Challenge: To end grind printed circuit board carbide drill blanks used by a major tool manufacturer to qualify the blank before fluting. The existing method relied on a batch process where parts were placed, a stack at a time, into a fixture and surface ground. Control over the length was highly dependent upon the setup of each batch in the machine, and length adjustment and perpendicularity were cumbersome to adjust for small diameter parts. Existing machines on the market were extremely large in comparison to the small diameter of the part to be processed, and were very expensive.

Challenge: To process carbide and polycrystalline diamond with complete automation, conserving grinding wheels and using little power, all on a machine within a small footprint