strausak, purchased several years ago by rollomatic, is ... · grinding technologies strausak,...

March 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 77

What’s Next in Grinding?

Sarah A. WebsterEditor in Chief

Machine tool builders offer more

affordable grinders as well as those

loaded with new automation, redesigned

wheel changers and moreM

any precision grinding machines on the

market already offer their users near-perfect

tolerances, leaving one to wonder: What’s

next in grinding? But tool builders still have

plenty of room to add valuable new improvements, ma-

chine shop owners say. Aside from adding complementary

manufacturing functions, such as milling or turning, there is

still an appetite for new and improved automation, as well

as software solutions that make grinders easier to use and

allow them to use less space, labor and energy. And, of

course, there’s always room to come down on price.

One of the big names in grinding, Rollomatic Group (Le

Landeron, Switzerland), decided that bringing value to the

marketplace was a good strategic direction. It purchased

Strausak AG (Lohn-Ammannsegg, Switzerland) four years

ago in an effort to bring more value offerings to its portfolio.

GrindinG TechnoloGies

Strausak, purchased several years ago by Rollomatic, is coming to the US market with the U-Grind 5-axis Universal CNC tool and cutter

grinder, shown at IMTS 2014. The U-Grind is about 35% less expensive than a comparable Rollomatic five-axis CNC tool grinder.

78 AdvancedManufacturing.org | March 2015

The Strausak U-Grind five-axis Universal CNC tool and

cutter grinder, shown at IMTS 2014, is about 35% less

expensive than a comparable Rollomatic five-axis CNC tool

grinder, said Henry Ecker, president, Strausak Inc. (Munde-

lein, IL) and a former regional sales manager at Rollomatic.

“With the return of Strausak to the US market, the Rollo-

matic Group now has a machine to offer where the Rollomat-

ic product line did not historically sell well, such as resharp-

ening applications, manufacturing of small-batch specials

and price-conscious consumer installations,” Ecker said.

Although it has an easier entry point, the Strausak brand

has plenty of credibility in tool grinding, being one of the first

to market with a five-axis grinding machine in 1991, called

the Fleximat 91, which was popular in Europe.

The U-Grind, in particular, is versatile, intuitive and easy to

use, Ecker said. It is aimed primarily at small-batch specialty

tools and regrinding, but can accommodate larger batches

and manufacturing from solid carbide up to 1.0" (25.4 mm)

in diameter. All axes are direct-drive, so the five-axes system

works free of backlash, offering greater precision. High

structural rigidity and damping ensure smooth operation for

the highest surface finish quality and tightest dimensional

tolerances. The powerful spindle motor allows for high feed

rates even when fluting, while the torque motor on the B-axis

provides rigid holding accuracy. In addition to other features,

such as a workhead with a one-button quick-change col-

let system, the U-Grind also includes a six-position wheel

changer as standard, with robot-loading automation as an

option. The machine also includes flexible programming

with NUMROTO Plus software and 3D tool simulation and

machine animation, which can detect and help avoid any

axes crashes. Strausak and NUMROTO have been partners

for more than 20 years.

Space-Saving Quality Grinders

Another heavyweight in tool grinding, ANCA (Wixom, MI)

unveiled an all-new series of three ANCA FX Linear machines

at IMTS 2014. The series replaces the RX/GX models.

The new series consists of three levels—FX3 Linear,

FX5 Linear and FX7 Linear—which offer different standard

configurations, and cover the spectrum, from light manu-

facturing and regrinding to full production. The series’

best performance and productivity range is for tools with

a diameter up to 12 mm. It offers grinding capabilities for

tools up 200 mm in diameter. Maximum wheel diameter is

8" (203 mm).

The highlight of the series is the new ANCA-designed

tubular shaft linear motors. In addition to the space sav-

ings, the motors offer lower operating costs and higher

tool quality.

The new design does not have ballscrews in the X and Y

axes. Instead it has a magnetic shaft clamped at each end


Continued on P82

ANCA’s FX Series comes with a new generation of software that

promises improved ease of use and is supported by the latest

generation AMD5x control system, along with a full

touch-screen CNC operator panel.

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A t Melin Tool (Cleveland) the company has nearly

10,000 SKUs—from the end mills that the family

business started manufacturing in 1940 to a full

portfolio of cutting tools, including countersinks, drills,

threadmills and more. The tools come in a range of

materials, too: premium high-performance and con-

ventional carbide as well as cobalt high-speed steel.

