
IMM Maschinenbau GmbH is one if the world's biggest manufacturers of belt grinding and polishing machines. Its product portfolio ranges from manual machines for grinding and polishing to automatic turnkey solutions for the aviation industry and medical technology. During EMO Hannover 2019, which took place only recently, the company brought along a whole range of innovative solutions that included a particularly strong highlight - the latest generation of its SPE 6-CNC-axis belt polishing and grinding machine for polishing compressor and stator blades, steam turbine blades and medical instruments and devices.
When grinding and polishing compressor blades and vanes, it is crucial to optimize flow efficiency and minimize differences due to tolerances in blade geometry in order to balance the compressor rotor and ensure the precision of the stator blades. The SPE 6-CNC-axis standard-precision tool series from IMM provides a robust platform by clamping blades in a fixed coordinate system to ensure the position of the tool relative to the component remains consistent. A pneumatically controlled axis also ensures grinding pressure is consistent, which makes it possible to machine even the most complex of blade geometries and reduce upstream milling processes. According to the manufacturer, this approach delivers reproducible results of the highest standard without the need for any process calibration or referencing.