Why invest in a STUDER grinding machine?

Ohba Seiken employee Mr. Fukui (left) and Mr. Sasagawa (right) discuss grinding process improvements in front of the STUDER S41

STUDER builds perhaps the best cylindrical grinding machines in the world. For internal, external, form grinding, high-speed and profile grinding. In a short time adapted to customer requirements and highly economical in production.

"I think I'm a very good grinding technician”. But I know it's the machine that does it all for me, "says Fumitaka Matsubara, General Manager of Ohba Seiken, Toyohashi City. His company manufactures high-precision parts for smart phones, robotics, electronics and prototyping. In his hall, in addition to automatic lathes, there are also internal/external cylindrical grinding machines as well as surface and jig grinders. Ohba Seiken has had a STUDER S41 in its company for 11 months, Fumitaka Matsubara is thrilled. "Especially when we are not sure how and if we can grind parts, the S41 gives us the best solution - the software StuderWIN makes it possible. The machine grinds extremely precisely. We were able to significantly reduce the processing costs, especially for complex work-pieces. Ohba Seiken chose STUDER machines for five reasons: 1. Quality and precision 2. Flexibility and versatility 3. Wide range of applications 4. Innovative software 5. Technical Support.

Quality and precision

„STUDER is a strong brand“, Fumitaka Matsubara states. For over 100 years and with more than 1,000 employees, it has stood for experience in the development and manufacture of precision cylindrical grinding machines. STUDER promises Swiss top quality hardware, software, system integration and service.

The STUDER competence? It lies here:

• -In high speed and form grinding
• In the fully automatic grinding systems including peripherals
• Granitan® machine bed - a pioneering achievement in the production of mineral casting
• In its own technology centre for tests and grinding trials
• In the worldwide sales network and in its own training centre and the Customer  Care Academy for education and training
• In the worldwide consulting and service with more than 300 employees, represented in Japan by the own subsidiary StuderTec K.K.
• In the research & development of new innovative machines and services - every year with a with a double-digit million amount.

Fumitaka Matsubara is convinced of the high precision of the S41. In his hall are various cylindrical grinding machines from Japanese and European manufacturers. "I experience the quality of STUDER every day, especially the positioning accuracy of the fully automatic B-axis is unbeatable."

Flexibility and versatility

STUDER machines have a wide range of possible applications. What is perhaps less known: STUDER is also strong in internal cylindrical grinding, form, contour and thread grinding, as well as high-speed and jig grinding. Another STUDER machine that can do all this is the S141. It is available in three sizes for workpiece lengths, incl. clamping device, of 300mm, 700mm resp. 1300mm. The maximum internal grinding length is 250 mm, the external 150 mm. The S141 is the ideal machine for grinding spindle shafts, spindle housings, rotor shaft axes or flange parts. Many workpieces can be found in the fields of machine tools, drive components, aerospace and toolmaking.

A S141 is also located at Kato Kenma in Tokyo. The plus point of the machine is its simple set-up: Once put into operation, the grinding technology support software StuderTechnology ensures high productivity from day one. If you ask Hajime Suzuki, Factory Director at Kato Kenma about the main advantages of his S141, he says: "It is finally possible to grind the shapes and angles exactly according to the program you have entered, and we have almost no dimensional deviations, especially on the Z -Axis”. Yes, we can produce for our needs, with the best machine in the world. "Where Hajime Suzuki in the past had to search for the optimum result, the S141 now gives him the perfectly ground workpiece right from the start, which means extremely high process reliability.

Easy access to the machine interior, as well as to the hydraulic components and the electrical interfaces, ensure easy handling. The grinding wheel can be replaced within a short time with just a single Allen key and a few simple steps. Thanks to air lift, the workhead and tailstock can be easily moved. Very handy is also the hand-held PCU with colour display. This allows the operator to control the grinding process more closely and better, as well as trigger different functions and change values.

Software

The requirements of a software? Shortest set-up, programming and grinding times with maximum availability of the machine. Thanks to the modular STUDER software concept, the machine is quickly set up and intuitive to use: simply enter the workpiece dimensions and material and StuderTechnology automatically generates the grinding program, based on over 100 years of grinding experience.  Here, more than 300 machine parameters are taken into consideration and can be individually edited based on your own experience. The visual language StuderPictogramming simplifies programming and subsequently the operation. Particular mention should be made of the StuderContour software which allows the high-precision machining of longitudinal contours. Whether step drills, drawing dies or other rotationally symmetrical shaft parts - the different diameters can be ground out of the solid. "I have never achieved such accuracy in contour grinding before," says Hajime Suzuki of Kato Kenma.

Support

The customer care of STUDER is close to its customer with experienced employees worldwide. It ensures that the machines work reliably and are available at all times. Customer Care provides quick and easy support, helps increase productivity, and provides a professional, reliable solution in the event of a problem. It accompanies commissioning, trains customer employees, maintains, refurbishes machines and assemblies, converts, equips, supplies spare parts and accessories.  But above all, with a comprehensive service, it is always close to the customer respectively quickly in front of the machine. "The STUDER service is friendly and works competently," says Hajime Suzuki from Kato Kenma. Customer Care has already arrived in the age of Industry 4.0 with its Digital Solutions^TM. For example, with the Remote Service: With secure Internet connections, expert support is possible with just one click - immediately on the machine, with no time lost due to travel time - with data security being the topmost priority.

"It was worth investing in a STUDER machine. We can now grind even more precisely in a very short time, which makes us more economical. Since the dressing is eliminated after the grinding wheel is swivelled, we are more productive and expect lower tooling costs " says Fumitaka Matsubara from Obha Seiken with satisfaction. It is also clear to Hajime Suzuki from Kato Kenma: "In the next 10 years we will be acquiring additional machines from STUDER."

A Kato Kenma employee Mr. Hashimoto operates the STUDER S141