The Construction And Design Of A Valve Grinding Machine

To achieve a high level of cutting and surface polishing unattainable by any other procedure is the valve grinding machining process.

Whenever preciseness is not obtainable with crushing, turning, or electrical discharge machining, or when tolerances less than ±0.0002 inch is needed, then the grinding process is apt.

With a valve grinding machine, repeated grinding can yield accuracy as tight as ±0.00003 inch if done under ideal conditions.

The only process that can produce a bore sizing tolerances well below that which valve grinding machine can produce is honing.

The use of valve grinding machines cuts across different industries such as the automotive, medical, machine tools, aerospace, die/mold, energy, etc.

Considering its vast use, it is of utmost importance that you acquire a top-quality and highly durable one by partnering with a reliable valve grinding machine manufacturer.

Featured Content

As highlighted in the introductory section, apart from a high level of accuracy, surface polishing or finishing is a major basis for using a valve grinding machine.

Typically, a milling machine can conveniently produce a surface finishing of around 32 microinches Ra.

A lathe process can produce a surface finish of around half of that of a milling machine i.e. 16 microinch Ra.

Lastly to achieve a surface finishing of 16 microinch Ra and below you will need a valve grinding machine.

In fact, it is possible to produce 8 microinches Ra and below as a super finish.

However, to achieve this feat, two different, fine grit cutting wheels as well as a polishing wheel are required.

When a valve grinding machine is used for surface polishing and accuracy, the quantity of materials left to discard after machining is usually around 0.010 inch.

The finer the level of the surface finish needed, the finer the polishing grit or abrasive wheel needed.

The time required to complete a cycle i.e. obtain the finished parts also becomes longer.

To provide the optimum cycle time for the operation of grinding, the least quantity of material left should be just appropriate for the grinding process to clean up to finish size.

Machine Construction

The construction of a valve grinding machine is such that it enhances its operations in yielding the required features on the materials it is designed for.

For a surface grinder, the work pieces are most times held with a magnetic wedge, vacuum wedge or a special fixture bolted firmly to the table.

 The work piece of a cylindrical valve grinder is usually held between centers with a three- or four-jaw wedge or on special fixtures.

In order to produce part accuracy of 0.0002 inches and below on a consistent basis, the valve grinding machine must be designed to control and adapt to thermal increase and vibrations.

Based on these factors, the machine is made from special epoxies or granites to reduce vibrations and thermal expansion.

Naturally, the wheels of the valve grinding machine generate heat as a result of friction which is in turn transferred other components of the machine.

The modern valve grinding machine designs provide stability and constant accuracy by regulating the temperature of the various part of the machine.

The use of circulated chilled coolant through the components of the machine helps to stabilize the expansion of each part from the heat at the rate.

Other machines are designed to use fluid-cooled drives to allow consistent thermal increase on all the machine parts.

In addition, valve grinding machines are sometimes installed in a temperature-regulated environment.

Multi-Spindle Configurations

Depending on the task designed for the valve grinding machine to handle, the spindle configuration can be single or multiple as the case may be.

For a multiple-tasking machine also known as a universal machine, they have multiple grinding spindles and heads.

Again depending on the requirements, a machine can have a measuring probe and about four grinding spindles.

With a multiple-tasking machine, high-accuracy machining for external, internal, and face grinding of a large and small workpiece can be achieved.

The multiple grinding wheels can accomplish three functions in a single step.

Coarse grind, finish grind, and polish grind are performed because it is equipped with different abrasive grit size.

Conclusion

Valve grinding machine is a vital tool with numerous uses in different industrial settings.

Therefore, you need a  thorough breed with high quality and durability by partnering  with experienced and high-tech valve grinding machine manufacturers.