Centerless Grinding Machine

Preventative Maintenance for Your Centerless Grinding Machine

Maintenance service is almost always more affordable than a replacement project. Turn to Seminole Machinery Company to find the replacement parts your centerless grinding machine needs to avoid a major failure or unexpected breakdown.

Common Systems To Inspect Routinely

There are a number of high-wear components on a centerless grinding machine. Proper machine tool maintenance can help you identify these wear areas and provide the necessary lubrication and preventative care. Failure to maintain your grinder could cause it to break suddenly and severely. This means unexpected downtime and potential damage to larger, more expensive components. Here are some common systems that you should inspect:

  • Hydraulic system: Check the oil level, temperature and filters. Inspect the entire length of hoses for signs of a leak.
  • Spindles: Ensure your spindles have proper clearance and pressures are at normal operating ranges. Look for signs of leaks around the spindle as well.
  • Lubrication system: Worn lubrication lines or lubrication blocks could compromise the safety of your spindles and other grinding machine components. Check for proper lubrication levels.
  • Dressers: The anti-backlash screw, ballscrew, gibs and other components may need to be adjusted or lubricated.
  • Swivel plate, upper and lower slides: Check on the condition of these components for signs of wear or improper lubrication.
  • Regulating and grinding wheel drive units: Belts, tension chains and mounting hardware can all wear down and require adjusting, so inspect these areas thoroughly before they affect the performance of your grinding machine.

Recommended Inspection Timeline

Some of these grinder maintenance only need to be performed once or twice a year, while other tasks should be checked every shift. Explore these general inspection timeline recommendations to keep up on your grinder maintenance. Use this timeline as a basic recommendation, and be sure to include additional steps recommended by your grinder manufacturer.

Daily

A centerless grinding machine should be checked every day or every shift for low oil levels and check way lubrication. Create a cleaning schedule that includes the wheel dresser, infeed slide stack, regulating wheel dresser, power unit, panel and grinding wheel head. Listen for unusual noises or oil leakage before lubricating every moving component.

Weekly

Inspect the oil level in the power pack at least once a week. Remove any coolant that has settled in the dump area of your centerless grinding machine and check levels in the coolant reservoir. Inspect the cable conduit, exposed wiring and connectors for signs of loose fittings or contamination. Look for signs of wear on the work head and wheel head belts.

Quarterly

The zerk fittings on the grind wheel dresser and motor need to be greased at least once every three months, if applicable. Not every centerless grinding machine has these fittings.

Bi-Annually

Check your centerless grinding machine for signs of loose spindle belts at least twice a year. Swap out hydraulic power unit filters and perform an oil change on the power and lubrication units. Tighten the spindle belts and be sure the entire unit is properly lubricated.

Look for end thrust and deflections on the grinding and regulating wheel spindles. These spindles may need to be replaced or serviced before they cause performance issues. Test the transformer, fuses, terminals and earthing of your unit to avoid any electrical issues. Check the wheel head oil temperature after approximately 30 minutes of operation and compare it with the OEM recommendation.

Annually

Finally, there are a few steps that should be performed once a year. These include replacing any worn-out components on your grinder and performing a full lubrication system inspection. If you notice worn components at any stage of your inspection procedure, turn to Seminole Machinery Company for a wide range of replacement centerless grinder components to complete your yearly maintenance routine.