Walter Helitronic tool grinder developments

Designed especially to meet the demands of grinding tools with brazed inserts, such as PCD tooling, in a single set-up, the high-speed spindle is ideally suited to grinding pockets for PCD inserts and applications using small grinding wheels. Likewise designed to offer users added flexibility in production, the new automated work table is provided in different variants and can be combined with steady rest/tailstock systems to suit the task in hand: as a manual slide; an automatic (CNC-controlled) slide; two manual slides, and as a manual and an automatic (CNC-controlled) slide. On the software side, the latest version of the Walter Helitronic Tool Studio system now offers further plug-in options for enhanced speed and accuracy of tool production and re-sharpening. For example, the new Feedrate Optimiser capitalises on Tool Studio's knowledge of grinding moves and wheel model, as well as tool simulation, to calculate instantaneous grinding wheel and machine spindle loads, to set optimum feed rates. At every point, the feed rates are set using user-specified wheel load and actual wheel load - low wheel load actions are therefore made faster and, importantly, moves that exceed desired wheel loads are slowed down. In some cases, especially with complicated tools, time savings of 40 per cent or more are possible.