PRODUCTION GRINDING IN THE
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
1 230049
In production grinding the progress made during the past few years has been along the line of grinding multiple parts simultaneously, such as piston-rings, ball and roller-bearing cups and so forth. This kind of grinding brought about the use of wider wheels to cover the entire surface of the work, whereas formerly narrow wheels had been used with the traversing table method. With the development of these operations came the cylindrical grinding of square and distributor cams; also square shafts, using the oscillating cam-grinding attachments; piston-relief grinding with the same attachments; and two-wheel or double-wheel grinding for such parts as steering-knuckles and pinion shafts of different diameters or where two diameters are separated by some protrusion, as in steeringgear worm-shafts.
To accomplish these new operations more care has been taken to build machines that are heavier, stronger and more accurate so that operators can place greater dependence upon the mechanisms than was possible with previous machines. Greater care has been taken to balance the grinding wheels more accurately to overcome imperfections in finish and to eliminate excessive repairs on the grinding-machine itself. Some of the new attachments, mechanisms and grinding-machines are described in detail in the paper.
In conclusion the author states that the automotive industry has become the chief element in machine-tool business in the Country at the present moment and therefore the principal factor in forcing new developments in machine-tool design. He also points out the importance of a quality product to serve the needs of the automotive industry adequately.