Peerless Centerless Grinding Capabilities
Centerless grinding has been part of our core machining capabilities for over 30 years, providing ultra-fine OD surface finishes and ultra-tight OD tolerances for our customers. We provide production lead times as short as 24 hours for outside diameter centerless grinding, and can supply small volume runs and high volume requirements.
We offer a full complement of grinding services to satisfy the varied needs of our customers:
Thru Feed Centerless Grinding
We offer Thru Feed centerless grinding for machined metal parts that require grinding of the major outside diameter. When there are no “centers” on the component, and only the outermost diameter needs to be ground, the parts can be fed down a chute and between two grinding wheels that spin the part to remove material the surface.
Our Thru Feed centerless grinding services handle part diameters from .065″ (1.65 mm) to 1.5″ (38.1 mm) for a vast range of part lengths and offer maximum efficiency at minimal cost.
Infeed Centerless Grinding
We also provide Infeed centerless grinding for parts with more complex profiles along their lengths. Infeed grinding differs from through-feed grinding because the part is pressed against the grinding wheel rather than being fed axially.
Infeed grinding is typically faster and more economical than multi-step grinding processes for parts with complex profiles, radii, and multiple outside diameters. It is also the best method for maintaining diametric relationships. This type of grinding can also produce more precise flats and slots than conventional milling.
Our In-Feed centerless grinding services handle part outside diameters from .065″ (1.65 mm) to 1.5” (38.1 mm) for a vast range of part lengths and offer maximum efficiency at minimal cost.
Centerless Grinders for Making Precision Machined Parts
Providing exceptional finishes and tight OD tolerances often requires centerless grinding after CNC Swiss Turning of precision machined components. We continually invest in our equipment and capabilities to uphold this standard and adapt to meet our customers’ evolving needs.
Centerless Grinding Capabilities
| Min Part Diameter | 1.65 mm | (.065″) |
| OD Tolerance | +/- 2.5 µm | (+/- .0001″) |
| Straightness | 25 µm/mm | (.0010″) |
| Concentricity | 50 µm/mm | (.002″) |
| Surface Finish | .15 µm Ra | (6 µ” Ra) |
Equipment:
Pioneering Quality Assurance
AS9100D and ISO9001:2015 certification (see our certification here) means we maintain quality standards worthy of the medical and aerospace industry requirements. Our modern non-contact inspection systems and software record detailed inspection results and provides Statistical Process Control (SPC) data for our customers. We use automated inspection equipment to measure both internal and external features, but no part leaves without a visual inspection.
Our Centerless Grinding Offerings
To modify the outside diameter (OD) of a precision machined component, there are two types of cylindrical surface grinding operations that can be used: centerless and centered. Grinding the OD of a CNC Swiss turned component offers several benefits: a smoother surface finish (Ra), a tighter OD tolerance (up to +/.0001”) and elimination of the distortion that can happen during heat treatment.
- In Centered grinding, the part is held stationary and the grinding wheel moves up and down the part to remove material. To do this, there are using small indentations on the ends of the part (called centers) to aid the grinding machine in holding the part stationary
- In Centerless grinding, the grinding wheel is stationary. The part moves through the machine and past the grinding wheel, which removes the material from the part. This process is used when the part can not have centers added to the ends of the component.
Pioneer Service has in-house capabilities for centerless grinding. In addition, depending on the project requirements, lead time and capacity, we also use several highly qualified outside grinding service providers for components. Outside grinding partners are often used when the component requires the combination of OD and ID (Internal Diameter) grinding.
The work center blade supports the component (workpiece) as it moves through the machine. The grinding wheel, regulating wheel and work center blade are all stationary. The component (workpiece) moves through the machine at a regulated speed to achieve the specified surface finish and size.
When grinding a component (workpiece) that has centers (see image right), the part is held stationary and the grinding wheel moves along the component to remove material to reach the specified tolerance and surface finish.