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E-Sharp News October 2012
Over recent years there has been increasing demand for longer cutting tools with tighter tolerances. This interest has often come from the automotive industry. In response, ANCA developed the Travelling Steady (which travels on the P-axis).
The optimum place to support a tool being ground is at the point of greatest load, which is directly under the grinding wheel. A conventional stationary support steady provides enough support for a short tool, but when you are manufacturing tools that are 400mm long, a stationary support will not provide the continual support needed along the entire length of the tool.
The P-axis is an additional axis that can be purchased as an option for the TXcell, TX7+, MX7 and TapX tool grinders. The Travelling Steady travels on the P-axis and uses CNC control to keep the tool support directly underneath the point of grinding at all times. The P-axis Bed Assembly looks like a long black set of bellows within a casting. It allows the tool support options such as the Arobotech to move back and forth so they provide continual support underneath the tool where it is in contact with the grinding wheel.
P-axis Bed Assembly with Tailstock
The Travelling Steady has 3 tool support options:
Each of these is interchangeable and you can purchase a P-axis Bed Assembly with 1, 2 or all 3 options. They all suit different applications where long tools need to be supported by the Travelling Steady. For example, the Tailstock is suitable for Taps and reamers.
The Travelling Steady provides support during grinding to prevent flexing and chatter. During the grinding process, vibration can cause excessive wheel wear, chatter marks and poor surface finish. The Travelling Steady will eliminate these problems by providing rigid tool support. The Travelling Steady and P-axis is available as an option on the TXcell, TX7+ and MX7 machines. It is also available on the TapX for the Tailstock option only.
The Arobotech Travelling Steady consists of an Arobotech unit which provides 3 points of support to the tool. Each support applies continual hydraulic pressure to the tool, even for reducing diameters, such as tools with a back taper.
Arobotech Travelling Steady
Most drills are ground with a back taper to ensure the diameter has clearance when drilling to reduce heat and friction while the tool is engaged in the material. The Arobotech steady accurately supports tools with reducing diameters as it auto-adjusts to centre the support as the diameter changes.
The Arobotech uses high precision ground support pads to hold the tools on three points using line contact. These carbide pads hold the tool on each side and below the drill during grinding. They can cover a large range of different size tools (2mm – 26mm / 0.08” – 1”).
This unique tool holding design maintains accuracy, rigidity and true running. The ToolRoom software controls the Arobotech unit by adjusting the hydraulic clamp pressure for the pads to give the tool optimal support when grinding.
Bush-type Travelling Steady
The Bush-type version uses a half circular bush to encapsulate the tool during grinding. It is ideal for fixed diameter applications and a wide range of tools. It is specifically suitable for tools with a straight or shear flute.
Bush-type Travelling Steady providing support directly underneath the grinding wheel
The Tailstock also requires the P-axis Bed Assembly and is seen fixed in place on top of one in the first illustration in this article.
With the Tailstock, the tool is supported at both ends. The Tailstock is used for tools such as taps and reamers and is adjustable and easy to set up. It is available as an option for the TapX, TX7+ and MX7 machines.
The force used to hold the tool can be specified using kilograms, pounds or newtons. Using the iGrind software, the operator has complete flexibility and can apply different forces over all operations or individually. Different forces are used depending on the size of the tool.
The TapX tool grinder is used for the production of a wide variety of taps. When grinding taps, a Tailstock is essential for accurate positioning. ANCA conducted detailed research and consulted with tap manufacturers when designing the TapX Tailstock.
12 October 2012