Plunge grinding and through-feed grinding:

Grinding is a highly technical machining process that plays a fundamental role in modern industry. At Minesco, as experts in micro-turning, this finishing stage is an essential and natural complement to our screw machining operations. It guarantees extreme dimensional accuracy and exceptional surface quality for all your mechanical parts.

Whether for heavy industrial applications or highly specialised sectors (such as advanced connector technology, automotive industry, aeronautics or the medical industry), our core expertise is the production of very small parts, from small-series to large-scale manufacturing. In this demanding context, grinding is the essential solution for meeting the most stringent technical specifications, achieving tolerances in the micron range and delivering perfect visual or functional finishes.

The art and science of mechanical grinding

Grinding is an abrasive machining process that involves removing an extremely thin layer of material from the outer (or inner) surface of a metal part using an abrasive grinding wheel rotating at very high speed. Unlike conventional chip-removal machining (such as turning or milling), this technique makes it possible to produce parts with exceptional geometry and dimensional accuracy, while ensuring flawless surface finishes (low roughness). This operation, known as grinding, is absolutely essential in the production chain for ultra-high-precision components.

Within our machine fleet, we fully master the two main process types, namely plunge grinding and through-feed grinding:

Plunge grinding

Plunge grinding is a process that enables parts to be ground individually, often across several diameters simultaneously or on complex profiles (shouldered sections, grooves, tapers). This requires single-part loading of parts into the machine. During the machining cycle, the abrasive wheels move radially away from and back towards the part with each new cycle. This process is ideal for parts with stepped geometries.

Through-feed grinding (or centreless grinding)

Through-feed grinding, for its part, enables continuous grinding of single-diameter parts without the need for a central clamping system. It is a highly efficient machining process that delivers outstanding productivity for high-volume production of cylindrical parts. In this configuration, the wheels remain stationary and the parts move autonomously and continuously through the grinding zone.

At Minesco, we offer both processes, carefully selecting the one best suited to the geometric characteristics of your part. Our extensive industrial expertise allows us to apply the right processes to guarantee the optimal balance between production cost efficiency and impeccable quality for our customer.

Our technical expertise and workshop capacity

By entrusting your project to Minesco, you benefit from advanced grinding services tailored to meet a wide range of industrial requirements. Thanks to our fleet of specialist equipment and the advanced qualifications of our setter-operators, we are able to offer you:

Unrivalled dimensional accuracy: we routinely achieve exceptionally tight tolerances (in the order of a few microns) in order to meet the most demanding technical specifications of your drawings.
Perfect finish quality: whether for smooth surfaces for friction constraints, satin finishes or even a mirror finish, our grinding processes are all fully bespoke.
Great versatility of materials: we are experienced in working with a very wide range of materials, most notably various types of steel, stainless steel or more specific alloys.

In a brand-new 1,000 sqm machine workshop equipped with around twenty reliable, high-performance grinding machines offering unrivalled accuracy, our teams are capable of producing up to 300 million parts a year. They have the expertise required to meet a wide range of needs, whether through-feed or plunge grinding, for small-, medium- or very high-volume production runs.

Application sectors for our ground parts

This abrasive material removal technique is widely used in a number of high-technology sectors, including:

Connectors and electronics: machining and finishing of specific micro-components designed to ensure a reliable and durable electrical connection in demanding environments.
Automotive industry: rigorous finishing of components for on-board electronics or parts requiring extremely precise tolerances to ensure the performance, safety and durability of vehicles.
Medical sector: machining and polishing of high-precision surgical instruments and implants, guaranteeing perfect mechanical functionality and optimal surgical hygiene.
Industrial equipment: enhancing the reliability of components exposed to high stresses in order to ensure that wear parts work correctly in very high-performance machinery.
Luxury watchmaking: our long-standing culture of precision and aesthetic excellence means absolute peace of mind for prestigious companies in the luxury sector.

Plunge grinding cell

Plunge grinding cell

Plunge grinding

Through-feed grinding

Why entrust us with your grinding requirements?

For every grinding request we receive, our technical teams are committed to meticulously studying your needs in order to propose the most suitable industrial solution. Choosing Minesco means securing a trusted partnership built on several pillars:

Mechanical perfection: our extensive machine workshop is equipped with fully retrofitted grinding machines capable of machining parts with highly complex geometries.
Solid in-house expertise: our methods engineers and highly qualified workshop setter-operators guarantee consistently high, reproducible results across every new project.
Bespoke technological solutions: we work closely with contracting customers to develop industrial processes adapted to their specific needs. By way of example, we recently designed and developed a bespoke robotic cell to feed a plunge grinding machine automatically for one of our key accounts.
Very high workshop capacity: our machine fleet is designed to absorb peaks in demand and efficiently support the launch of very high-volume production runs.
Rigorous quality monitoring: regular metrological inspections and in-process Statistical Process Control (SPC) monitoring ensure the highest possible quality and strict compliance with your requirements (ISO 14001 and IATF 16949 certifications).

A genuine environmental undertaking: as part of our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) commitment, we prioritise environmentally responsible practices by optimising material recycling, the treatment of our cutting fluids, and our energy efficiency.