Measuring steady rest for supporting and measuring central workpiece regions grinding machine with such a measuring steady rest, and method for supporting and measuring central workpiece regions

A grinding machine for grinding central and/or eccentric workpiece regions on workpieces, in particular, bearing points of, in particular, crankshafts, the grinding machine comprising:

• a measuring steady rest comprising:
• an integrated measurement device for direct advancement against and measurement of the central workpiece regions before and/or during the machining of central and/or eccentric workpiece regions, which can be brought from a retracted position in order to grind and into a support position against the central workpiece region in order to support the central workpiece region, and which has at least two supporting parts that can be fed in against the central workpiece region and support the central workpiece region at respective peripheral regions that are spaced apart from one another,
• the supporting parts being arranged so as to form an opening angle with respect to each other at each lateral flank of a prism that opens in a fork-like manner at a steady rest arm, in a fixed position with respect to one another and with respect to the steady rest arm and in the supporting position sub-centric to the longitudinal axis of the central workpiece region, such that an angle bisector formed between both supporting parts manifests a fixed acute angle with respect to the perpendicular running through the longitudinal axis of the central workpiece region, and a CNC-controlled infeed of the steady rest arm to the central workpiece region takes place along this angle bisector, on which the measurement device is arranged with regard to the longitudinal axis thereof;
• and
• a control device by means of which the measuring steady rest can be placed against the central workpiece region and a grinding disc can be fed in up to the finished dimensions of the central workpiece region by means of the CNC control thereof before and/or during grinding performed by means of the grinding disc or after the grinding of the central workpiece region, wherein the measuring steady rest is configured as a support prism and such that the also CNC-controlled infeed movement onto the central workpiece region to be supported occurs along the angle bisector of the opening angle of the support prism, on which is arranged the measurement device that is aligned to the angle bisector with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof.

A method for supporting and measuring central workpiece regions, in particular, a bearing point on shaft parts, in particular, on a crankshaft, before and/or during the machining of central and/or eccentric workpiece regions by means of a grinding disc, which has an infeed axis CNC-controlled by a control device, the method comprising:

• providing a grinding machine comprising a measuring steady rest and a control device,
• the measuring steady rest comprising an integrated measurement device for direct advancement against and measurement of the central workpiece regions before and/or during the machining of central and/or eccentric workpiece regions, which can be brought from a retracted position in order to grind and into a support position against the central workpiece region in order to support the central workpiece region, and which has at least two supporting parts that can be fed in against the central workpiece region and support the central workpiece region at respective peripheral regions that are spaced apart from one another, the supporting parts being arranged so as to form an opening angle with respect to each other at each lateral flank of a prism that opens in a fork-like manner at a steady rest arm, in a fixed position with respect to one another and with respect to the steady rest arm and in the supporting position sub-centric to the longitudinal axis of the central workpiece region, such that an angle bisector formed between both supporting parts manifests a fixed acute angle with respect to the perpendicular running through the longitudinal axis of the central workpiece region, and a CNC-controlled infeed of the steady rest arm to the central workpiece region takes place along this angle bisector, on which the measurement device is arranged with regard to the longitudinal axis thereof, and
• the control device being the means by which the measuring steady rest can be placed against the central workpiece region and a grinding disc can be fed in up to the finished dimensions of the central workpiece region by means of the CNC control thereof before and/or during grinding performed by means of the grinding disc or after the grinding of the central workpiece region, wherein the measuring steady rest is configured as a support prism and such that the also CNC-controlled infeed movement onto the central workpiece region to be supported occurs along the angle bisector of the opening angle of the support prism, on which is arranged the measurement device that is aligned to the angle bisector with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof;
• bringing a measurement device into contact with the central workpiece region to be measured, at the measuring steady rest arranged on the steady rest arm, on the grinding machine, by means of a CNC axis of the steady rest arm and
• measuring the still not yet machined, partially machined, or finished central workpiece region.