In today’s manufacturing climate, skilled labor is a frequently discussed topic, especially when it comes to machine operators. Many businesses, from job shops to large OEMs rely on manual machines to make their parts. Among these manual machines are Blanchard grinders or other rotary surface grinders. Long thought to be more of an “art” than a manufacturing process, Blanchard grinding is one of the necessary processes for many manufactured components to provide superior flatness, parallelism, and size tolerance. Due to the high horsepower of a Blanchard grinder’s spindle, this can be accomplished efficiently, allowing for accurately established datums, stock removal on difficult to machine materials, and many other processes.
As today’s and yesterday’s workforce begins to retire, much of the tribal knowledge needed to quickly and efficiently Blanchard grind parts will begin to disappear. This will leave a skills gap in a necessary process for manufacturing that is used across numerous industries. To combat this skills gap and begin providing training on the Blanchard grinding process, Bourn & Koch, OEM for Blanchard, has partnered with THORS to develop training materials that provide the groundwork and framework for effectively building the knowledge base necessary to bring tomorrow’s workforce up to speed on Blanchard grinding. You can access the first part of the course for FREE by clicking here.
Bourn & Koch has long provided new and remanufactured Blanchard grinders along with service and support to their customers. Blanchard is still one of the most popular machine tools that they receive requests for parts and field service on. Blanchard is also the highest volume machine tool that Bourn & Koch produces, manufacturing and remanufacturing machines from small 12” diameter tables up to 120” diameter tables. Bourn & Koch’s new Blanchard human machine interface (HMI) simplifies the process by guiding the operator through the required inputs. A keypad on the operator’s pendant and Fanuc MPG replaces the older controls on manual Blanchard grinders. Though there have been improvements in the ease of operation on a Blanchard, there is much more to the process than just how much material needs to be removed. THORS aims to teach operators about the other aspects of Blanchard grinding through these new courses. Check out this video of the new Blanchard 22AD-42 to learn more.
THORS has developed an extensive library of learning content specific to manufacturing processes, including many specialized processes such as gear manufacturing. The depth of the content and ease of access to their online portal allows for your workforce to educate themselves at a self-directed pace and through selected coursework relevant to their duties and future career interests. Through this partnership, Bourn & Koch and THORS hope to provide the next generation of Blanchard grinder operators with the learning materials they need to be successful.
Whether it is simply squaring up a large piece of plate steel or a grinding a critical component of an aerospace assembly, Blanchard grinding is still one of the most effective ways to achieve the desired result. To get your new operators and seasoned veterans up to speed quickly, THORS is a great option to do so. Check out your free course today by clicking here.
To learn more about THORS and available courses, contact Senthil Kumar via email at Senthil.Kumar@THORS.com.
To learn more about Blanchard grinders, contact Bourn & Koch via email at MachineSales@Bourn-Koch.com.
