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OD Grinding

Shafts, pins and journals ground to the roundness and finish that turning alone cannot reach.

When a drawing specifies roundness, concentricity or a fine surface finish on a diameter, turning gets the part close and grinding finishes it.

External grinding is usually the last operation on a shaft, and it is the one that decides whether the part fits. We grind between centres and on journals where only part of the length is critical.

What we make

Parts that come through this department.

Shafts and stepped shaftsBearing journalsPins and plungersSpindlesValve stemsHardened components after heat treatment

Roundness and surface finish are quoted per part rather than published as a blanket figure — what is achievable depends on the material, the hardness and how the shaft is held.

Materials, equipment and inspection

The practical detail.

Materials for this process

Hardened and unhardened carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels, nickel alloys and tool steels — normally the last operation on a shaft, after heat treatment.

See the full material list →

Equipment and inspection

Universal cylindrical grinding machines. Diameters and roundness checked with micrometers and on the CMM, with a hardness check on heat-treated parts.

Full equipment list → Quality →

Parts we have machined

Real components, photographed on our own bench.

Every photo on this page was taken at the shop. Customer names and part numbers are never published; the process that made each part is.

Grinding departmentCylindrical grinder

Long stepped shaftCNC turning and OD grinding

Shaft, turnedCNC turning

Questions

What buyers ask about this process.

What information do you need to quote this?

The drawing, the material, the quantity and the date you need the parts. If a critical feature is unclear, we will ask rather than assume.

Can you work from a sample instead of a drawing?

For simple parts, usually yes. We will measure the sample, send you a drawing for approval, and machine against that.

OD Grinding — what do you need to know from me?

Anything unusual about how the part is used. Function tells us where to put the effort: a worn surface matters more than a cosmetic one, and knowing that changes how we machine it.

Send us a drawing. Get an engineering answer, not a price list.

Tell us the part, the material and the quantity. An engineer reviews your drawing and replies within one working day — usually with a suggestion on how to make it cheaper.

Upload Your Drawing Talk to an Engineer