The perfect finish in a single setup

When it comes to machining times, combining various machining processes in one setup offers enormous savings potential. With the combination of hard turning and grinding, for example, only the geometries which require greater precision are ground after turning. For this requirement, EMAG developed the VLC 100 GT that efficiently combines vertical turning technology with finish grinding. For chucked components up to 100 mm in diameter, such as gears, single cams and cam rings, pump rings or sprockets, first-grade machining results are achieved in massively reduced cycle times.

The VLC 100 GT integrates combination machining into EMAG’s well proven pick-up concept, where the main spindle is used to load and unload workpieces from the integrated conveyor belt or shuttle. The machining area is easy to equip with a variety of turning and grinding modules. This compact manufacturing system also includes integrated measuring.

Machining processes cleverly combined

Two machining processes that lend themselves for ideal combination are turning/hard turning and grinding. The first step is to pre- or complete-machine all those component surfaces that can be hard turned and then, without having to change the setup, finish grind all areas that require high-precision geometries. This process has two advantages; the turning process is considerably faster than grinding flat surfaces and wear and tear on the grinding tools is vastly reduced with only finish grinding operations carried out. Since the workpiece is machined in a single setup, the whole process is more efficient than when carried out on two machines. It also results in reduced component costs and guarantees the same, if not better, component quality.

Complete Article: http://www.emag.com/press/single-view/article/the-perfect-finish-in-a-single-setup.html