Germany-based
Okamoto Machine Tool Europe GmbH, a leading grinding machine tool manufacturer, recently held its two-day
Grinding Days 2025 event where trade visitors were given exclusive insights into the future of high-precision machining – including live demonstrations and expert lectures.
Managing director Atsushi Kobayashi welcomed interested trade visitors to the two days – Day One in English, Day Two in German – and announced an informative mix of top-class lectures and live demonstrations of the latest Okamoto grinding technology suitable for many different applications.
Thomas Loscher, Okamoto’s technical manager, said: “In difficult market conditions, Okamoto is challenged to enable its business partners to achieve sustainable but at the same time profitable high-precision production with modern grinding technology. One particular challenge is efficient production in times of a shortage of skilled workers. This is where our automation solutions come in – our own and from technology partners. Another approach is our intelligent control technology ‘iQ’, which enables even unskilled employees to program even complex grinding processes.”
One example is the rotary table surface grinding machines of the PRG series, which Okamoto has now equipped with ‘iQ’. With these machines, manufacturers in various industries have access to grinding technology with which they can quickly and economically achieve the required flatness down to the micron range.
The gantry-type rotary table grinding machines are specially designed for the single-sided machining of a range of components, including rings, ball bearings and other device components with high demands on surface quality. The round magnetic clamping table moves the workpiece in a circle, and the lateral feed or transverse movement is carried out with the appropriate grinding tool. Depending on the programming of the grinding cycles, the PRG can be used to grind under variable table speeds with a constant cutting speed of the grinding tool.
Thanks to the ‘iQ’ control, the user can adjust all grinding positions at any time using the teach-in function via a touch screen with dialogue guidance, even during operation. Programming even complicated grinding processes no longer requires in-depth knowledge of grinding technology. Among other things, this shortens the programming and training times of employees, and processes are automated.
Another example of a unique grinding technology ‘performance package’ that component manufacturers can use to make their production more productive and at the same time more sustainable, is the Okamoto IGM 15 NCIII-2B Boxer type internal grinder. This machine is an extremely robust, high-performance internal grinder with two spindles that can move independently of each other. In addition to the standard software with a 10-stage grinding program, the software supports cone and contour grinding with a parallel two-axis control. The boxer spindle assembly is designed for quick and easy adjustment without concerns about spindle/workpiece interference.
In addition to the machine exhibition in the Application Centre, other premium technology suppliers and cooperation partners exhibited their technologies. On display were NORITAKE grinding wheels, SAV clamping solutions, MST Cooperation and WBA Aachen tooling.
Mr Kobayashi said: “The need for high-performance grinding solutions continues to grow as technology advances. Speed, cost-effectiveness, sustainability and efficiency are the decisive factors in which no component manufacturer can afford to make compromises. This is where grinding machine manufacturers like Okamoto come in. They succeed by continuously optimising their products in order to more than meet the increasing demands in the future.
“Against this backdrop, our
Grinding Days were a great success. We were able to present ourselves as an innovative grinding machine manufacturer and modern service provider that provides high service quality.”
Okomato will be promoting its technologies at
EMO 2025 taking place 22-26 September in Hanover.