Abwood Machine Tools will be exhibiting at the SNEC 6th International Photovoltaic Power Gneration Exhibition in Shnaghai from May 16th – May 18th 2012.

We have a limited number of guest invitations for this event, so please use the contact us form to express an interest in joing us on our stand for this event.

With our in house research and development and design teams we have the ability to turn concept into reality usually within a 12 month period. Our experience is not just limited to grinding machines, and coupled with our extensive knowledge of automation we are able to provide turnkey solutions for non-standard processes.

If you would like to discuss bespoke machine tool design with us, please use our contact form.

The SS2Q is the latest offering in the range of automatic grinding machines for the photovoltaic industry from Abwood Machine Tools. The new design is primarily aimed at start up companies with low capital expenditure and low Cost of Ownership figures. The SS2Q retains the ability of other Abwood PV grinders to operate within an automated production environment and includes a handling interface for component exchange with a factory automation system.

Features

Easy Integration

The small footprint of the SS2Q allows for easy integration into new or existing brick processing lines and the low utility requirements and long lasting grinding wheels ensure operating costs are kept to a minimum. The standard interface of Ethernet and Profibus including Profisafe allow for easy integration into factory automation and logging systems.

The RG2 is the latest design in the range of rotary tabled surface grinding machine range from Abwood Machine Tools. Featuring a full CNC control with customised grinding canned cycles it is possible to achieve highest component accuracy with minimal operator knowledge. Available in table diameters from 800mm to 1200mm and capable of using grinding wheels up to 500mm diameter the RG2 surface grinder offers an extremely high capacity in spite of the small footprint.

Features

High Productivity

The benefits of rotary tabled surface grinding machines are often overlooked by process engineers. As well as being the only solution for cylindrical parts, the RG2 is well suited to spread grinding of small components. Due to the high surface speed of the rotary table, higher material removal rates and decreased cycle times are just some of the benefits over conventional surface grinding machines.

The Creepmaster 7, available in horizontal or vertical spindle formats, is the award winning range of creepfeed grinding machines from Abwood Machine Tools. Featuring 3 axes as standard with the option of full 5 axis control, the CM7 is will suited to complex aerospace components as it is to simple surface grinding applications. Featuring a synthetic granitan base for superior thermal stability resulting in optimum repeatability of finished components, the CM7V also features a high power spindle for high material removal rates.

Features

Supreme Repeatability

The benefits of the synthetic granitan base are evident in the accuracy and repeatability of the range of Creepmaster grinding machines. The addition of nanometre precision linear scales along with thermal coolant control makes micron accuracies easily achievable.

The RG1CNC is the final evolution of the proven rotary tabled surface grinding machine range from Abwood Machine Tools. Featuring a full CNC control with customised grinding canned cycles it is possible to achieve highest component accuracy with minimal operator knowledge. Available in table diameters up to 600mm and capable of using grinding wheels up to 400mm diameter the RG1 series of surface grinders offers maximum capacity whilst maintaining a relatively small footprint.

Features

High Productivity

The benefits of rotary tabled surface grinding machines are often overlooked by process engineers. As well as being the only solution for cylindrical parts, the RG1 CNC is well suited to spread grinding of small components. Due to the high surface speed of the rotary table, higher material removal rates and decreased cycle times are just some of the benefits over conventional surface grinding machines.

The Abwood CM12H utilises a high power single spindle to remove material from the bottom or top of sawn multi-crystalline blocks. This maybe used as an alternative to saw cropping of block ends where the material to be removed is minimal.

Features

High Material Removal Rates

A 15kW spindle motor coupled with a very coarse super-abrasive wheel allows for material removal rates of over 1000mm3/s. The result is that it is possible to process 10 multi-crystalline bricks per hour with removal of up to 10mm in total from the ends of the block.

Capable of grinding standard chamfered edges on multi-crystalline silicon ingots, the CM74 is aimed at high volume manufacture and is a perfect complement for the TS2 Surface Grinding machine in a cellular manufacturing environment. The machine addresses the need for superior surface finish on chamfers by utilising multiple spindles to grind all four chamfers simultaneously thus allowing for a substantially slower linear in feed rate. The CM74 retains the ability to operate within an automated production environment and includes a handling interface for component exchange with a factory automation system.

Features

Increased Yield

By using four grinding spindles simultaneously, the CM74 is able to grind chamfer edges at a reduced linear feedrate. In addition to this, the use of high frequency spindles combined with ultra fine diamond grinding wheels results in superior surface finish and reduced sub-surface damage thus maximising potential wafer yield.

The Abwood TS5 has revolutionised the grinding process for mono-crystalline silicon ingots. Following on from the existing range of twin spindle surface grinders for multi-crystalline silicon, the new design offers the capability of flat face grinding and radius or flat corner grinding in one process. The machine is capable of handling ingot sizes 125mm square, 156mm square and 210mm square and is self adjusting for lengths from 150mm up to 1020mm.

Features

Flat and Radius Corner Grinding In One Process

An automatic block end support provides the ability to compensate for varying block lengths whilst providing the work holding for each end of the ingot during flat grinding and corner grinding. During radius corner grinding, the block is rotated to ensure consistent form and dimension of each individual corner.

The TS3Q continues the development of twin spindle surface grinders for multi-crystalline silicon from Abwood Machine Tools. The new design addresses the superior surface finish by combining rough and fine grinding in one process whilst also increasing capacity up to a maximum block length of 400mm. The TS3Q retains the ability to operate within an automated production environment and includes a handling interface for component exchange with a factory automation system.

Features

Increased Productivity

Vitrified Bonded diamond grinding wheels are successfully used for the side face and chamfer grinding of silicon blocks. The composition of the diamond wheels coupled with the excellent stability and rigidity of the machine result in excellent cutting performance and maximum surface finish of finished components.