Automatic Tool Changer for Cylindrical Grinding Machines

Cylindrical grinding machines are an area of machine tools where automation has lagged behind. The main obstacles have been the requirement for high-precision machining in the micrometer range—where measurement has been a major bottleneck—and the lack of an automatic center-changing device. Various solutions have been proposed to address these issues. Matsumoto Machinery proposes a measuring hand capable of multi-point measurement and an automatic center-changing device.

Here, we present our proposal for an automatic workpiece changer. By changing the attachment, it is possible to perform up to eight unmanned setup changes overnight for workpieces ranging from φ4 to φ62 mm.