We’re pleased to welcome back guest blogger Brian Dechene, GCH Machinery’s technical development director and ID/OD grinding specialist.

While reading a trade magazine last week, I came across an interesting article on shoe-type centerless workholding fixtures for grinding ID and OD surfaces on ball- and roller-bearing rings.  Although the article provided a good overview of shoe-type centerless grinding, I’d like to take a deeper look at this important manufacturing operation.

This month’s guest blogger is Brian Dechene, GCH Machinery’s technical development director ID/OD grinding specialist. Brian can be contacted at brian@gchmachinery.com.

So, you've been assigned the task of buying an internal (ID) grinder for a critical part that you have never produced.  While intimidating, it’s by no means an impossible assignment. With the help of the information in this blog, you can develop common ground with your supplier, and you’ll have the tools to work with him or her to get the right machine for your job.

Before your supplier even thinks about recommending a machine, he or she will ask for a finished part drawing.  As we’ll detail below, the outside dimensions of the part, the surfaces to be ground, the tolerance datums of those surfaces, the part material, and the stock to be ground are critical factors in determining the right machine for your application.

GCH Machinery is well known for its remarkable ability to turn older grinders into modern turnkey grinding system marvels.  With engineering and production teams who are passionate about grinders, and a company philosophy that encourages innovation, excellence and ingenuity, it’s no wonder that customers are amazed by the dramatic transformation of their machine tools.  Have we piqued your interest?  Read more to learn about what goes on behind the scenes when GCH Machinery takes on your grinder remanufacturing project.

Toyoda OD grinder for a large multinational automotive maker

Fifty years ago, military aircraft moved at speeds of up to 400 mph. Today, they can slice through the air nearly four times faster and perform split-second-timed maneuvers. Fifty years ago, the grinders that helped produce aircraft components had accuracies measured in the thousandths of an inch.  Today that tolerance is measured in microns.

Thanks to GCH Machinery, those 50-year-old grinders do not have to remain obsolete. The specialists at GCH are experts in the remanufacture, retrofit and revitalization of all types of grinders, bringing them up to full modern capability.

Of course, if you’re asking “now what?” at this point, it’s too late. If your goal was a smooth installation and start-up for your soon-to-be-delivered grinding machine, you should have asked that a few weeks – or even months – ago.

But let’s assume it’s not too late. In that case, your first step in preparing for the delivery is to review the layout you’ll receive once you’ve completed the ordering process. This document will provide the basic information you’ll need for the next several steps:

1.Make sure you’ve got a good location. The layout will provide the machine’s overall dimensions – double-check to ensure the grinder will fit in the space you’ve envisioned.

A new year brings new changes. Some will be surprises, but some won’t be – especially for grinding machinery owners and operators who recognize the trends already at play in their industries.

Three forces in particular look to have major impacts and likely will fuel an already increasing demand for further automated grinding systems.

We recently relaunched our website, which was many months in the making. We hope you like our new and clean look which is designed to detail the full range of our grinder remanufacturing and retrofitting capabilities. Along with enriched text descriptions of our many services, we’ve uploaded tons of videos and photos to demonstrate how we have helped thousands of customers improve their grinding operations.

Our key aims were to make the site better in many different ways:  

• Provide easy and intuitive navigation
• Present a more organized and aesthetically pleasing layout
• Add heaps of photos and videos to illustrate just what we do
• Enhance our text to effectively communicate the world of GCH Machinery
• Create a highly responsive site that is mobile-friendly and consistent