality control an integral part of the whole process. The measuring probe is located between the machining area and the pick-up station, where it is protected from contamination.

An important feature of the VLC 100 G is that it offers the possibility of utilizing two grinding spindles, which can be used to perform different grinding operations, for example to handle both rough- and fine-grinding work. “For the removal of large amounts, two wheels offer a shorter cycle time than one, with the first wheel designed to do the rough-grinding and the second one in charge of finish-grinding work”, explains Dr. Guido Hegener, managing director of EMAG Salach Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

The first wheel performs the “rough” job of removing excess material from the raw-part at high feedrates, while the second wheel, with different specifications, takes over the finishing work to guarantee a perfect surface finish on even the most challenging geometries. Through this intelligent tooling combination, EMAG design engineers have succeeded in drastically reducing the grinding time of even very complex components.

The combination of fast loading and efficient grinding processes leads to a very compelling machining concept. The machine works very well with dynamic developments in automotive production. Now, with the rapid increase in required quantities, demand for new machine concepts that can be integrated into existing production without any problem grows.

Two features of the VLC 100 G enable it to be seamlessly integrated into established production lines. “Programming the workpieces with our new EMAG NAVIGATOR software is simple and intuitive, saving valuable setup time. For many production environments this is an advantage that should not be underrated”, confirms Dr. Hegener. Furthermore, the exceptionally small footprint of the VLC 100 G should make the work of every production planner easier. The stand-alone machine only takes up around 4.5 sq m (48 sq ft), making sure that the growth of a production facility of this kind will not be limited by floor space requirements.

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