Electronic Gearing: Grinding of Helical Surfaces, End Mill Sharpening

We've recently uploaded a new video where the Electronic Gearing is implemented via new software:
   • Electronic gearing, helical gear hob sharp...  

Grinding of helical surfaces is one of the most complicated technological operations.
It requires at least two coordinated movements. Historically this procedure was implemented via devoted gearbox. Introduction of the microprocessors has simplified synchronization significantly.
There is no longer requirement for gear replacement while setting machine tool for a certain helical trajectory. Nowadays any helical lead could be achieved by setting a set of software parameters.
In the machine tool industry this technology would simplify such operations as sharpening of the worm hubs, grinding profile of helical shapers, thread-forming taps and many more.

A classic example would be sharpening of the end mills.

We are going to limit our discussion (of the end mill sharpening) by grinding of the helical surfaces only because forming of flute straight cutting edges is a separate procedure.

This is a simplified description of a classic technique of current implementation.
The end mill is firmly fastened in a collet of a rotary tool holder, so an operator is able to freely rotate it manually. The inner side of a flute is resting on a stationary pole of certain height
(which determines the back angle of a cutting edge). The operator moves the table while simultaneously applying pressure of the flute against the pole. This could be done only by a highly skilled operator, meaning not only high cost but also difficulty to find an experienced tool grinder.
The other drawback is the technological limitation: you may sharpen a mill only until a certain level – as long as the cutting edge is geometrically above mill’s body. After that further grinding becomes impossible and a mill has to be discarded.
Our technology has no such limitations and will allow to at least double the tool’s lifetime.

The most popular are the 2-flute and 4-flute end mills while the most efficient is a 3-flute end mill. It has much higher rigidity than a 2-flute while still allowing the axial penetration.

So our tool grinder has to fulfill two operations - grinding of each helical flute and indexing the end mill. There is no limitation on number of flutes.