Creep Feed Grinder Makes Light Work of Large, Heavy Components
United Grinding’s Blohm Profimat XT relies on a 80 hp spindle and 20-inch-diameter grinding wheels to fashion workpieces weighing almost 1,800 pounds. Control interface customized to visualize machine monitoring data.
Posted: April 7, 2021
Industry projections point to growth in the light- and heavy-vehicle sectors along with oil and gas extraction, mining, medical equipment and supplies, and civilian aircraft. The Blohm Profimat XT continuous-dress creep feed grinder from United Grinding North America (Miamisburg, OH) can help shops expand capabilities to meet this demand. For components such as vehicle hydraulic pumps and steering racks, gas turbine blades and shrouds, knee joints, bone saws, knives, punches, and hirth couplings, the machine combines outstanding rigidity and power with fast axis speeds for exceptional productivity, especially on parts that require burr-free results on high depths of cut, without constant tool replacements.
Table speeds of 1,500 inches/minute (38,100 mm/min), quick-changeover wheel-dresser system and enhanced acceleration/deceleration rates shorten cycle times by increasing positioning speeds. Optional features include table dresser systems, HSK wheel flanges and a linear drive table to produce reciprocal grinding speeds up to 3,000 inches/minute (76,200 mm/min) for fine surface finishes. Additional grinding advances include dual left and right coolant nozzles with the RazorTec wheel-cleaning system.
The machine is available in five sizes, with grinding ranges from 15.75 by 31.5 inches (400 x 800) to 23.62 by 78.74 inches (600 x 2000 mm). With spindle power up to 84 hp (62 kW) and 8,000 rpm, and grinding wheels up to 20 inches (500 mm) in diameter and 6 inches (160 mm) wide, the Blohm Profimat XT excels at machining large parts with high stock-removal requirements. The machine can accommodate maximum workpiece weights of 1,764 pounds (800 kg) on a 31.4-by-23.6-inch (800 x 600 mm) table.
For improved stiffness, the Blohm Profimat XT incorporates a ribbed base and column casting with dual ballscrews for Z-axis cross-grinding stability.
Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl control features a touchscreen monitor and Windows-based graphical user interface. United Grinding customized the human-machine interface (HMI) to provide grinding process data, machine health monitoring, operational efficiency and graphical product information.
