Offline Glebar CNC Wheel Dresser Boosts Grinding Efficiency

Glebar’s DM-9CNC Wheel Dressing Machine is a stand-alone machine that allows operators to dress grinding wheels while the grinder is in production. Available for 9”- and 10”-diameter wheels, the machine uses CNC to dress precision contours in vitrified grinding wheels. Users can transfer desired shapes from CAD drawings into G-code, which the DM-9CNC reads to form the wheel. Alternatively, for simpler geometry, the operator can enter the dress profile in a tabulated form on the 15” touchscreen human-machine interface (HMI).

Dressing grinding wheels offline allows manufacturers to use their grinding equipment for production, reduces set up time, improves quality and ultimately increases throughput. Glebar says manual contour dressers are operator-dependent and inconsistent, affecting the quality of the grind and increasing scrap rates. It continues by saying the utilization of a contour dresser generally requires more frequent dressing, reducing the lifespan of the wheel and increasing consumable costs.

“Dressing wheels off of the grinding machine itself has typically been a manual operation requiring a highly skilled technician, often resulting in rework and increased set up time,” says John Bannayan, Glebar’s CTO. He contrasts this with the company’s new machine, saying that “once the DM-9CNC is set up, it can run unmanned, shaping a grinding wheel for your specific application. This allows the manufacturer to run their grinding machine process while simultaneously truing a wheel for the next job, reducing setup time and increasing overall output.”

A high-speed brushless servo motor offering high torque and closed-loop velocity control up to 10,000 rpm powers the DM-9CNC’s diamond-plated dress roller. Additionally, two axis-servo-driven slides use a 0.1 μm glass scale to precisely position the dress roller.

When purchasing a machine isn’t practical, Glebar offers its customers wheel dressing as a service using the DM-9CNC Wheel Dressing Machine.