Automation of Stone Feeding on T8 Honing Machine

Abstract: Honing is an abrasive machining process that produces a precision surface on work piece by scrubbing an abrasive stone against it along a controlled path. Honing uses a honing stone or a hone, to achieve a precision surface. The hone is composed of abrasive grains that are bound together with an adhesive. It is used for surface finishing outer surface of the inner race and the inner surface of the outer race of taper roller bearings. It is bound to wear and tear. The honing stone is then manually adjusted so that the abrasive surface comes in contact with the material to be machined. Hence, the machine has to be stopped and the operator needs to adjust the stone accordingly. The stopping, adjusting and restarting of the machine increases the idle time of the machine. Therefore, it is necessary to automate this process. We will be using a position based process for the movement of the honing stone after the abrasive material is eroded by 2mm. This will decrease the idle time and increase the productivity. Keywords: Honing, Bearings, Wear of stone, Automation.