With a large, diverse catalog and 400 active dis-

tributors around the world, production rarely slows

down, even during economic downturns. That’s

partly because Melin likes to keep inventory sufficient

to ship same-day as much as possible.

“I never see it slowing down. It’s a runaway train—

I just hold on. We’ve been waiting for a slow week for

five years,” said Mike Wochna, company president.

“We run 24 hours a day, every day.”

Production schedules at Melin, which has 82 em-

ployees in its 35,000-ft2 (3256-m2) facility, are also fairly

complex, even with the help of sophisticated computer

software. Wochna said Melin sometimes feels like it is

two shops: On weekdays, during fully staffed hours,

Melin runs specialized, custom and smaller jobs. Over-

night and during the weekends, the shop runs large

jobs lights-out. Most of this production work consists of

grinding because all Melin tools are CNC finish ground.

“We buy more grinders than anything else,” he said.

The production floor is made up of 40 CNC grind-

ers, with a variety of brands—Rollomatic, ANCA,

Walter and more. The average machine is about five

years old, but there are some old-timers over 12.

Even these have been updated, though. Virtually all

machines have loaders and robots and are con-

nected to Melin’s software system. “There is so much

data involved now,” Wochna said.

Production GoalsWhile Melin manages a large number of diverse

jobs around the clock, Wochna said it would be

wrong to assume speed was the company’s primary

production goal. He isn’t interested in machines

and wheels that impress with output alone. Two of

his largest customer segments are aerospace and

medical, and quality is paramount.

“We need to make sure we have a certain number

of good parts at the end of the day,” Wochna said.

The biggest production enemy is setup time

and rework, and most production and purchas-

ing decisions are made to limit both.

“We may make a year’s supply of one item

to reduce setup,” Wochna said.

And rework is particularly troublesome, he

said, when the margin per tool is considered.

For the money, it’s usually not worth it.

“Final part and finish is more important than

speed to us,” he said. “We consider the limiting

factor to be finish.”

The Paradigm AdvantageThat makes purchasing decisions particularly

important at Melin, where investments in new

machines right down to the consumable wheels

is considered carefully. While the company has

a diverse mix of grinders on its floor—Wochna

said it’s good to have flexibility there—it doesn’t have

as much variety in some other areas.

Melin, for example, prefers Schaublin collets and it

has fewer brands of grinding wheels than it used to.

About 60% of its wheels today are now Norton

Paradigm Diamond Wheels, a product that Wochna

said has substantially improved its operations and

quality output. “They hit a home run with Paradigm,”

Wochna said. “We want to have the best wheels.”

Paradigm is positioned in the top tier of grinding

wheels from the Norton brand of Saint-Gobain Abra-

sives, the world’s largest abrasives manufacturer.

Grinding Matters at Melin Tool

Norton Paradigm Diamond Wheels have a patented design that uses

an ionic bond that allows for improved exposure of the working

particles and higher grain retention.


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The wheels feature a low diamond-to-bond ratio,

possible because the special metal matrix forms an

ionic bond with the diamond particles. The lower mix

of bond allows for higher exposure of the working

particles, and the ionic bond also delivers higher grain

retention, which aids in a more uniform wear.

Compared to other superabrasive wheels, Norton

says Paradigm offers a high ratio of material removal

rate versus wheel wear, up to 2.5× longer wheel life

and a 30% higher material removal rate. While that ul-

timately means faster cycle times, Wochna said other

aspects of the wheel are more important to him.

Every wheel, he said, has a sweet spot on the

machine on which it’s running, in the way that it runs,

wears, how much horsepower is used for good re-

sults and how long the wheel can run effectively be-

tween dressing, which requires labor. “When it is run

properly,” he said, “the Paradigm wheel needs little

dressing. With the other wheels, it’s once an hour.”

What’s more, Wochna said Paradigm is simply

a sharper, freer cutting product on its face, which

requires less horsepower, or force, to cut into hard

metals. That saves energy.

But perhaps even more important, because

Paradigm was engineered to erode in a predictable

manner, he said, “it helps us run lights-out.” That way,

there aren’t surprises in the morning.

Paradigm, Wochna said, is one of the things

helping Melin grow profitably. The company plans

to add 10,000 ft2 (930 m2) to its facility soon, and it

invests substantially in research and development.

“We’re changing and tweaking our geometries

all the time,” he said, in addition to adding new

coatings.

