In the core manufacturing of high-end equipment such as wind turbine main shafts, ship propellers, and large motor rotors, the stable, efficient, and high-precision external cylindrical grinding of large shaft parts, ranging from several meters to over ten meters in length and weighing tens of tons, has always been a major bottleneck problem for the manufacturing industry. Traditional table-moving grinding machines often face bottlenecks such as insufficient rigidity, slow dynamic response, and difficulty in guaranteeing accuracy when dealing with such heavy workpieces due to the excessive mass of the moving parts. In recent years, an innovative technological approach called “wheel head moving external cylindrical grinding machine” has emerged as a key solution to these problems with its revolutionary structural design.
Technological Innovation
The core design concept of the grinding wheel head moving cylindrical grinding machine is “workpiece rotation, grinding wheel feed”. It completely reverses the traditional layout: heavy workpieces are fixed between the headstock and tailstock and only rotate; while the grinding wheel head is integrated on the slide, undertaking all longitudinal (Z-axis) reciprocating and transverse (X-axis) feed movements.
This “using movement to control stillness” layout brings multiple advantages:
- Exceptional static and dynamic rigidity: The machine tool features a one-piece cast bed, with the grinding wheel head guide rail and the work bed guide rail cast as a single unit, forming an extremely stable foundation. Since heavy workpieces do not require movement, slight deformation of the worktable guide rails due to workpiece weight is completely avoided. Simultaneously, the moving parts (grinding wheel head and slide) are significantly lighter than the worktable bearing the workpiece, resulting in low inertia and thus achieving higher acceleration, faster response speed, and superior dynamic accuracy.
- Precision Motion and Guiding System: To achieve nanometer-level feed control, high-end models generally employ hydrostatic guideways or high-precision linear guideways. For example, the grinding wheel head guideway of the MK1380 series machine tool uses a plastic-coated hydrostatic guideway with an extremely low coefficient of friction, completely eliminating low-speed crawling and ensuring smooth motion and precision retention. The drive system uses a high-torque AC servo motor directly coupled to a C3-class precision ball screw, combined with fully closed-loop optical encoder feedback, achieving a minimum resolution of 0.0001mm, realizing truly precise feed.
- A powerful core component – the hydrostatic bearing spindle: The grinding wheel spindle is the “heart” of the grinding machine. To handle heavy-duty cutting, grinding machines with a moving wheel head commonly employ a hydrostatic bearing spindle system. This type of spindle relies on a hydrostatic oil film during startup and at low speeds, while generating a hydrodynamic effect at high speeds, combining high rigidity, high rotational accuracy, and excellent vibration resistance. ANTISHICNC’s MKW series utilizes this technology, enabling it to stably perform large depth-of-cut grinding while ensuring a workpiece surface roughness Ra value of 0.32μm or even lower.
- Flexible process adaptability: Through advanced CNC systems (such as Siemens 828D, FANUC, etc.), the X and Z axes are linked, enabling the machine tool to not only perform grinding of conventional cylindrical and conical surfaces, but also to complete one-time forming grinding of complex contours, arcs, and multi-step axes through program control. Some high-end models even add a B-axis (rotary axis), allowing the grinding wheel head to adjust its angle while moving, further expanding the machining range.
Application
Shanghai ANTISHICNC , a leading machine tool manufacturer in China , has transformed its grinding wheel moving technology into a series of products and applied it extensively to several key manufacturing fields.
ANTISHICNC ‘s solution:
| series | Features |
| MKW series | This series (such as MKW13100) is specifically designed for large, precision shaft parts produced in small batches or single-piece batches. It features an integrated bed and a moving grinding wheel head structure, where the workpiece only rotates, and the grinding wheel head handles all feeds. Both its longitudinal and transverse guideways utilize V-type throttling hydrostatic guideways, resulting in a low coefficient of friction and excellent precision retention. The grinding wheel head spindle employs a dynamic and static pressure bearing structure, making it particularly suitable for grinding parts requiring IT5 to IT6 precision, such as ship spindles, locomotive axles, and large motor rotors. |
| MKZW series | For example, the MKZW1350/1363TA series are two-axis linkage CNC cylindrical grinding machines that can be equipped with Siemens or domestic Huazhong CNC systems. They are suitable for precision grinding of typical shaft parts, such as lead screws. |
| ANTS -010 CNC High-Speed Dual Grinding Wheel Bridge Housing/Axle Grinding Machine | This is a model of high-efficiency production for the automotive industry. The machine tool adopts a double-wheel head oblique cutting-in forming grinding layout. It can perform all grinding of the outer diameter, arc and end face of both ends of the car axle housing or axle in a single clamping and simultaneously complete the entire process. This completely eliminates the errors caused by secondary clamping and increases production efficiency several times over, making it particularly suitable for high-volume assembly line operations. |
| MKKZ series wide-wheel heavy-duty grinding machines | For parts requiring significant material removal, such as motor shafts, crankshafts, and rubber rollers, this series is equipped with a 300mm wide grinding wheel and a specially designed hydrostatic and hydrodynamic bearing spindle, optimized for heavy-duty grinding. Combined with an automatic radial measuring instrument for fully closed-loop control, it can stably maintain the outer diameter accuracy within 0.003mm, meeting the demands of efficient and highly consistent production. |
| MCD (Programmable Top Grinding Type) and MKD (CNC Top Grinding Type) Series | Top- grinding machine tools are particularly suitable for grinding heavy parts, are easy to operate, and are highly efficient. |
Application examples :
| New energy motor shaft | gearbox gear shaft | Wind turbine main shaft |
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| Hydropower turbine shaft | Large rolling mill rolls | Permanent magnet synchronous motor sleeve |
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the wheel- carrying cylindrical grinding machine has a broad market prospect. ANTISHICNC , leveraging its technological accumulation and continuous innovation in this field, has not only consolidated its advantages in the traditional shipbuilding and heavy machinery industries, but is also actively expanding into emerging fields such as new energy, aerospace, and construction machinery.
If you have any grinding machine needs, please feel free to contact Shanghai ANTISHICNC
at www.antsmachine.com
Email: contact@antsmachine.com
Keywords: cylindrical grinding machine, heavy-duty workpiece grinding, grinding wheel head moving cylindrical grinding machine