Higher machining performance
Longer tool life
Better component quality
Efficient Balancing with the ZOLLER »toolBalancer«
Long balancing times lead to downtime and a loss of quality. Our »toolBalancer« not only allows for high-precision balancing of tool holders, grinding wheels, and rotors—its automated measurement process also significantly speeds up the procedure.
It can accommodate your current requirements as well as future developments you cannot yet foresee: thanks to its modular design, the »toolBalancer« can be customized to your specific needs.
The device can be operated intuitively and self-explanatorily via touchscreen, keyboard, or mouse—whichever best suits your workflow. This allows you to focus on working and producing effectively and with high quality. As a result, you measurably reduce your scrap rates, machine downtime, and production costs!
What is wheel balancing?
Balancing reduces or, ideally, eliminates the imbalances inherent in any rigid body rotating about a fixed axis. These imbalances arise from uneven mass distribution in the grinding wheel; the reference point in each case is the rotational axis of the grinding spindle. The primary goal of balancing is to counteract all centrifugal forces acting on the rotating spindle so that the spindle bearing is not subjected to additional forces.
How do imbalances develop in grinding wheels?
Imbalances in a grinding wheel can occur as early as the manufacturing stage, for example:
- slight deviations from the ideal geometric shape or a perfectly symmetrical shape due to production errors,
- other manufacturing defects, or
- uneven density of the grinding wheel structure (result: unbalanced weight distribution).
However, imbalances are primarily caused by wear during the grinding process. Examples of this include:
- uneven abrasion during the grinding process,
- contamination from chips or coolants and lubricants, and
- stress and deformation caused by clamping forces, cutting forces, and centrifugal forces.
Additional problems can arise from improper storage or incorrect handling of the grinding wheels.
Why balance grinding wheels?
The consequences of an unbalanced grinding wheel can be manifold: The grinding spindle may not rotate quietly and smoothly; an imbalance, in turn, leads to uneven wear, which can further exacerbate the problem. In addition, the wear or the grinding rate of the wheel may increase.
As a general rule: If the tool and tool holder as a unit do not exhibit high concentricity, the centrifugal force resulting from an imbalance can have a negative effect on the spindle bearings and significantly reduce their service life. Tool life can also deteriorate significantly if the vibrations generated by centrifugal force are transmitted to the machine and the tool. Balanced tools therefore contribute to lower tool costs and increase productivity.
To achieve higher machining performance and longer tool life, it is important to check the balance of the grinding wheel before every change in speed, as each spindle-speed-tool combination introduces a specific imbalance.
What types of balancing systems are available?
Essentially, there are three different balancing systems in balancing technology.
Electronic balancing: Here, the imbalance of the grinding wheel is balanced directly on the grinding spindle; the corresponding technology can either be integrated into the grinding spindle or achieved by manually moving the balancing weights.
Rolling blocks: Two individual rolling blocks (the rolling block is also referred to as a balancing block) are each equipped with two narrow rolling discs mounted on ball bearings. The rolling blocks are typically mounted on rails or positioned on granite plates of measuring machines.
Balancing scale: Balancing scales determine the static imbalance of grinding wheels. In this process, only one plane is actually measured; the grinding wheel is considered statically balanced when its center of gravity is centered, i.e., on the axis of rotation.