As he looks ahead, Wochna still doesn’t see a

slow week on the calendar, but he’s trying to keep it

manageable. “We try not to grow too fast,” he said,

“about 10% a year.”


of the axis. The lack of ballscrews reduces wear, and the

design promises smoother axis motion, reduced reversal

errors and no backlash or lubrication issues. The linear

motors are fully sealed and so are impervious to contamina-

tion. The vertical Z axis uses a preloaded ballscrew to move

the grinding head.

The FX Series also comes with a new generation of soft-

ware that promises improved ease of use and is supported

by the latest generation AMD5x control system, along with a

full touch-screen CNC operator panel.

The FX3 is an entry-level machine. The FX5 offers

an automated two-wheel changer and, when properly

equipped, can provide untended

operation. The FX7 is ideal for manu-

facturing and resharpening. It has a

standard automatic headstock and a

range of options for high productivity,

including a robot loader with capacity

to load up to 840 tools, a six-station

wheel changer for auto loading of

wheel packs and coolant manifolds,

a compact loader, and laser probe for

in-process tool measurement.

Grant Anderson, ANCA CEO/

director, said the company is excited

about the new FX Linear line, espe-

cially its new software and automation

technology designed and developed

by subsidiary ANCA Motion. “These

new developments,” he said, “include

the LinX linear motors as well the new

touch pad user interface, high-perfor-

mance CNC, remote pendant, AMD5x

servodrives and IO box, all of which

use the latest EtherCAT communica-

tion technology.”

Production Tool Grinding

At the higher production end of the

spectrum, United Grinding’s Walter

brand (Fredericksburg, VA) showed off

a new Helitronic Vision 400 at IMTS

2014 that is designed for high-volume

production and precision, especially

in the aerospace, automotive, medical

and woodworking industries.

The high-performance Vision 400

model is positioned above Walter’s

Helitronic Power CNC tool grinding

machine and specializes in tool grind-

ing of rotationally symmetrical tools

ranging in diameter from 3 to 315


Continued from P78

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mm, made from HSS, HM, cermet, ceramic and CBN. Tool

lengths can be up to 350 mm, and each item may weigh

up to 50 kg.

The Helitronic Vision 400 features a redesigned six wheel

changer that meets the requirements for highly automated

multishift operation, with six places for 18 grinding wheels.

An optional six-axis CNC FANUC robot is also offered for

tool handling, with up to 7500 tool capacity. An updated

drive system features ball thread drives in the linear axes and

worm drives in the rotary axes, which differentiates it from the

Helitronic Vision model. Like the other Helitronic models, the

base is cast iron, which translates into high drive dynamics

with low vibrations.

Also this past fall, Walter introduced its Walter Helitronic

Mini Automation, a five-axis universal tool grinding machine

for smaller workpieces. The Mini is billed as the first choice

in the Helitronic family when it comes to the highest

productivity and quality expectations in volume production.

The machine’s double-ended spindle can accommodate

up to three grinding wheels per end to process end mills,

drills, step drills, step tools, woodworking tools, profile blades

and profile tools from 1 to 16 mm in diameter. Maximum tool

length is 185 mm, with a minimum diameter of 1 mm for pro-

duction blanks and 3 mm for regrinding. Tool materials can

include carbide, HSS, ceramic, cermet or CBN.

A FANUC control operates five CNC axes including linear

X, Y, and Z ballscrew axes, an A axis with a torque motor,

and a rotational C axis with a worm drive. The machine’s

continuously variable grinding spindle drive features a 12-hp

(9-kW) motor.

Engineered for high-production volumes, the

machine has a robot loader that can handle up to

1500 tools. An optional extension for a robot loader

can hold four additional pallets for up to 2000 tools,

providing a total production capacity of 3500 tools.

Both the Vision 400 and Mini Automation feature

Walter’s grinding software, Helitronic Tool Studio.

Plug-and-Play Internal Grinding

Aside from tool grinding, another of United Grind-

ing’s brands, Studer, is offering a new S141, which

has been redesigned from the ground up, for both

short, medium and long workpieces. That model is

also serving as the basis for a new ID grinding series

from Studer, which launched a new S131 and S151

at its annual Motion event. (See NewsDesk on p. 24)

Internal grinding is regarded as one of the more challeng-

ing areas of grinding, because the farther the grinding wheel

gets from the bearings and spindle, the more challenging it

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The Studer S141 has been redesigned from the ground up and is ideal for

internal cylindrical grinding for short and long workpieces. This new design

also serves as the basis for a new series of machines, including the S131

and S151, announced by United Grinding in February.

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is to manage precision. Wheels on long arbors can cause

deflection and other challenges. What’s more, an internal

grinding wheel has a greater contact area with the work-

piece, which can cause challenging wear issues.

