In Pittsburgh, Minerd & Sons is a regional steel service center processing thousands of tons of steel plate annually, and recognizes that the finished quality of thermally cut edges directly impacts weldability and coating performance. Until recently, cleaning and finishing those edges was a highly demanding, physical task for skilled workers. “We’ve always invested in the best technology to serve our customers,” recalled president Mark Minerd. “Delivering ready-to-fabricate components requires perfect edge preparation, and manual grinding had become a bottleneck.”
Now the Teqram EasyGrinder is performing that critical finishing step across a wide range of part geometries, boosting throughput and also addressing labor market pressures.
“We wanted to free our skilled people from repetitive, exhausting work and let them focus on higher-value tasks,” Minerd explained. “It is a huge win for safety and the long-term well-being of our team.
“And beyond that, the system delivers perfectly repeatable quality on every part,” he continued. “It gives our customers a level of consistency that would be nearly impossible to achieve by hand.”
Smart, flexible edge preparation
A thorough process evaluation helped the operators built trust in the EasyGrinder’s reliability. “We were concerned about needing to supervise the system constantly,” according to work-order manager Matt Minerd. “Teqram showed us the EasyGrinder was a mature, production-proven product. Their team delivered innovative solutions for our toughest parts.
“Unlike flatbed grinding machines, the EasyGrinder handles both internal and external leads with ease,” he noted.
The EasyGrinder is not a fixed, conventional automation system but a smart and flexible solution that uses advanced 3D vision technology and an AI-based controller to recognize the geometry of each component and automatically select the correct processing strategy. It removes heavy slag easily; softens sharp edges; and rounds off profiles with precision (e.g., creating a consistent two-millimeter radius) to ensure optimal coating adhesion.
At the same time, the EasyGrinder cleans and removes the heat-affected zone from the cut surfaces, leaving parts truly production-ready. The operators only need to place pallets of raw parts in the work area; from there, the robot handles, processes, and neatly restacks every component without further intervention.
Maximum uptime, exceptional support
To increase throughput and reduce lead times, Minerd & Sons schedules large batches for unattended overnight production.
“Lights-out grinding adds the equivalent of an extra shift without adding staff,” according to Mark.
The collaboration with Teqram has been equally impactful. “The time difference (with Teqram, in The Netherlands) works in our favor,” Matt said. “We report an issue during the day, and by the next morning Teqram already has a solution. Their direct service and detailed video logs show they truly care.
“Thanks to the EasyGrinder, our lead-time has dropped from two weeks to only three days,” he reported. “This improvement gives us the confidence to accept bigger projects.”
Learn more about EasyGrinder at automatedfabricationsystems.com.