Precision Blanchard Grinding Services

Nation Grinding, Inc. has been offering precision surface and Blanchard grinding services since 1954. We handle everything from prototyping to large production runs using a wide range of metals. Our capabilities include Blanchard, fine, creep-feed, and high-speed grinding, as well as contouring, sharpening, wire pointing, and other services. Our precision Blanchard grinding capabilities in particular are uniquely suited to many applications.

Blanchard grinding is a widely-used metalworking technique that is ideal for oversized parts too large for other methods, such as double-disk grinding. It uses significantly higher horsepower than other grinding methods, allowing it to quickly and efficiently remove large amounts of material. Blanchard grinding delivers the additional benefits of being cost-effective, achieving a high degree of parallelism, and meeting tight tolerances.

Advantages of Blanchard Grinding

There are several unique advantages to Blanchard grinding, which has led it to become the preferred grinding method in numerous applications.

Uniformity

Blanchard grinding allows for multiple parts to be ground simultaneously, ensuring component uniformity. Cutting a large blank into smaller parts also provides uniformity among part thickness tolerances.

Ideal for large parts

Blanchard grinding is recommended for large workpieces and provides quick turnaround times for oversized components. Rotary tables, vacuum chambers, and mold plates are all ideally suited for the Blanchard grinding process.

Holds challenging materials

Even thin and difficult to hold material configurations are handled well throughout this process.
Superior finish. Nation Grinding provides Blanchard ground components with superior surface finishes to R8.

Superior finish

Nation Grinding provides Blanchard ground components with superior surface finishes to R8.

While Blanchard grinding is ideally suited for large components, smaller surface materials are typically better suited to precision grinding techniques. There are multiple types of precision grinding, including rotary grinding, cylindrical grinding and horizontal spindle surface grinding. If your application requires a high degree of flatness but is fairly small, a precision grinding technique might be a better option.

Capabilities

At Nation Grinding, we offer a wide selection of grinding techniques to meet the needs of even the most challenging applications. If you’re not sure which technique is best suited to your project, our experts can help determine the right solution. While Blanchard grinding suits a diverse range of applications, in certain situations, a precision grinding technique might be more suitable.

Precision grinding is an excellent solution for materials requiring high degrees of flatness, parallelism, or quality surface finishing. Precision grinding techniques are used for a wide range of tolerances, including those up to plus or minus 0.0002’’, and are capable of achieving R8 surface finishes. In most cases, precision grinding is one of the final processes a metal workpiece undergoes.

The most commonly used precision grinding types include:

Horizontal spindle surface grinding

This type uses an abrasive, quickly rotating wheel to impact the flat surface of a workpiece.

Cylindrical grinding

This method is similar to horizontal spindle surface grinding, but it is used for grinding round objects. It uses a special holding device to secure the workpiece.

Precision Blanchard Grinding Capabilities

Process
Blanchard Grinding
Contour
Creep feed Grinding
Cryogenic Grinding
Fine Grinding
High Speed Grinding
Sharpening
Wire Pointing
Wire Sharpening
Part Types
Molds
Slabs
Turbine Blades
Wire Forms
Material - Metals
Aluminum
Beryllium
Brass
Bronze
Carbide
Cast Iron
Cobalt
Copper
Gold
Inconel
Lead
Magnesium
Molybdenum
Nickel
Platinum
Silver
Stainless Steel
Steel
Tantalum
Tin
Titanium
Tungsten
Zinc
Zirconium
Material - Others
Ceramic
Composites
Ferrite
Plastic
Rubber
Finish
Hard Chrome, Coatings
Part Length
Up to 104 in (2642 mm)
Part Width
Up to 36 in (914.4 mm)
Part Height
Up to 26 in (660.4 mm)
Lifting Capacity
Up to 3 tons
Parallelism
.0002 in (.0051 mm)
Flatness
.0002 in (.0051 mm)
Perpendicularity/ Squareness
.0002 to .0005 in (.0051 to .0127 mm)
Surface Finish
R8
Tolerance (+/-)
.0002 in (.0051 mm)
Repair Services
ID, OD Repair of Shafts
Cylinders, Pumps/Printer Rolls
Chrome Plating Repair
Plasma Spray Repair
Spindle Repair
Desired Coatings
Metals
Ceramics
Thermoplastics
Epoxies
HVOF Tungsten Carbide
95 MXC Armacor
60 T Stainless Steel
Typical Coating Applications
Spindle Repair
Wire Drum Fabricating / Rebuilding
Pump Castings / Impellers
Pump Shafts / Sleeves
Paper Rolls
Roll Rebuilding
Gas & Steam Turbine Components
Additional Services
CAM
Q.C. Reports
Reverse Engineering
Spindle Grinding
Quality Control Inspections
Optical Profilometer
Standard Metrology Instruments
Micrometers
Slide Calipers
Height Gages
Depth Gages
Indicators
Bore Gages
Squares / Angles
Gage Blocks
Granite Surface Plates
Rotary Tables
Production Volume
Specialty Production Shop
Prototype
Large Scale Production Volume Run
Typical Lead Time
5 to 10 work days

Additional Information

Industry Focus
Aerospace
Agricultural
Auto/Truck/Transportation
Marine
Medical
Military
Mining
Pulp and Paper
Spindle
Wire
Intended Application
Machinery
Mold Grinding
Tooling/Fixtures
Way Grinding
Industry Standards
ISO Compliant
Mil-Spec
File Formats
PDF
Request for Quote

FAQ

What is blanchard grinding?

Also known as rotary surface grinding, blanchard grinding is a machining technique that quickly and precisely removes material from one side of a workpiece. Blanchard grinding is ideally suited for large parts and can be performed on a wide selection of metals. It is a cost-effective solution for applications requiring tight tolerances and fast turnaround times.

What materials can be ground using the blanchard method?

One of the reasons why blanchard grinding is such a popular method is that it is suitable for virtually any material. Some of the most commonly used materials include:

  • Alloy
  • Aluminum
  • Bronze
  • Copper
  • Cast iron
  • Ferrous or non-ferrous metals
  • Mold plate
  • Raw metal
  • Tool steels
  • Stainless steel
  • Steel

What parts are frequently ground?

The Blanchard grinding technique creates a recognizable cross-hatching pattern on surfaces. Finishes are typically between a 63-125 RMS range, with finer finishes also available. Some of the most common ground parts include:

  • Burnouts and weldments
  • Castings
  • Die blocks
  • Forgings
  • Molds
  • Plate stock
  • Rectangular bar stock
  • Stampings


Precision Grinding Services From Nation Grinding

At Nation Grinding, we use a variety of precision techniques to provide high-quality machined components that meet even the most challenging specifications. The customers we serve span a wide range of highly demanding industries, from aerospace to medical, automotive, and more. We handle parts up to 104’’ (2642 mm) long, 36’’ (914.4 mm) wide, and 26’’ (660.4 mm) high, and have a lifting capacity of up to 3 tons.

We work to tight tolerances of .0002’’ (.0051mm) and perform rigorous quality control inspections on each component we produce. We offer additional services including reverse engineering, spindle grinding, quality control reports, and CAM. For additional information on our blanchard grinding capabilities, reach out to our team today.

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