The S141 series is available in different design lengths,

for workpieces with maximum lengths of 300, 700 and

1300 mm. The S141 is well suited to grinding chuck

components, spindle shafts, spindle housings,rotor shafts

or axes. Many workpieces are in the

areas of machine tools, drive elements,

aerospace and toolmaking.

Andrew Osborn, product engineer at

United Grinding (Miamisburg, OH), said

the company took the highly accurate

S41 grinding machine and converted it

into an internal grinding machine with

the S141. The company’s internal grind-

ing center in Biel, Switzerland, played a

large role in redesigning the machine. “It

can hold a 52" [1320-mm] part on the

machine,” he said, noting that the ma-

chine maintains accuracy even at very

long internal grinding lengths. Internal

grinding quills up to 265 mm long can

be used. A direct drive and high-reso-

lution direct measuring system ensure

quick, controlled rotational movements

and precise positioning with a repeat-

ability precision of less than one angular

second. Workpieces can be completely

machined both internally and exter-

nally in a single clamping with minimal

auxiliary times. In addition, the grinding

spindle turret has a universal measur-

ing probe, which can be used for length

positioning of a workpiece or diameter

control measurement.

“In your programming options, you

can say how often you want to dress

the wheel, and it will go dress itself and

automatically compensate for the new

wheel diameter,” Osborn said. There

are even special features for the most

precise applications. “When you’re

dressing a diamond wheel, one micron

... you can compensate 60% of a mi-

cron. There’s little features like that. ...

The machine is very plug-and-play.”

Osborn agreed that grinding

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where accuracy “can’t go much further,” so United Grind-

ing is focusing on making the whole process as automated

as possible, as well as energy savings. The vision is for

an operator to easily enter a part program into a machine,

and the machine will grind it, measure it, provide automatic

feedback to the machine and make necessary adjustments

itself and produce a finished part with little operator involve-

ment beyond the initial program.

What’s New in Surface Grinding?

Ease of operation is a highlight of two Chevalier surface

grinding machines, which were to be shown at Houstex.

The new FSG-ADIII series, highlighted by the FSG-

1632ADIII, is an advanced, automatic-precision, surface-

grinding machine that offers improved accuracy, quality

and ease of operation. This series includes a new touch-

screen control station that can be adjusted for operator

comfort. “Switches, buttons, LEDs and indicating lamps

are all combined in a touch display that is ergonomically

positioned to provide the best user-friendly operation,” said

Chevalier Vice President Johnson Lan.

The series also includes a new PLC controller that

provides a grind cycle with rough grinding, fine grinding,

spark-out passes and an automatic over-wheel dresser

with compensation, which can be added to fully automate

the grind process. After the cycle is finished, the table will

“park” either left or right of the saddle and at the front to

facilitate unloading and loading. The spindle can be set to

“stop running” or “continue running.” The wheelhead can

also be set to return to the start position or to park at a ref-

erence point. Once the cycle is started, the wheel head will

move rapidly to the start point and repeat the grind cycle.

If material is required to be removed from both sides, “flip

over” can be selected, so that the wheelhead position is at

the finish grind height, which will start grinding immediately

without touching off.

Chevalier’s SMART-B818III surface and high-profile CNC

grinder also boast ease of operation. The SMART-B818III

is capable of producing mirror-surface finishes on highly

accurately ground workpieces that produce microfinishes of

5 rms. The positioning accuracy is (±) 0.0025 μm and the

grinding accuracy is 1 μm. The SMART’s movements are

programmable in increments of 0.001 mm and include a

table size of 8 × 8" (203 × 203 mm). The maximum distance

from table to spindle centerline is 16" (406 mm) and wheel

spindle is rated at 1000–7000 rpm and 4 hp (3 kw). The

SMART’s standard grinding wheel size is 8 × ½ × 1¼" (203 ×

12.7 × 31.8 mm).

“The SMART’s PC-based control,” Lan said, “combined

with a user-friendly conversational TaskLink function, makes

it easy to learn and operate.”

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?Chevalier562-903-1929 / chevalierusa.com

Norton Abrasives254-918-2313 / nortonindustrial.com

Rollomatic847-281-8550 / rollomatic.ch/en/

Strausak847-281-8550 / strausakusa.com

Studer937-859-1975 / studer.com/en/

United Grinding937-859-1975 / grinding.com

Walter540-898-3700 / walter-machines.com

strausak, purchased several years ago by rollomatic, is ... · grinding technologies strausak,...

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