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Step grinding

moto367

Aluminum
Joined
May 16, 2008
Location
Ohio
I posted this in the "abrasives" forum but maybe I'll get more response here.

I heard the term "step grinding" the other day in relation to extreme accuracy. Can anyone explain the process to me? Thanks
 
I posted this in the "abrasives" forum but maybe I'll get more response here.

I heard the term "step grinding" the other day in relation to extreme accuracy. Can anyone explain the process to me? Thanks
I have been grinding with brand new Taft pierce surface grinders since 1963 and have never heard of this .There is such a thing as a "flush step pin guage" go-nogo fixture that will allow you to check the depth of a step or counterbore from the top surface of your product.I havvnt made one in many years. Edwin Dirnbeck
 
suppose you have a block that is 3"x4" x 5"tall and the 4" side needs to be perpendicular to the 5" side. you grind the 3" dim. so that both sides are parallel and to size, and you grind the 4" dim. until both sides are parallel and to size. then you stand it on end and grind one side of the 5" dim. to just clean it up. Check the perpendicularity of that ground 5" dim. to the 4" side. Suppose it is .001" out. now you put the ground 5" surface down on the chuck and dust the unground side to just clean it up. then you figure out which way you need to make the part lean to get it to be perpendicular and you start on that side and grind .001" deep across the part but you don't go all the way. you stop about .050" from the edge. then you flip the part over put that side down and grind the other side to just clean it up. then you check it. you may have to do this a couple of times to fine tune it. it is better to use a squaring block or clamp it to a very good knee. but this will work in the absence of proper tools, or if the part is too big or to small for them. you must also remember to use good grinder practice and safety. be sure to block the part in whilst you are grinding it because when you have the side with the step on the chuck there is very little contact.
 
suppose you have a block that is 3"x4" x 5"tall and the 4" side needs to be perpendicular to the 5" side. you grind the 3" dim. so that both sides are parallel and to size, and you grind the 4" dim. until both sides are parallel and to size. then you stand it on end and grind one side of the 5" dim. to just clean it up. Check the perpendicularity of that ground 5" dim. to the 4" side. Suppose it is .001" out. now you put the ground 5" surface down on the chuck and dust the unground side to just clean it up. then you figure out which way you need to make the part lean to get it to be perpendicular and you start on that side and grind .001" deep across the part but you don't go all the way. you stop about .050" from the edge. then you flip the part over put that side down and grind the other side to just clean it up. then you check it. you may have to do this a couple of times to fine tune it. it is better to use a squaring block or clamp it to a very good knee. but this will work in the absence of proper tools, or if the part is too big or to small for them. you must also remember to use good grinder practice and safety. be sure to block the part in whilst you are grinding it because when you have the side with the step on the chuck there is very little contact.

Same principle as shimming, but the shim is temporarily built in.
 
When I hear someone say step grinding I think about just using the table travel and down feed. Not the in/out feed.

Then feed down in the same place then raise the wheel up and move over the width of the wheel and feed down to the level you just did and step over and over again feeding down. You feed with hand wheel about .001" ever time the table changes directions. Really speeds up the grind. Have to use a lot of coolant. Then after you get to your depth all the way down, you remove and clean, dress wheel and put it back on and grind it the regular way.
 
Not sure if this is similar, but in woodworking step milling refers to flattening a board in stages to allow for stress in the piece. Joint, plane, wait a while for things to settle, repeat, etc, until at final thickness. I guess that approach could be useful in grinding metal with internal stress
 
OR- Step Grinding can also refer to a process using a STEP GRINDER. But this is a cylindrical grinder.
I have a Cincinatti Step Grinder, a machine with a thirty six inch diameter wheel with a FOUR inch width, that
grinds cylindrical parts by "stepping" plunging and stepping across the width of the part. With the side of the wheel
AND the face of the wheel dressed, this machine can very quickly face and grind a machine tool spindle to incredibly fine
tolerances QUICKLY. This is an angular PLUNGE grinder. Unlike a standard cylindrical grinder, where the operator needs to
grind the journals, and then kiss the faces separately, this grinder does it simultaneously. With a four inch wheel width, CNC control
with Marposs gaging, even a LONG part doesn't take long to be finished.
 
suppose you have a block that is 3"x4" x 5"tall and the 4" side needs to be perpendicular to the 5" side. you grind the 3" dim. so that both sides are parallel and to size, and you grind the 4" dim. until both sides are parallel and to size. then you stand it on end and grind one side of the 5" dim. to just clean it up. Check the perpendicularity of that ground 5" dim. to the 4" side. Suppose it is .001" out. now you put the ground 5" surface down on the chuck and dust the unground side to just clean it up. then you figure out which way you need to make the part lean to get it to be perpendicular and you start on that side and grind .001" deep across the part but you don't go all the way. you stop about .050" from the edge. then you flip the part over put that side down and grind the other side to just clean it up. then you check it. you may have to do this a couple of times to fine tune it. it is better to use a squaring block or clamp it to a very good knee. but this will work in the absence of proper tools, or if the part is too big or to small for them. you must also remember to use good grinder practice and safety. be sure to block the part in whilst you are grinding it because when you have the side with the step on the chuck there is very little contact.
It's basically the best and fastest way to grind parts absolutely square. Use whatever you have to get it close and then step grind to get it absolutely perfect expecially on large blocks that are heavy. Much more accurate than relying on angle plates or squaring blocks.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
suppose you have a block that is 3"x4" x 5"tall and the 4" side needs to be perpendicular to the 5" side. you grind the 3" dim. so that both sides are parallel and to size, and you grind the 4" dim. until both sides are parallel and to size. then you stand it on end and grind one side of the 5" dim. to just clean it up. Check the perpendicularity of that ground 5" dim. to the 4" side. Suppose it is .001" out. now you put the ground 5" surface down on the chuck and dust the unground side to just clean it up. then you figure out which way you need to make the part lean to get it to be perpendicular and you start on that side and grind .001" deep across the part but you don't go all the way. you stop about .050" from the edge. then you flip the part over put that side down and grind the other side to just clean it up. then you check it. you may have to do this a couple of times to fine tune it. it is better to use a squaring block or clamp it to a very good knee. but this will work in the absence of proper tools, or if the part is too big or to small for them. you must also remember to use good grinder practice and safety. be sure to block the part in whilst you are grinding it because when you have the side with the step on the chuck there is very little contact.
The explanation is close. You don't want to grind the opposite side from the step side until you have the stepped side square. Then grind the opposite side. This allows you to repeat your set-up on the stepped side. It is like shimming but with much more control. Sometimes it's as little as a .0001-.0002 step to get it perfectly square. I've used this method a lot .

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
When I hear someone say step grinding I think about just using the table travel and down feed. Not the in/out feed.

Then feed down in the same place then raise the wheel up and move over the width of the wheel and feed down to the level you just did and step over and over again feeding down. You feed with hand wheel about .001" ever time the table changes directions. Really speeds up the grind. Have to use a lot of coolant. Then after you get to your depth all the way down, you remove and clean, dress wheel and put it back on and grind it the regular way.

My thoughts as well, we called it plunge grinding, we have done it allot over the years.
 








 
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