Grinding Machine for Impression Cylinders

The grinding machine RD 430, for the machining of impression cylinders of up to 3,000 mm length and 1,000 mm diameter.

This twin head grinder features two independent grinding units. Linear motors and hydrostatic guideways in all axes make for high output rates and outstanding quality. What is better still is that the grinding machine RD 430 complete-machines impression cylinders are in a single set-up: lateral surface and transition edge. Once wear is detected on the grinding wheel it is automatically dressed using diamond dressing rolls. An in-process absolute measuring device will also detect non-continuous surfaces. Thus we have quality assurance built in! The use of linear motor technology in the machining of the impression cylinders allow for the use of the highly dynamic out-of-round grinding process.

The almost floating linear motor ensures precision control of the grinding slide, without any backlash. This allows for the grinding machine to work at higher and consequently more efficient speeds. However, the use of linear motors in the machining of impression cylinders also set another challenge, where the lateral surface of the impression cylinder shows a gap, the transitional edge of between 60˚ and 80˚ needs to be chamfered. Up to now this had to be done separately, on another grinder. The RD 430 grinding machine for impression cylinders does this in a single setup on the same grinding machine. In other words the surface of the cylinder is first cylinder-ground, after which process the grinding wheel moves inside to chamfer the incidental edge.