Highly productive grinding of eccentric shafts for robot joints

Today, progressive automation in production and manufacturing is primarily driven forward by the use of industrial robots in an increasing number of industries. More than 1.7 million new robots, designed for handling, assembly or processing workpieces, will be installed by the year 2020. Asia currently shows the strongest growth and the highest robot density.

SCHAUDT's ShaftGrind S cylindrical grinding machine is also automated with a robot, which automatically loads and unloads the machine during the machining process, ensuring very short non-productive times. A specially developed gripper exchanges the rough part with the finished part in one movement. The machine operator can program and set up the robot entirely via the operating panel of the ShaftGrind S. Based on the programming interface developed by Schaudt Mikrosa, the operator is guided through the input mask. Axis movements are represented in the X, Y and Z directions typical for machine tools.

However, the robot is not just in the machine. SCHAUDT also presents the grinding of eccentric shafts for robot joints on the compact ShaftGrind S cross-slide machine. The shafts, with drilled-through, internally toothed bores, are placed on the clamping mandrel by the robot. The mandrel's external teeth mesh with the internal teeth of the workpiece and securely clamp the workpiece in the pitch circle diameter of the spline. The tailstock, which is normally used for grinding between centers, is no longer required.

Highly precise grinding results are also ensured by the direct-drive workhead, in-process gauging and, last but not least, the thermally stable Granitan® machine bed with its optimal damping characteristics. The machine's productivity can be increased even further with a second grinding position.

This provides an excellent starting position for the versatile production machine ShaftGrind S, which is perfectly designed for the highly productive grinding of shaft-type workpieces with a length of up to 650 millimeters. As automation increases worldwide, the market for robots is continually growing. Each robot contains a multitude of joints and eccentric shafts, so the machine will not be running out of grinding tasks.

The advantages at a glance

1. Great machining flexibility
2. Low non-productive times
3. Compact cross-slide machine (installation dimensions: 3,000 x 3,351 mm)
4. Direct-drive workhead for high dynamics and excellent runout characteristics

Technical data

1. Grinding length                                    650 mm
2. Height of centers                                175 mm
3. Grinding wheel diameter, max.          480 mm
4. Grinding wheel width, max.                250 mm
5. Grinding wheel drive power, max.      40 kW
6. Workpiece weight, max.                     50 kg