CoorsTek, a leading international manufacturer of engineered ceramics, is reaping the benefits of investing in an Okamoto 818 CNC surface and profile grinder for its Crewe plant.
Supplied by Rugby-based UK sole agent Jones & Shipman Hardinge Ltd (
www.hardinge.com/jones-shipman), this machine has been operating trouble-free for 12 months and has established itself as a core part of the firm’s specialist surface-grinding operations.
CoorsTek produces high-precision and complex components — such as extreme-duty seals for use in sectors including oil and gas, chemical and energy.
Needing a flexible and reliable surface and profile grinder as a replacement for an older machine, CoorsTek engineers had trust in the Okamoto brand, with four machines already in operation at the facility.
Production manager Tristan Weller (
www.coorstek.com) said: “In the surface grinding cell, we are precision grinding ceramics typically to tolerances of ±10 microns on form radii and to 5µm on flat surfaces.
It is a complex process with slow feeds and speeds, and it can take its toll on machines and wheels alike. It is a time-consuming task, so sustained machine integrity and stability are all-important.”
The Okamoto 818 CNC features a 450mm x 200mm table and a Fanuc CNC system. A key feature is automatic lubrication to guides and slideways, which prolongs maintenance-free operation.
All the core machine castings have high static and dynamic stiffness and are fully damped, while scraped V slideways with low-friction turcite coatings come as standard.