Título

RING GRINDER WITH AUTOMATIC WHEEL CHANGING SYSTEM

RING GRINDER WITH AUTOMATIC WHEEL CHANGING SYSTEM

Autoria

Martecchini, Fabio; Ivancic, Augusto; Masiero., Paulo

DOI

10.5151/2594-5297-22607

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Resumo

Automation in modern roll shops must increase machine productivity and reduce operator’s costs, plus add benefits in terms of labor conditions and quality of the end products. The new ATOMAT grinding machine AT711E CNC, equipped with an advanced system to perform the automatic change of the wheels, represents a big leap forward in this direction. The wheel changing maneuver has always been regarded as the bottleneck within the grinding operations sequence, because of: The time required, weight and the ergonomics of positioning of the wheels, relevant operations setting and last but not least, the inaccuracy associated with the multiple handling and roll setup requirements. The new changing system overcomes all of these hurdles: an automatic arm transfers the wheels to and from a 12 position holding rack; then the operating wheel is positioned and locked on the grinding shaft without any operator intervention; the wheel dimension and zero setting controls are also performed automatically, thanks to a special and precise electronic probe; the work-piece zero setting is done in automatic as well, by another electronic probe that also certifies the accuracy of the finished groove profiles; finally, to achieve perfect concentricity and eliminate run-out, both the outside diameter and groove grinding are managed without moving the work-piece from the headstock (i.e. single roll setup). As a result, the machine can reach the target of redressing, with extreme accuracy, up to 16 rings per shift, reducing the operator’s activity to approximately 10% of the overall machine time (i.e. 3 minutes per roll ); creating an efficient and safe working environment. ATOMAT envisions a full automation of the whole process with the future installation of an external robot for the routine replacement of the work-pieces.

 

Automation in modern roll shops must increase machine productivity and reduce operator’s costs, plus add benefits in terms of labor conditions and quality of the end products. The new ATOMAT grinding machine AT711E CNC, equipped with an advanced system to perform the automatic change of the wheels, represents a big leap forward in this direction. The wheel changing maneuver has always been regarded as the bottleneck within the grinding operations sequence, because of: The time required, weight and the ergonomics of positioning of the wheels, relevant operations setting and last but not least, the inaccuracy associated with the multiple handling and roll setup requirements. The new changing system overcomes all of these hurdles: an automatic arm transfers the wheels to and from a 12 position holding rack; then the operating wheel is positioned and locked on the grinding shaft without any operator intervention; the wheel dimension and zero setting controls are also performed automatically, thanks to a special and precise electronic probe; the work-piece zero setting is done in automatic as well, by another electronic probe that also certifies the accuracy of the finished groove profiles; finally, to achieve perfect concentricity and eliminate run-out, both the outside diameter and groove grinding are managed without moving the work-piece from the headstock (i.e. single roll setup). As a result, the machine can reach the target of redressing, with extreme accuracy, up to 16 rings per shift, reducing the operator’s activity to approximately 10% of the overall machine time (i.e. 3 minutes per roll ); creating an efficient and safe working environment. ATOMAT envisions a full automation of the whole process with the future installation of an external robot for the routine replacement of the work-pieces.

Palavras-chave

Grinding; Wheel changing; Accuracy; Safety.

Grinding; Wheel changing; Accuracy; Safety.