Air-Bearing Grinding Fixtures Enable Cutter Sharpening

Rush Machinery’s air-bearing end mill grinding fixture enables precision sharpening of end mills, reamers, shell mills and other cutters. The spindle floats on a thin film of air to produce a smooth, even grind. The fixture mounts on the company’s drill and tool grinders and is also available with a universal base to mount on common tool, cutter and surface grinders.

 

The fixture features a hard-chrome-plated and ground spindle with a 10" stroke. Tools are held by 5C or 5-ST collets or extension bushings for shanks as large as 2" (50 mm) in diameter. The fixture enables OD grinding of any number of flutes and includes a 12-position index plate for end grinding. Other index plates also are available. The micrometer in-feed is graduated in 0.001" (0.04 mm) of diameter. The fixture enables operators to customize end mill geometry to optimize performance, the company says.