Process for grinding cams of a camshaft

A method of grinding cams of a camshaft by means of a numerically controlled camshaft grinding machine, with said camshaft being arranged in a workpiece mounting device to rotate said camshaft about a longitudinal axis thereof at a predetermined angular velocity (.omega.) in predetermined angular steps (.theta.), with a grinding wheel slide having a rotatable grinding wheel mounted thereon and being infeedable in predetermined steps in an axis perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said grinding wheel being selected from a given set of grinding wheels with respect to its machining properties as well as said infeed (a) being set as a function of a geometry, a material and a required surface condition of said camshaft and cams, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a minimum grinding time (t.sub.hmin) from said geometry of said cams and from a maximum value of said angular velocity (.omega..sub.max);
• determining a first maximum value of a relative chipping rate (Q'.sub.wmax) as a function of a maximum machine power (P.sub.max) of a grinding wheel drive;
• determining a maximum chipped workpiece volume (V'.sub.wmax) from said minimum grinding time (t.sub.hmin) and from said maximum relative chipping rate (Q'.sub.wmax);
• determining a maximum infeed (a.sub.max) from said maximum chipped workpiece volume (V'.sub.wmax) and from said geometry of said cams;
• determining a grinding wheel type from a table of given grinding wheel types as a function of a predetermined surface roughness (R.sub.z) of said cams;
• grinding of said cams by means of said predetermined grinding wheel while setting said maximum infeed (a.sub.max).