Machining error compensation of extern cylindrical grinding using a thermally actuated rest

This paper describes a new machining error compensation system designed for a cylindrical grinding machine. In order to compensate for thermal distortion as well as mechanical compliance, the thermally actuated rest was developed without deteriorating the mechanical performance of the rest. In this paper, the modeling of the workpiece supporting system that includes the workpiece itself is established to compensate for the errors. As a result of simulation using this new model, the configuration of cylindricity after grinding is presented. Moreover, following the optimization of the rest spot, the cylindricity of the workpiece can be improved by the control of the supporting spot of the rests. The optimum distance for the rests is searched by genetic algorithms considering the described parameters. Experimental implementation of the new actuator reduces the thermal error by 75%.