Samputensili has recently launched a world premiere at EMO Milan 2015. The new machine, the SG 160 Sky Grind, is designed to eliminate the need for cutting oils during the grinding of gears after heat treatment and features two spindles: one for skive hobbing and one for generating grinding.

When grinding, most of the heat is transferred into the workpiece. Reducing friction, discharging the heat and evacuating the chips are the primary technological tasks for oil-based lubricants. However, the equipment dedicated to the oil treatment absorb 75% of the total energy consumed by a grinding machine, require a massive amount of space and significantly contribute to the costs of investment and maintenance of grinding machines.

Enrico Landi, division director of Samputensili Machine Tools, explains: "The new SG 160 Sky Grind removes 90 percent of the stock allowance with the first pass using a skive hobbing tool, which has the advantage of not heating the workpiece excessively. Subsequently, with the second finishing pass, a grinding wheel removes the remaining stock without causing problems of overheating the workpiece, therefore resulting in a completely dry process.

"Moreover, its innovative structure with two spindles actuated by linear motors and the use of more channels simultaneously ensure a chip-to-chip time of less than two seconds. 

"The final result is an amazingly productive machine, even faster than traditional dual table grinding machines, characterized by a very small footprint and a lower cost of investment for auxiliary equipment. More importantly, by totally eliminating the need for cutting oils, the machine is extremely environmental friendly, both towards ecosystems and towards our most valuable resource: the health of working people." 

At EMO 2015 all this proved to be true: the new SG 160 Sky Grind ensures cycle times for the finishing of gears that are in line with the automotive industry, at a lower cost compared to traditional manufacturing solutions.

Landi concludes: "We are sure that customers will appreciate our revolutionary concept, a proof that investing in innovation leads to the creation of cutting-edge, sustainable technological solutions."