6 Part Video Repairing the Studer Grinder – Studer grinding machines, which are electric or hydraulically controlled, represent a precise and easy way to grind small to medium sized work pieces. Features like rapid infeed, grinding feed, spark-out, rapid retraction of the handwheel to the preset grinding allowance, plus cycles for plunge and traverse grinding are included in the basic equipment..
Precision Service – Machine Tool Rebuilders, Inc. can service your industrial machines. Contact us to learn how we can help rebuild or maintain your equipment.
Part 1
Transcript: Hey everyone! Kevin from Precision Service here with an update on a pseudo grinder we’re working on. This machine came to us because its accuracy wasn’t up to par for the client’s needs, and we found the root cause: a clogged lubrication system. The issue started with contaminated oil in the lubrication tank. Since this is a Mobilies-type machine, the clogged system caused the machine to “chew itself up,” damaging the bedways. Using my flashlight, I can show you the wear on the bed. You’ll notice missing dots where the table should glide smoothly, and there’s grit and damage from the material grinding itself down. The left side of the bed is in slightly better shape, but the flat surfaces are also worn.
We have two options to fix this:
- Scrape the Moglies Flat: We could scrape the Moglies (the sliding surfaces) to make them perfectly flat and true. However, this might lower the machine below its centerline, affecting performance.
- Remoglize the Bedways: The better option is to machine the damaged surface, set up the bed on support pucks, and reapply Moglize (an epoxy-like material) to restore the bedways to their original condition.
I’ll also show you the backside of the machine, where the clogged lubrication system caused significant damage.
Part 2
Transcript: Kevin from Precision Service here with another update on our machine repair project. Today, I’m showing you the backside of the machine, where we found the biggest issue: a clogged lubrication system causing serious damage. If you look where my flashlight is pointing, you can see contaminated, gloopy oil that’s not draining properly. The piping below should send oil back to the tank, but instead, it’s built up and caused the machine to wear itself out. This damage affects both the flat and V-shaped surfaces of the bedways.
Here’s our plan: we’ll break down the machine to assess the full extent of the damage. Most likely, we’ll scrape the surfaces to make the V and flat areas perfectly smooth and flat. Then, we’ll use these surfaces as a guide to reapply Moglize (a durable epoxy material) in the correct position. It’s a big job, but it’s absolutely doable, and we’ve successfully done this for two other machines for this aerospace customer.
For the table, we’ll set it up on V blocks—two at the ends and possibly one in the center—to check how far off the alignment is. We’ll also grind the top and bottom of the master surface and re-scrape the workhead and tailstock to ensure everything is perfectly aligned. This process is unique but saves you from buying a new machine. These are high-quality machines that everyone loves, and rebuilding them is cost-effective.
Part 3
Transcript: Kevin from Precision Service here, squeezed inside a machine to give you an update on our repair project. We’re working on a Moglize-coated surface that’s taken a beating due to clogged lubrication lines, which I mentioned in a previous video. The whole machine needs an overhaul, but I’m focusing on the most damaged areas right now.
Check out this small lip on the bedway—hard to catch on camera, but it shows significant wear. Using a special fixture, we measured the damage, and it’s dipping about 16,000ths of an inch below the surface, maybe a bit more. This setup helps us spot low points, but it doesn’t catch every detail. These machines are incredibly precise, so we have to address every spot to restore their accuracy.
Here’s the plan: after finishing the table, we’ll break down the machine further. We’ll prime the other axis, align it carefully, and apply Moglize in two stages since it doesn’t cover the entire bedway at once. Then, we’ll scrape the surface to ensure the V and flat areas are perfectly smooth. You can see some markings indicating the 16,000ths dip, though I’m not sure if that’s for the V or flat yet.
Part 4
Transcript: Kevin from Precision Service here with an update on an S33 Stuart grinder we’re repairing. This machine had serious lubrication issues that caused accuracy problems and damaged its Moglize-coated bedways, as we showed in a previous video. Let’s dive into what we’ve found and how we’re fixing it.
We’ve taken the machine apart and cleaned the bedways as much as possible. The table ways aren’t in terrible shape for most machines, but for a high-precision Stuart grinder, they’re worn, especially at the ends, where they’re slightly raised. This suggests the machine was heavily used in the center, likely for shorter parts. The spindle area, however, is the worst, dipping about 16,000ths of an inch—I’ll confirm this in a future video.
Our plan starts with the less-damaged table ways to establish the correct centerline height before tackling the heavily worn spindle area.
Here’s how we’ll do it:
- Scrape the Table Ways: We’ll hand-scrape the table’s top surface to make it perfectly flat, then way-grind the V and flat surfaces to ensure they’re true.
- Address Lubrication Failure: We found a clogged lubrication line (you can see the cloudy, blocked line in the bedway), which caused the damage. We’re documenting this to prevent future issues.
- Use the Table as a Master: Once the table is flat, we’ll apply Dykem blue and rub it against the bedways, using a level to scrape them perfectly true. This step-by-step approach is needed because the table section is smaller than the bedways.
Next, we’ll work on the swivel table in front of me. We’ll grind its top, bottom, and clamping surfaces, as well as the master surface. After calculating how much material we remove, we’ll adjust the tailstock and workhead by adding fixtures and scraping them to align with the new heights.
The spindle’s resting surface is already flat, which makes it easier to flip and grind the backside. We may hand-scrape it slightly for precision. To bring the machine back to centerline, we’ll add shims under the spindle area rather than the swivel table, where metal-to-metal contact is critical. We avoid shortcuts like adding Turcite under the table to maintain the machine’s integrity.
This repair is time-intensive, especially since much of the scraping is done by hand, but it’s far cheaper than buying a new machine. We’ll likely remove a few more covers to complete the bed section. I’ll keep sharing videos to show our progress and explain each step. If you’re facing similar issues with your machines, contact us or give us a call! We can talk through solutions or repair your machine at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
Part 5
Transcript: The machine might look a bit unusual because we’ve removed it from its base using our gantry and overhead crane. We’ve placed it on a sturdy table with four-by-fours for support, making it much easier to work on.
We’re running a bit behind schedule, but we’ve made solid progress. The machine is now perfectly leveled, and we’re focusing on the front flat way. Our goal is to ensure this surface is completely true and zeroed out. Next, we’ll move to the table, which is nearby. The table’s top has already been ground and scraped to be perfectly flat, so we’re using it as a template to scrape the V ways (the X-axis table ways).
You can see some Dykem blue markings on the flat ways, showing where we’re scraping. The indentations need to be much closer together, but this is still a work in progress. Once the flat ways are done, we’ll use the table template to scrape the V ways, ensuring everything is perfectly aligned. We might even use a laser to double-check our accuracy.
After that, we’ll tackle the spindle and wheel area. We haven’t finalized how we’ll reapply the Moglize yet because the bottom surface we ground isn’t perfectly true.
Part 6
Transcript: Hey everyone! Kevin from Precision Service here with a quick update on the Z-axis slideway repair for our grinder project. We ran into an issue: we can’t use this slideway as a template because the centers are machined out, creating a low spot. If we used it for priming, it would cause a high spot, messing up the alignment.
Instead, we’re planning to machine and grind a new piece to serve as our template. The slideway itself is already perfectly ground and ready, but we need to prep the surface below it. I’ll share a video on that next week since our schedule is packed right now.
Our priority is finishing the table, tailstock, and other components to confirm the machine’s height, which is critical for these precision machines. Once that’s done, we’ll move to the next steps.