RAMPF Machine Systems has taken grinding into its own hands with its very own Precision Grinding Center, offering a complete service for high-precision machine components made of mineral casting, ultra-high performance concrete, gray cast iron, steel, hard stone, CFRP, and ceramic.

Achieving accuracies in the thousandths of a millimeter (micrometer / μ) range on a component up to seven meters long weighing 25 t is just as challenging as it sounds. For staff in the EPUGRIND division at RAMPF Machine Systems, however, grinding with this kind of precision is an everyday task, because their customers manufacture high-tech machinery that also needs to be extremely accurate.

Mike Schneider, Director of Operations at RAMPF Machine Systems, who is in charge of the EPUGRIND division:

In addition to alternative materials such as mineral casting, ultra-high performance concrete, hard stone, ceramic, fiber composite, aluminum, and tungsten, we also machine more ‘conventional’ choices such as gray cast iron and steel. Our comprehensive service covers all the key steps – from technical and design-related advice to grinding, hand-lapping, measurement, calibration, and assembly.

EPUGRIND precision grinding offers the perfect solution for every material:

• Machine beds made of mineral casting: Manufacture and precision grinding of vibration-damping machine beds and machine bed components plus subsequent assembly, joining, and testing processes for configuration into system solutions.
• Machine components made of steel and cast iron: Flat grinding and guideway grinding of metal machine components with various alloys, tempering and hardness levels, and coatings plus refurbishing or reworking of large components.
• Special constructions made of hard stone: End-to-end manufacture of high-precision measuring and specialized mechanical engineering equipment made of hard stone, including joining (bonding, screwing), and precision assembly of add-on components.
• Machine components made of ceramic, fiber composite, aluminum, and tungsten: High-precision flat grinding and hand-lapping of cutting-edge materials ensured by exactly matching the rotational speed, feed, and grinding medium to the material.

The manufacture of functional surfaces with μm accuracy places very high demands on the relevant production processes. The precision that can be achieved depends largely on the process used to achieve that precision and the way this is executed by man and/or machine. It has little to do with the machine bed material to be machined.

Wolfgang Goldmann, Head of Precision Manufacturing at RAMPF Machine Systems:

Climate-controlled production halls are vital to maximize levels of accuracy. High-precision measurements are made and documented in micrometers in our fully climate-controlled measuring rooms using autocollimators, laser interferometers, and electronic inclination balances. A systematic implementation strategy that covers everything from ensuring precision to measurement, assembly, and machine operation also plays a key role.