OD Grinding Using Crush Roll Forming

[JerryCuriousLabs]

Hello everyone,
The current place I'm at tests metal specimens, and the majority of them are round (tensile samples, stress rupture, etc.) and are currently ground on a couple 1960's Sheffield/Bendix Crushtrue grinders. We are in the process of looking at new machines to eventually replace these very worn units. I've been machining since '99, mostly CNC and manual mills and lathes, with no OD grinding experience. Definitely learned a lot in the past 1.5 years here. My question is, are crush form grinders still a thing? We were having a tough time finding a CNC grinder that would do what we needed it to that wasn't $400k. We are looking at a Toyoda in the next couple weeks. We also just recently had a salesman pitch us for a Clausing machine. Their smaller machines seem like a close fit, especially an NC machine (the parts are relatively simple), but Clausing advertises in their brochure a "wheel forming device" attachment available (aside from the standard diamond dresser) that LOOKS like a crush roll on top with the small hand wheel but they don't expand on it. The salesman was not familiar with the equipment (!) and he couldn't tell us if that was what the "forming device" was. Anyone on here have any familiarity with more modern crush form grinding machines, if they exist? Thanks in advance!
Jerry

 

[michiganbuck]

Crush wheels hold form better than diamond-point-dressed. The simple trick to reduce the costs of buying crush rolls is you use your fresh roll to make/grind a second roll from an in-house made blank.
Clausing used to make a top-quality machine I suspect they still do.
I would want a scraped-way bed in iron.
Adding wheel probes.
A close DRO for long travel and crossfeed.
*A wheel-forming device to rough in wheels is a plus with still using rolls for extended wheel life and perhaps it could dress OK wheels.
I would buy a 400 K CNC only if it proved/suggested it could save enough man-hours to be worth the price.
I would also consider getting the Sheffields rebuilt, and perhaps adding ball screws and stepping motors on feeds.

QT: The salesman was not familiar with the equipment (!) and he couldn't tell us if that was what the "forming device" was.
*Salesmen are not grinder hands so their say-so can not be depended on, good to make arrangements to go see an installed device at a running shop to talk to the owner and a grinder hand..

Note: I see the clausing SG uses Turcite B coated ways..

 

[michiganbuck]

Landis is considered a top-quality grinder. One rebuilt to new condition likely could not be bettered the world over with any new machine.
Likely the old Sheffield deserves the same rating..

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[JerryCuriousLabs]

Thank you for helping point me in the right direction! Much appreciated.