Studer's S11 cylindrical grinder is compact, precise productive; targets S36 machine users

Aiming its message at Studer S36 users producing parts up to 200 mm length, the company says that such firms can now use two Studer S11s in the same floor space as that required for an S36, while one S11 alone has a 15% higher productivity than the Studer S36. So, in the space taken by one Studer S36, two Studer S11s can deliver 30% more production. Says Martin Habegger, S11 project manager: "We carried out a preliminary market analysis. We are not aware of any comparable machine with the same functionalities as the Studer S11 on the market at present. The S11 embodies an extremely compact design, paired with high productivity and Swiss precision. Energy efficiency is included and certified by the Blue Competence Label." Explaining the machine's precision characteristics, the company takes injection nozzles for diesels as a benchmark. These require roundness tolerances under 5/10 micron in series and a straightness under 1 micron. Studer says these values are bettered by the hydraulics-free S11. Basic characteristics of the machine are: workpiece capacity - 50 mm diameter by 200 mm length, 3 kg weight; a 500 mm diameter grinding wheel is fitted, which can also be rotary dressed, with the 4.5 kW motor grinding spindle water-cooled and fitted with high-precision roller bearings able to achieve a good removal rate at; wheelhead angle can be set at 0° or 20°; and auto-loading can feature. The StuderWINfocus grinding software package supports easy programming, with touch-screen and a graphic user interface supported. Despite its compact design, the machine is easy to maintain. At the front is a three-stage door. Stage one is intended for quick manual loading or a brief check of the workpiece. The door only opens to an optimised minimum. Stage two sees the door opening further upwards, so that all table-mounted accessories are accessible from the top (eg when working with a factory crane). Stage three is reserved for set-up and makes the entire front accessible, so that all maintenance and set-up tasks can be carried out, without any constraints or contorted manoeuvres. If the cross-slide or motor spindle has to be changed, it can be replaced in just one day, as a complete unit. KGT or scale changes can be completed by maintenance engineers in 90 minutes. The machine can then resume cylindrical grinding with its usual precision.