Analysis of the bearing ball grinding system and design of its automation

The grinding process is a key step in the production of steel balls for ball bearings. It is one of the last material removal operations in the production chain. It allows the balls to be machined inside the grooves obtained on two discs, plate and grinding wheel. The latter is rotated and pressed against the plate. The combined effect of speed and contact pressure allows the ball to be machined. As one of the last steps before packaging, the quality of the product at the end of this stage is of paramount importance. A high level of control is therefore necessary. This can be achieved through process automation. Tool regeneration on the machine with dressing devices is unique to grinding machines. In addition, the lack of experienced machinists and the general trend towards customised products and the production of one-off parts have necessitated the transition from an experience-based to a science-based approach. Currently, in the Tsubaki Nakashima factory in Kysucké Nové Mesto, the working hours dedicated to the setting of dressing devices cover approximately 26% of all hours required for the various operations. This research work aims to optimise dressing device set-up time through the design of a new, more automated system, carry out some experimental evaluations on it and conclude with future research needs.