Why We Are Thankful for Centerless Grinders

Why We Are Thankful for Centerless Grinders

As Thanksgiving approaches, you may be taking stock of some of the things for which you are grateful.  With centerless grinders always on our minds, here are ten reasons why this important machine tool has earned our eternal gratitude.  Have questions about centerless grinders or centerless grindingHave a project coming upContact us.

1. Unbelievably fast processing
“Faster than a speeding bullet” might be a good term to describe the output of your average centerless grinder.  When throughfeed grinding, your workaholic centerless grinder can process an amazing 200 to 300 parts per minute, depending on part size.  The superb design of your centerless grinder allows you to run hundreds of parts in throughfeed mode without operator intervention.

2. Minimal load time  
You can reduce your load time to a minimal three seconds per part, even when running your centerless grinder in infeedmode.  Compare that to 1,050 slices of pizza, which is the average consumption every three seconds in the United States.

3. Extreme numbers of parts can be processed
Because you don’t need to fixture each part, centerless grinders are ideal for processing huge volumes of small cylindrical parts.  Need to process parts with different diameters?  That’s no issue for your centerless grinder, which can handle multiple diameters with minimal setup changes.

4. Centerless grinders lend themselves to automation
More automation means less labor, which leads to lower costs and fewer defects from operator loading error.

5. Centerless grinders save time
If we compare centerless grinding to grinding between centers, the centerless process is going to win from sunrise to sunset.  A centerless grinding machine can grind a 24”-wide part in a single plunge.  If you processed the same part on a cylindrical grinder, it would take multiple plunges because of the grinder’s width limitations.

6. Quick set-up
Most non-centerless grinders need continual set-up throughout the grinding process.  A centerless grinder boasts nearly “set it and forget it” operation.  Once a centerless grinder is set up for a specific part, the operator needs to make only minimal adjustments to maintain the OD size.

7. Tight tolerances
The centerless principles of tangential grinding create the roundest parts possible in high-production environments. Sub-micron roundness tolerances are routinely achieved.

8. Grinding wheels last longer
On most throughfeed grinders, you’ll find a 24”-diameter wheel with a maximum width of 24”.  The “usable” wheel diameter of 17” allows for thousands of finished pieces to be ground with one set of wheels.

9. Centerless grinders last for many years
This machine tool won’t be featured on Antiques Roadshow anytime soon.  We commonly visit plants with multiple 60-year-old centerless grinders churning out thousands of high quality precision parts.

10.  “Like a Rolling Stone”
 Centerless grinders keep the world’s industries rolling. Whether processing bearings, camshafts, axles or any other spherical part, the transportation industry would not exist without the contribution of the centerless grinder.

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