Five-Axis Grinder Features Extended Axis Movement

Schütte’s 325linear five-axis CNC grinder features extended X- and Y-axis movement and two auxiliary slides for workpiece clamping. The machine operates in a range of 2,500 to 4,000 rpm and accommodates micro tools, gun drills, hob cutters and complex geometries, the company says. The second auxiliary slide improves grinding wheel guidance over the machining envelope and enables tool guidance, part support, tailstock and workpiece pallets to be used in operation. 

The machine’s advancements in wheel change and robotic workpiece handling are said to expand possibilities for automation. On the A axis, a user can install collet chucks, hydraulic expansion chucks or multi-range chucks. With the automated collet changer on the machine, workpieces with different diameters can be clamped with high concentricity in the unattended loader station. The A-axis configuration permits position-oriented clamping of non-rotationally symmetrical workpieces, enabling sequential workpieces with various roughing and finishing requirements to be preset on the machine.

The grinder offers scalable automation, including a 140-position toolchanger, a 5- to 24-grinding wheel magazine and a flexible robotic tool gripper for changing micro tools. The grinder features a universal-rotation A axis with concentricity of less than 0.0001-degree resolution and pitch accuracy.

The machine is offered with the company’s SIGSpro (Schütte Integrated Grinding Software) as the programming interface, which allows users to assign clamping options for each grinding operation being performed.