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43 a clutch retainer. The tolerance was held to 0.01 in. and cycle time was an impressive 30 seconds. Match Game A new approach to match grinding— grinding so that there is a precise clearance between two parts, such as the external diameter of a piston to the internal diameter of a sleeve—has been developed by the company. Unlike match grinding of decades past, involving grinding individual components, checking the clearance, adjusting the equipment, and repeating, the latest equipment includes pre-gauge and process gauging monitors for handling tapers as well as clearance. Add a post-process feedback system all tied into the CNC and you've created an automated cell. "We've engineered cells for grinding needle nozzles holding tolerances of 1.1 microns," Ueltschi says. Depending on part-tolerance requirements, gauges can be added in one or multiple planes with automatic taper adjustment, if needed. Higher automation will increase setup time, and possibly higher cycle times as the gauging may take longer than the actual grinding, depending on the part, but this can reduce if not eliminate pre-machining of components, resulting in high workpiece quality and greatly reduced scrap. Grinding with Diamonds Because high-strength alloy materials such as Inconels are being used for applications like rotors, there is the use of more superabasive diamond wheels or CBN (cubic boron nitride) wheels in grinding equipment. This means a challenge for dressing the wheels. So Ueltschi says they've developed Studer WireDress technology, which essentially incorporates wire EDM technology into a grinding machine for profling ultrahard wheels. Previously, ultrahard wheels had limited cutting life because they could be dressed only to a limited extent. Integrating wire EDM permits dressing at full wheel speed even with complex profles, greatly extending complex grinding productivity. "This will really open the doors for automotive companies," he says. "Harder wheels mean higher metal- removal rates and better surface fnishes in hard materials." With metal-bonded grinding wheels dressed this way, it is possible to increase productivity by up to 30% in individual cases, compared to grinding with resin or ceramic bonded wheels, Ueltschi adds. In addition, such precise dressing process in conjunction with the high dimensional stability of the metal-bonded wheel enables workpieces with very challenging geometries to be produced repeatedly, previously not thought possible where cost- efectiveness was concerned. qFLASH Be FAST q F L A S H B e q F A S T Today's Automotive Industry demands faster measurement with increased accuracy. WLS qFLASH COMPACT WHITE LIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM Fastest in the industry from equipment setup to actual data Explore WLS qFLASH at HexMet.us/ADP1115