Eliminate Grinding Through Rotational Turning Technology
This article details rotational turning, a machining process developed by Weisser Corp. that can eliminate the necessity of transferring workpieces with close-tolerance specifications from lathe to grinding machine for final machining.
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Hardened workpieces, such as this shaft part, are candidates for rotational turning to eliminate grinding and produce scroll-free, critical surfaces.
In order to meet close-tolerance specifications of workpieces that must be without machining marks, most hardened parts are transferred from the lathe to the grinding machine for final machining. Grinding, however, has high tooling costs, requires refixturing of the part and relatively long processing times. As a result, hard turning is a machining method often used instead of grinding, but it also has several disadvantages, including some applications for hard-turned surfaces being limited because the workpiece ultimately ends up with a micro-thread or scroll structure.
One method available from machine tool manufacturers that accomplishes scroll-free hard turning is rotational turning, developed by German builder Weisser Corp. Rotational turning technology eliminates the need for grinding because of special kinematics between the rotating workpiece and a rotating tool that creates a twist-free surface on a turning machine. The result is, compared with conventional machining rotational turning allows a reduction in machining times of more than 70 percent, with higher process reliability and longer tool life.
The article “Rotational Turning Bypasses Grinding” goes into more detail on how the rotational turning process can improve operations, including OD, ID and face turning, allowing freedom from twists and reduced process time. Read about it here.
