The ThyssenKrupp Crankshaft Co. in Danville, Illinois, operates up to 21 shifts per week to produce forged crankshafts for the North American heavy-duty automotive, truck, and engine markets.

Meeting production needs requires precise technology. The crankshaft division uses the Zema Numerika GH1500 machine to grind its crankshafts. The external grinding machine works in a three-shift operation seven days a week, grinding flange and post end on heavy-duty crankshafts.

The cylindrical grinding machine's user-friendly control system, a torsion-resistant machine bed, hydrostatic guides and grinding spindles with hydrostatic bearings ensure ideal corundum grinding results. The control system offers the required input screens for grinding with corundum.

In addition to the Danville operation, ThyssenKrupp Forged Technologies operates 17 locations in 8 different countries and is part of the ThyssenKrupp AG headquartered in Essen, Germany. Jose Fernando Dias de Moraes, process engineering manager has been actively involved in several grinding projects at the company's production sites worldwide.

Dias de Moraes has been at the site in Danville for more than four years. Together with six other engineers, he oversees four production lines. He is overseeing the plans to introduce an additional Numerika GH1500 by the end of 2020.

"We have replaced a machine from the production line with the Numerika, as the machine previously used was no longer reliable enough," he said. "Also, the Numerika works with precision and is easy to operate. We had already carried out a few projects together at other ThyssenKrupp sites."