SHOP SOLUTIONS
said David Muellen, engineer specializing in tooling and programming at Vickers. “And once we incorporate a certain tool in a new project, we can usually apply it to other existing ones as well.” For more information from Seco Tools LLC, go to
www.secotools.com, or phone 248-528-5200.
ID Grinders End Tolerance Nightmares
M
ost people have work-related dreams. However, for Ruben Ramirez Jr., the grinding supervisor at Hy-
draForce Inc. (Lincolnshire, IL), holding tight tolerances on complex parts was a waking nightmare. HydraForce, founded in 1985 in Lincolnshire, supplies hydraulic components to the mobile equipment industry. The company provides a comprehensive selection of high quality cartridge valves, manifolds and high-performance electronic controls for tractors, excavators, harvesters, wheel loaders and material handling equipment. HydraForce has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia and a network of 120 stocking distributors that support customers worldwide. The company employs a group technology approach to
product planning, design and manufacturing that utilizes a few basic components to create many different models. The cost-effective engineering strategy enhances manufacturing consistency and product availability.
Early in its history, HydraForce sought subcontractors for grinding but no suppliers were able to hold the tight tolerances required by the precision valve components. As a result, about 15 years ago the company began to bring grinding operations in house, including both OD and ID grinding processes. According to Ramirez, manufacturing consistency and
predictability are critical in meeting the company’s goals of product quality and reliability in its precision valve and mani- fold manufacturing operations. A typical challenge was grind- ing the ODs and IDs of hardened-steel valve spool and guide components. Used in valves for agricultural and earth-moving equipment, the small, complex parts are at most 12.7 mm in length and usually less than that size in diameter. The parts’ sizes and shapes made them difficult to load and time-consuming to grind their ODs accurately on a centerless grinder. Afterwards, the parts would transfer to an ID grinder where they were clamped on the OD for internal grinding operations. Achieving the required concentricity took too much time, and the scrap rate was unacceptable. “We were scrapping on the first operation and then add- ing to that scrap from the second operation,” said Ramirez. “Needless to say trying to hold the specs the way we were processing the parts was extremely challenging.” The solu- tion was found in adopting the latest advanced grinding technology from United Grinding (Miamisburg, OH). Today, HydraForce does its primary cylindrical and ID grinding on Studer machines at the company’s Lincolnshire facility where the lineup of Studer machines includes three S30 cylindrical CNC grinders, an S21 cylindrical CNC and two favorite CNC universal grinders. However, most recently, HydraForce added two Studer ID CNC grinders: a CT450 and a CT550. In both of the machines, workpieces move on the cross slide, while the internal grinding spindles are fixed to the machine base, thus maximizing stabil- ity and rigidity. The arrangement also enhances accessibility for workpiece setups and changes and facilitates automation.
HydraForce supplies a comprehensive selection of high-quality cartridge valves, manifolds and high-performance electronic controls for tractors, excavators, harvesters, wheel loaders, and material handling equipment.
46
AdvancedManufacturing.org | February 2016
The spindle setup allows for up to three inter- nal grinding spindles to be mounted in a linear configuration and customized for specific applica- tions. The CT450 accommodates workpieces up to 230-mm long and grinding lengths of 150 mm, while the CT550 handles parts up to 650-mm long and grinding lengths up to 150 mm. A 305-mm OD grinding wheel can be mounted on either machine. Continued on P97
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