Dresser Lets Grinders Grind

Rollomatic (www.rollomaticusa.com) built its ProfileSmart 6-axis CNC grinding-wheel dresser to eliminate the machine downtime from dressing wheels on grinding machines themselves.

The new machine automatically dresses CBN or diamond grinding wheel packs that measure 1.500 in. to 20 in. in diameter, and profiles them with complex geometries composed of angles and radii.

A wheel-wear system controls the dressing cycle, and once the preprogrammed wheel profile is complete, the machine stops. Dressing wheel wear is compensated automatically to maintain a constant peripheral speed. The machine also keeps track of a grinding wheel’s constant center position while dressing angles or radii.

Users can program wheel parameters on the machine’s GE Fanuc control or transfer them from Rollomatic’s VirtualGrindPro grinding software via local area network. A touch screen CNC panel allows for easy operation and direct machine operation at the control.

To optimize dressing cycles, the ProfileSmart can reach three sides of a grinding wheel in one clamping. The machine’s contour B-axis movement provides synchronized oscillation for radius dressing, while its PerfecArbor holding system keeps wheels in perfect concentricity for zero-micron runout.