Mitsui Seiki universal thread grinder holds work vertically, supports additional grinding processes

The Mitsui Seiki VGE60A machine will accept components up to 80 mm dia by 700 mm long with a maximum grinding length of 600 mm. It can be used with both oil- and water-based coolants. The machine, which sees parts held in the vertical, not horizontal, plane won the coveted 'Grand Prize' in Japan's 43rd Machine Design Awards. The Grand Prize is sponsored by the country's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry and was awarded on 25 July 2013. The vertical approach creates a highly rigid construction that eliminates the 'sag' that can occur in 'between centres' horizontal thread grinding units. Typical applications are small to medium batch requirements on high accuracy components, where a single-cycle routine involving multiple operations can maintain geometric relationships, eliminate relocation of parts and reduce production lead times. Typical components on trial by Mitsui Seiki are special gauges, lead and feed screw actuators, parts for auxiliary power units for aerospace and helicopter engine, and transmission units and components for use in electrical power steering. In addition, considerable interest is also being shown for development and prototype work. The machine incorporates automatic grinding wheel changing, which can, according to the system specified, accommodate up to 24 wheels up to 255 mm diameter. A full CNC wheel dressing system for vitrified wheels, plus the ability for use of CBN wheel technology, is incorporated in the machine design. An automated wheel guarding system features and grinding wheel tilt angle can be set between +45 and -90 °. Thermal compensation is available on each machine axis to maximise consistency and repeatability of each grinding cycle.