VOLLMER To Premiere New Grinding Technology at MACH 2022-03-31

Following its world exhibition premiere at EMO last autumn, VOLLMER will now give its UK exhibition debut to the new VGrind 360S grinding machine at MACH 2022. At the Birmingham NEC from the 4th to the 8th of April, VOLLMER will introduce its new VGrind 360S grinding machine for the complete machining of carbide tools on Stand 550 in Hall 20. This exciting new machine will appear alongside the VOLLMER CHX/HS and the VOLLMER Loroch Powerstar machines for sharpening circular saw blades.

Setting the standard in both the machining of solid carbide cutting tool and saw blades, the new VOLLMER innovations will certainly draw interest from cutting tool manufacturers at the UK’s showpiece manufacturing event. VOLLMER is the industry benchmark for the complete machining of rotationally symmetric solid carbide tools and to demonstrate this, the impressive new VGrind 360S is the perfect solution for manufacturing cutting tools for automotive, medical, aerospace and general subcontract manufacturing industries. The new 5-axis CNC grinding machine can be used to machine carbide tools with a diameter up to 25.4mm and depending on the machine kinematics and the equipping of the grinding wheel packages, it can even be used for tools up to 150mm diameter.

What sets this grinding machine apart is that it has more precision and power thanks to its innovative linear induction motor and linear slides on the X, Y and Z axes. By moving from ballscrews to the linear induction motors and slides, the VGrind 360S reduces maintenance costs by utilising magnets that do not make contact - eliminating wear. Furthermore, the enhanced kinematics deliver improved precision and higher surface quality on the cutting tool.

Simple and intuitive operation is central to the VGrind 360S concept and for customers to fully exploit its potential, VOLLMER has created an ergonomic platform whereby users can operate the control panel comfortably whilst having full visibility of the work envelope. Operation via the keyboard or touchscreen allows for precise machining of the tool and the multi-function handwheel ensures even more flexibility as it can be freely positioned on the enclosure. This design allows the setting of a required axis without using the control panel.

On the VGrind 360S, the groundbreaking vertical double-spindle concept that has been proven on previous machines, now features an oriented spindle-stop for the first time. Known as spindle indexing, this always stops the spindle at a specific position and the result is a reduction of axial run-out errors and concentricity issues whilst offsetting wear in the HSK holding system. Another new feature is a heat plate exchanger to efficiently cool motors and spindles, which in turn leads to increased thermal stability. This effective cooling concept has now been optimised to demonstrate absolute perfection when processing tools to the tightest of tolerances.

The VGrind 360S incorporates VOLLMER's trusted operating concept and can be operated unmanned around the clock thanks to automation features such as a pallet magazine, free-arm robot or chain magazine. The options for automation include the HP 160 pallet magazine for up to 900 tools with a double gripper to guarantee fast changeovers, the HPR 250 free-arm robot for the automatic machining of tools with various shaft diameters and the HC 4 chain magazine that has space for 39 HSK-63A tools or up to 158 shank-type tools. This automation also extends to the 8-tool grinding wheel changer that ensures you always supply the right grinding wheel for the job at hand with no manual intervention. From this optional addition perspective, VOLLMER has everything covered for maximum productivity and performance.

Optional features include the flexible loading automation options for carbide tools, grinding spindles available with direct or belt drive, automatic gripper compensation as an in-process solution, wheel compensation probes, automated changing of intermediate sleeves with bayonet, an automatic stacking unit that enables the abrasive grinding wheel to be opened during the grinding process and much more. Be sure to visit VOLLMER on Stand 550 in Hall 20 at MACH 2022 to discuss your cutting tool and circular saw blade production requirements.