How Precision Grinding Solutions uses Meister Superabrasive grinding wheels for a competitive advantage
Curt Reed of Precision Grinding Solutions (Wallingford, CT) uses Meisterʼs superabrasive grinding wheels in many of his shopʼs high precision grinding applications., While they are not the least expensive wheels one can purchase, they are frequently the most cost effective. Here are a few examples of demanding applications where Meister products deliver the competitive advantage.
Military Components. Meister plays a key role in PGSʼs grinding operations for high-end military components. For example, PGS has been grinding lens housing assemblies made out of 440 stainless steel, using Meister internal and external vitrified CBN products to process these parts to tolerances within a couple of microns.
The parts are four inches in diameter and very thin walled with internal faces that are difficult to machine in either a restrained and/or unrestrained condition. Meisterʼs products allow PGS to finish the parts and not have them get distorted and stressed during the grinding process. Curt can process dozens of parts without dressing the wheel and still hold a one to two microns tolerance.
Flight Critical. An advanced grinding process developed by Precision Grinding Solutions for an aerospace manufacturer helped the customer avoid the purchase of an additional high- precision grinding machine that would have cost more than $1 Million.
The part was a flight critical component with a carbide thermal barrier coating. PGS selected a Meister Abrasives vitrified diamond wheel because it could be integrated into the process without requiring a rotary dressing system or a fully enclosed CNC machine.
The process allowed the customer to achieve its size, geometry, surface finish, cylindricality and straightness requirements. They were able to move into production sooner using a relatively low-cost machine that was already available at the plant.
Back at its own plant, PGS grinds flight critical safety components, prime rotating engine parts, fuel pumps, fuel systems parts and hydraulics system parts using Meister products. Curt said, “If it’s dimensionally challenging or requires tight finishes, then the Meister product is the one you go to!”
Fuel Injection: PGS has had a great deal of success using Meisterʼs vitrified CBN wheels for internal grinding of high chromium steels, die steels, mold steels, powdered metals and nitrided components. A case in point is some extremely demanding fuel injection components with tiny bores, metering edges and grooves. PGS uses Meisterʼs vitrified CBN products for these and achieves surface finishes down to a 1.5 microinch Ra.
