Centerless Grinding
Our centerless grinding service is carried out by our technicians to ISO 9001:2015 Certified standards.
Centerless Grinding Services
Our centerless grinding services provide our customers with finished precision ground parts.
Our precision centerless grinding department has both thru-feed and infeed grinders. Both grinding processes are capable of holding high accuracy diametrical tolerances.
If your part diameters require close tolerances and smooth finishes, contact our customer service team and see if you can benefit from our grinding service.
Bar Grinding
High precision centerless bar grinding and polishing for metal rods and bars longer than 12″ and from .062″ to 6″ in diameter.
Infeed Grinding
Infeed grinding allows Wisconsin Metal Tech to grind complex metal parts requiring multiple diameters and profiles to be ground in one run.
Thru-feed Grinding
Thru-feed grinding from Wisconsin Metal Tech is cost effective and offers the shortest lead times while maintaining consistently high quality.
Solutions to the most difficult of centerless grinding challenges.
Wisconsin Metal Tech is known for its ongoing investment in the latest equipment and technology for centerless grinding. This investment allows us to stay at the forefront of the industry, and to be able to offer their customers the most advanced solutions for their needs.
We understand that each customer has their own unique set of challenges and requirements, and so the company has a flexible and adaptable approach to how they use their equipment.
Our approach to centerless grinding is marked by an “outside-of-the-box” mentality. This means that we are not afraid to think creatively and try new techniques in order to find solutions for our customers.
Our ability to think creatively and find solutions for the most difficult centerless grinding challenges is what sets them apart from their competitors. Where others may see difficulty, Wisconsin Metal Tech sees an opportunity to find a solution.
This approach has allowed us to build a reputation as a company that can handle even the most challenging projects, and provide our customers with high-quality, precision-ground components
Centerless Grinding WMT Advantage
When it comes to stainless steel machining, experience matters. Our Wisconsin machine shop has a team of engineers and machinists with over 100 combined years of metalworking experience and CNC machining know-how. They continuously bring new ideas to machining processes —not many other companies can say the same.
We’re based in Richfield, Wisconsin and our professional machine shop is available for many types of CNC machining and other metal processing services. We also serve the greater Chicago area.
Customers will experience numerous benefits from selecting Wisconsin Metal Tech as their supply partner, such as:
- Little Work Deflection: Centerless grinding imposes no axial thrust on the part being machined, making it possible to grind long pieces of brittle material as well as distorted parts.
- Ease of Automation: Workpieces are easier to automate leaving little downtime and providing consistent accuracy.
- Lower Cycle Times: Loading parts is fast, simple, and hassle free as they can be fed to the grinding machine automatically.
- Finishes: Our service provides smoother surface finishes, and excellent roundness and straightness for machined parts
- Less Stock Needed: The error of centering is eliminated resulting in less stock needed and an extended wheel life and yield.
WMT machines a wide variety of materials, including:
- Plastics
- Aluminums
- Cast materials
- Tool steels
- Brasses
- Glass
- Wood
- Alloy Steels
Our centerless grinding technicians take the time needed to produce quality parts with finishes that satisfy our customer needs. These finishes include:
- As milled
- Polishing
- Grinding
- Honed surfaces
- Custom
What is Centerless Grinding
Centerless grinding is a manufacturing process in which a workpiece is held and ground between two rotating wheels, without the use of a spindle or other mechanical device to secure the workpiece in place.
The process is divided into two main types, infeed and thrufeed.
- In infeed centerless grinding, the workpiece is fed into the grinding wheels at a specific angle.
- Thru-feed centerless grinding, the workpiece is fed through the grinding wheels in a linear motion.
The grinding wheel is typically made of abrasive materials such as aluminum oxide or silicon carbide and rotates at high speeds. The regulating wheel, on the other hand, is typically made of a softer material such as rubber or a polymer composite and rotates at a slower speed.
The regulating wheel is responsible for maintaining a consistent speed and rotation of the workpiece, which allows for a more precise and accurate grind.
History of Centerless Grinding
The history of centerless grinding can be traced back to the late 1800s. The first patent for a centerless grinding machine was issued in 1891 to a company called the Cincinnati Lapping Machine Co.
However, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that centerless grinding began to be widely adopted in the manufacturing industry. This was due in part to the development of new technologies, such as super-abrasive grinding wheels, which made the process more efficient and precise.
During World War II, the demand for precision grinding increased as a result of the need for precision components in military equipment. This led to further advancements in centerless grinding technology, such as the introduction of hydraulic and pneumatic systems for holding and regulating the workpiece.
In the 1950s, centerless grinding was further improved through the development of numerical control (NC) and later on computer numerical control (CNC) systems, which allowed for greater precision and automation of the grinding process.
Centerless Grinding Applications
Centerless grinding is used for a variety of applications, including precision grinding, rough grinding, and through-feed grinding. Precision grinding is used to achieve tight tolerances and smooth finishes on parts such as bearings, spindles, and gears.
