Repairs

Repairing Hermann Schmidt Tools

Maintenance, Rebuild, Repairs, Replacement Parts

Customers taking tools apart.

BTDR

This industry is filled with very good “I can fix anything” mechanics. But please pause before taking anything apart – It will only save you money.

We have many customers calling to ask if we repair our products. We do.

We fully support all of the products we currently sell and have many spare parts for non-current products. We offer full rebuild service including regrinding if required. We will sell you any spare parts we have and will also assist you with reinstalling those items.

We have been doing this for a long time and can make suggestions which will make your rebuild more successful.

If you don’t know what model number or what the name of the part is you need, send us a picture and we will identify it for you.

How to Maintain Your BTD Style Chuck

Maintenance, Mechanical Workholding

Maintaining your 3 or 6 Jaw Precision Stainless Steel Chuck.

BTDSQ12In the past year we have been getting more and more BTDs in that need significant cleaning prior to us figuring out what is wrong with them. The conclusion is:

You have to maintain the chuck better.

The chucks look newly cleaned on the outside when we get them. Do not waste your time doing this. Spend your time maintaining the interior of the chuck. Remember you or your company spend significant money obtaining this tool.

Precision Chuck maintenance tips

BTDRWhen you are done with your job, prior to all the material swarf has dried, you need to do the following.

  • Flush the chuck out with water in closed, middle and open positions.
  • If you have an ultrasonic cleaner use it.
  • Spray WD-40 or equivalent on interior of chuck.
  • Flush chuck again if you do not want WD-40 in your machine environment.
  • If you use any cleaner that you use in your machine on the chuck you need to flush the chuck out excessively.

If a chuck does not have swarf in it many times we see that the cleaner has dried on the chuck internally.

We have chucks in the field since 2003 that are used daily and have never needed rebuilding. Yours could be one of those also with just a little careful maintenance.

Proper Set Up for Achieving High-Quality Flat Surface Grinding Results

How To, Magnetic Workholding, Maintenance

A high-quality surface grinder is, of course, critical to successfully grinding parts flat. However several basic areas should be addressed before effectively evaluating the quality of the surface grinder. Correct and precise set up procedures are necessary to achieve the best results of the grinding tool.

MCS6x6HSM1

Set up areas include:

  • Magnetic chuck installation and maintenance
  • Grinding wheel selection and balancing
  • Diamond selection

Steps for high precision flat surface grinding

Magnetic Chuck Installation and Maintenance

  • Grind the machine table flat. Grind deep enough to remove all rust.
  • Grind the bottom of the magnetic chuck. Grind so there is approximately .0002” of dish per 6” of chuck length.
  • Mount the chuck with a light coating of oil between the surfaces. Tighten the right hand bolts first and then just snug the left side bolts.

Important: The ground-in dish and just snugging the bolts on one side allows the chuck to move due to thermal changes – while minimizing changes in flatness.

  • Grind the top surface of the chuck
    • Set the chuck magnet to “on.” With a properly built chuck this does not matter, it should not matter if the magnet is “on” or “off.” However, to be safe, grind with chuck magnet “on.”
    • Always grind with flood coolant (if available) and use an open-structure wheel, in order to minimize heat buildup in the grinding area.
    • Use small down feed increments with frequent dressing to minimize distortion.
  • Schedule maintenance
    • These steps are done yearly in our shop as rust builds up between the chuck and machine bed.

Grinding Wheel Selection and Balancing

  • Select a wheel that will not introduce stress or heat into the work piece. Your wheel supplier should be able to assist you in selecting the proper wheel.
  • Wheel balancing is an important part of flat grinding. An unbalanced wheel will produce a poor surface finish and shorten the life of you spindle bearings.
  • Wheel balance should be checked during the life of the wheel as it will change as the diameter is reduced.

Diamond Selection and Set Up

  • As a rule of thumb, the minimum size diamond should be ½ carat per inch of wheel face.
    • Large diamonds dissipate heat better, last longer and dress faster due to more contact with the wheel.
  • The diamond should be set approximately 10° in the direction of the wheel location.
    • Minimize the shank length and mount as rigid as possible.
  • Dressing feed depth should be a maximum of .001” per pass. Use flood coolant if possible.
  • Rotate the diamond to a sharp surface whenever possible.

Improve the Return on Your Investment

Careful installation of your surface grinding setup is vital to get the precise results that the grinder and the workholding tools are designed to deliver. Following these steps will not only improve your flat grinding, your grinding tools will continue to perform as expected for a longer time.

The return on your investment in Hermann Schmidt tools to support your precision grinding operations will be far greater with careful set up and ongoing maintenance.