How flexibility works: Space for 70 grinding wheels

Admittedly, the tool changers with which we normally equip our Multigrind® CA and Multigrind® CB grinding machines are also impressive. The Multigrind® CB's double wheel changer holds up to 12 grinding wheels of 300 mm each, and the Multigrind® CA's patented pickup double wheel changer can be equipped with up to 14 grinding wheels of 250 mm diameter each. This is sufficient for most applications. However, cost pressure is forcing manufacturers of aerospace components, medical products or cutting tools, to name just three industries, to search for new ways to save money.

Tool magazine minimizes set-up costs

One way to reduce unit costs is to minimize setup costs. This means that the workpiece to be machined should, if possible, be machined in one clamping. All necessary grinding or cutting tools must be completely available in the tool magazine and can be changed in no time at all. A nice side effect is that the dimensional accuracy and thus the product quality increase, since errors during reclamping are eliminated.

Now we at Haas Schleifmaschinen are always looking forward to new technical challenges and have therefore gladly complied with the request of a major customer from the aerospace industry to manufacture complete part families and multiple products with minimum set-up costs. That was a good year ago. Now the new shelf magazine with no less than 70 places has been accepted by the customer and is about to be delivered. It's understandable that the colleagues in our design department are a bit proud of their baby, isn't it?

New shelf magazine live at GrindDate 2017 in Trossingen, Germany
If you want to experience the new shelf magazine live, we invite you to our GrindDate 2017 from 27 to 29 April in Trossingen. In our demonstration room you can convince yourself of the capacity and efficiency of our tool magazine in combination with our grinding machine Multigrind® CA. Of course, the new magazine also fits the Multigrind® CB without any problems.

Tool change in ten seconds

The shelf magazine (2,000 x 2,400 x 3,200 mm, LxWxH) has space on one side for 70 grinding wheels with a diameter of 250 mm each for the CA grinding machine and 65 grinding wheels with a diameter of 300 mm each for the CB grinding machine; on the other side there are 20 coolant protection devices. The shelf magazine stands on four levelling shoes at the rear of the grinding machine and is not mechanically connected to it. Of course, the new tool magazine is integrated in our Multigrind® Horizon grinding software.

The interface to the grinding machine is the shuttle table in the machine. The transport of the grinding wheels and coolant protectors takes place via the linear handling of the shelf magazine. The speed of the linear axes is 60 m/min, the acceleration is 5 m/s2. The magazine is loaded via the loading door. Grinding wheels and coolant guards are inserted one after the other and, after closing the door, are picked up by the handling system and deposited at the specified location. The shuttle table of the machine replaces the normal tool changer and takes over the handling of the grinding wheel and the coolant guard into the working area with a linear and a swivel axis. The shelf magazine is protected from oil mist by a safety door. All in all, the grinding machine only needs ten seconds to change the tools!

Based on the response to date, we assume that our new tool magazine will meet with lively interest. Especially for manufacturers who have to produce entire families of parts or require more than 15 grinding wheels for individual workpieces.

If you want to know more about our new shelf magazine, please send me an e-mail or contact us on our GrindDate. Thank you for your interest!

Until then and: Grinding with attitude!

Thomas Bader