Recently, significant progress has been made in the field of domestic high-end equipment manufacturing. The new generation of intelligent CNC roller grinding machines independently developed by our country have successfully achieved a full-process automation upgrade. By integrating artificial intelligence visual recognition, adaptive grinding processes, and the Internet of Things collaborative system, the average single-piece production time of traditional roller grinding has been shortened by 65%, and the overall production efficiency has increased by more than 200%. This breakthrough achievement marks that our country has entered a new stage of intelligence in the manufacturing of key components such as precision bearings and slewing bearings, injecting strong impetus into the quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of the high-end equipment manufacturing industry.
Overcoming industry challenges: From "human-machine collaboration" to "unmanned intelligent production"
Roll ring parts, as the core basic components of wind power generation equipment, heavy construction machinery, and aerospace equipment, their grinding accuracy and efficiency directly affect the performance and reliability of the main equipment. Traditional grinding machines highly rely on the experience judgment of operators. Manual loading and unloading, tool setting measurement, and process adjustment are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the consistency is difficult to guarantee. This has become a prominent bottleneck restricting the improvement of production capacity and the stability of quality.
The CNC ring grinding machine that has achieved an automation breakthrough this time is characterized by the establishment of an "intelligent closed-loop of perception - decision - execution" system. By integrating the three major systems on the basis of the high-precision spindle system and the bed structure, it has achieved a highly integrated and efficient operation.
1. AI Visual Positioning and In-Position Measurement System: Equipped with high-resolution industrial cameras and laser scanners, it can automatically identify the clamping posture of the workpiece, complete precise in-machine measurements of the inner and outer diameters as well as the end face dimensions within seconds, and promptly feed back the data to the numerical control system, replacing the traditional manual table marking and trial cutting processes.
2. Adaptive grinding process library and expert system: It incorporates process models trained based on massive processing data. It can dynamically optimize parameters such as grinding wheel speed, feed rate, and dressing cycle according to the material of the workpiece, the remaining amount, real-time grinding force, and acoustic emission signals. While ensuring accuracy and surface quality, it always strives for the maximum material removal rate.
3. Fully automated material flow and digital twin monitoring: Coupled with six-axis robots or gantry mechanical arms, it enables automatic loading and unloading, as well as circulation of workpieces. At the same time, all equipment operation status, process data, and quality information are connected to the factory's Internet of Things platform. Through digital twin technology, three-dimensional visualization monitoring and predictive maintenance are carried out, achieving a leap from single-machine automation to workshop-level intelligent scheduling.
The actual measurement data demonstrate remarkable efficiency.
On the production line of a large-scale bearing manufacturing enterprise that was the first to apply this intelligent grinding machine, the results were immediately apparent:
● Efficiency leap: For processing the raceways of a certain type of wind turbine swivel bearing, the single-piece cycle time has been reduced from the original 138 minutes to 48 minutes, and 24-hour continuous unmanned operation has been achieved.
● Quality improvement: The stability of processing accuracy (CPK) has generally increased to above 1.67. The dispersion of workpiece dimensions has decreased by approximately 80%, and the defect rate has dropped by nearly 90%.
● Personnel optimization: The number of direct operators required for a single piece of equipment has been reduced from the original 2-3 shifts to only 1 person for supervision and inspection. This significantly reduces the reliance on skilled workers and manpower costs.
● Energy consumption reduction: The grinding process under intelligent optimization is more stable, and the consumption of grinding wheels and electricity is reduced by approximately 15-20%.
Lead industry transformation and empower manufacturing upgrade
Industry experts have pointed out that the automation breakthrough of this CNC roller grinding machine not only addresses the pain points in the processing of specific parts, but also has broader demonstration significance. It transforms the traditional precision grinding process relying on "master craftsmen's" experience into a digital asset that is replicable, optimizable, and remotely manageable, providing a mature model for large-scale flexible automation production in discrete manufacturing workshops.
The head of the project R&D team said: "Our goal is not merely to create a faster machine tool, but to build an intelligent production unit that can 'think' and 'learn'. In the future, we will further open up data interfaces, deepen the integration with upstream and downstream production systems, and promote the formation of an intelligent factory ecosystem based on unified data standards."
As global manufacturing competition becomes increasingly fierce, production efficiency and intelligence level have become core competitiveness. The continuous breakthroughs of domestic CNC machines in the direction of automation and intelligence are laying a solid equipment foundation for China to move from a "manufacturing giant" to a "manufacturing powerhouse". The successful application of this intelligent roller grinding machine indicates the arrival of a profound efficiency revolution in the field of precision manufacturing.
