Home brew auto down feed on surface grinder

S

SBAER

Hot Rolled

Joined

Aug 21, 2006

Location

Kitchener, on canada

• Nov 8, 2017

• #1

I need a 3/4" wide, 1/16" deep slot ground in about 800 ferrite magnets (magnetized condition). I have done 20 at a time on a surface grinder with a diamond wheel but it takes forever. I could line 10 of them up on the J&S540 surface grinder and use a 3/4" wide wheel and let it go if the thing would autofeed down, but it does not have that feature.

Anyone ever add a stepper motor and a plc to a surface grinder to get it to downfeed automatically? Anyone (Ontario, North Eastern US) all set up to do a job like this?

 

T

tdmidget

Diamond

Joined

Aug 13, 2005

Location

Tucson AZ

• Nov 8, 2017

• #2

Why are you wasting a diamond wheel on it? Why not just buy the proper machine for the job?

 

E

ewlsey

Diamond

Joined

Jul 14, 2009

Location

Peoria, IL

• Nov 8, 2017

• #3

I think it's the classic catch 22. Yes, you could add a stepper or servo motor and a PLC. By the time you figure that out, you could have the job done the old fashioned way.

 

S

SBAER

Hot Rolled

Joined

Aug 21, 2006

Location

Kitchener, on canada

• Nov 8, 2017

• #4

What kind of machine would that be? The ferrite magnets are some form of ceramic, super brittle, non-conductive. Do you know somebody with a high precision diamond wire saw?

 

T

tdmidget

Diamond

Joined

Aug 13, 2005

Location

Tucson AZ

• Nov 8, 2017

• #5

Any wire EDM. Pretty sure silicon carbide would cut it. Elderly Elox and such would be perfect, you only need 3 axes.

 

D

dsergison

Diamond

Joined

Oct 23, 2003

Location

East Peoria, IL, USA

• Nov 8, 2017

• #6

tdmidget said:

Any wire EDM. Pretty sure silicon carbide would cut it. Elderly Elox and such would be perfect, you only need 3 axes.

Click to expand...

Hmm... the choices between buying an elderly wire EDM and cutting one profile at a time vs making one wheel turn a little bit...... that's a tough one.

 

T

tdmidget

Diamond

Joined

Aug 13, 2005

Location

Tucson AZ

• Nov 8, 2017

• #7

Nope. Build a fixture for as many as you can put on the inside of a square and go do something else while it cuts anywhere from 20-40, then reload.

 

dgfoster

Diamond

Joined

Jun 14, 2008

Location

Bellingham, WA

• Nov 8, 2017

• #8

It is very possible to use a simple chip/stepper driver to auto feed down. I have programmed an Arduino to coordinate control of all three axes on my SG. But, as pointed out, there is a significant learning curve involved in learning the programming process.

There are several bare-bones embedded chips that allow such programming. Arduino, raspberry pi are two examples.

Denis

 

E

ewlsey

Diamond

Joined

Jul 14, 2009

Location

Peoria, IL

• Nov 8, 2017

• #9

You can buy simple PLCs for not much money. For example, this one can switch 2 amp with 8 inputs and 6 outputs.

https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Programmable_Controllers/DirectLogic_Series_PLCs_(Micro_to_Small,_Brick_-a-_Modular)/DirectLogic_05_(Micro_Brick_PLC)/PLC_Units/D0-05DR-D

You would need a power supply and a stepper motor and driver.

 

D

dsergison

Diamond

Joined

Oct 23, 2003

Location

East Peoria, IL, USA

• Nov 8, 2017

• #10

tdmidget said:

Nope. Build a fixture for as many as you can put on the inside of a square and go do something else while it cuts anywhere from 20-40, then reload.

Click to expand...

I own a WEDM. It is cool.... but I wouldn't tell someone to go buy, move, set up, fix, maintain, feed, house, etc...an "old one" for 1 job they can already do with a simple surface grinder.

Maybe I misunderstood and you meant just farm it out to someone who has one.