Camshaft Grinding is the process of removing material from a cylindrical metal shaft by use of a grinding wheel to produce precisely contoured cam profiles along it's length in exact locations and orientations. Camshafts are an integral component to the dynamics and proper functioning of all 4-cycle engines. When a camshaft rotates in an engine it's purpose  is to mate with specific parts of the drive-train and provide a means of effectively opening and closing an engine's intake and exhaust valve(s) at regularly timed intervals.  Depending on the characteristics of the engine, design of the camshaft lobes will directly influence the overall operating capabilities of the engine. There are several facets to a well-made camshaft and requirements vary from application to application. Bordeaux DynoCams prides it's reputation as a leader in camshaft design technologies and manufacturing of many different types of camshafts for 4-cycle engines. 

Grinding Services that We Provide

Grinding services that we provide on a day to day basis include: 

• Mass production of Briggs and Stratton small engine camshafts to meet many of today's high performance camshaft needs for racing and other performance applications.
• Ability to grind most small engine camshafts for a variety of performance applications using any of the many pre-existing profiles we have on hand.
• Large or small production runs for grinding new or existing camshaft designs for your company
• Special multi-stage grinding services for high-end performance applications such as NASCAR

What to Expect in Regards to Our Grinding Services

We offer fast, friendly, and professional service in regards to meeting your camshaft grinding requirements. DynoCams is a long-standing reputable company focused on producing the utmost in quality while maintaining a rigorous focus on reliable turn-around time and professional handling of all events throughout your association with us. You can rely on us to handle your requests and concerns in an honest straight-forward approach. The very foundation of our business is centered on our longstanding interaction and acceptance among many reputable performance industries. Know that any sensitive information shared will be handled with the utmost respect and privacy.

Benefits of Dyno Cams

Although we are a small business, our assets are not. Through the years we've acquired some the best machinery, equipment, employees, and resources to allow us to be a strong and prosperous company. While our list of equipment is impressive and substantial, we feel our most important asset to our livelihood is the vested interest each employee carries in producing a quality product that your company can rely on. It is this winning combination of the capable harnessing there capabilities that allow us to continually produce and provide the products that are important to the livelihood of your business.

Methods of Grinding

Grinding can typically be performed using manual or computer aided grinders.  

A traditional style manual machine will use what's commonly known as a plate master to create the camshaft profiles when grinding. A plate master is simply a large metal "plate" in the shape or profile of the lobes intended to be ground. The manual camshaft grinder will use various wheels that "follow" the plate master's shape as it rotates in the grinder to essentially "copy" the plate master's contour onto the camshaft being ground. The Berco camgrinder shown here is an example of a manual camshaft grinder. Manual camshaft grinders require that the operator be capable of properly fixturing the grinder for the appropriate camshaft as well as adjusting the various settings of the machinery during operation to meet the required indexing of individual lobes as well as maintaining proper infeeds and size parameters throughout the grinding process. Regardless to popular belief, manual camshaft grinders are capable of very accurate tolerances while meeting stringent production goals.

Computer aided grinders or CNC grinders are capable of producing camshaft lobe profiles within extremely precise tolerances while being virtually unattended during the grinding process. The Landis 3L uses a magnetically charged linear way system to control the inward and outward path of movement required to produce a camshaft profile during grinding. Through the use of advanced PLC technologies, CNC camgrinders like the Landis 3L can reliably produce camshaft profiles that when measured will be within two tenths of a thousandth at any given coordinate when measured. Once the CNC grinder is properly setup and the camshaft is loaded into the machine, all functions required to properly grind the camshaft are handled exclusively by the machine, thus improving quality, productivity, and reliably consistent parts.

Depending on the type of camshaft being ground different methods will be employed. While certain types of utilitarian camshafts will require only one stage of grinding, others will require much more processing. For instance a camshaft intended for a pressure washer engine will usually be made from softer metals such as cast iron and will not need any special treatment for hardness due to it's functionality as a low revving motor with minimal wear characteristics. However camshafts intended for extreme high performance may be made from exotic metal such as tool steel and could require several stages in grinding to first produce a "roughed-in" version of the lobes with a coarse grinding wheel and then later finished with a very soft grinding wheel for a perfectly smooth practically polished surface.

While there are many steps along the way to manufacture any camshaft, our purpose here is mainly to illustrate that we continually strive to be aware of them all and constantly improve upon our methods and acquisition of equipment to always stay at the forefront of modern grinding capabilities.

 

Other Grinding Related Issues

Understanding Job Costs

There are factors that will influence the overall expense associated with grinding services we provide. Simply put, total expense is directly proportional to the amount of time and use of equipment involved with your request. Although costs associated with each job will vary, there are certain considerations which will directly determine your project's overall cost.

Project Requirements

Projects originate out of necessity for change, be it a new or existing design, someone will ultimately have to know exactly what is required to complete your project. As a general rule, the more exact information and requirements for your application you provide the less it will cost to implement your project. We can produce work for you starting from any stage of development, whether you have finalized blueprints for your part or only know that you need more horsepower in a certain range, we can help. In regards to certain projects there may be a necessity to acquire specific tooling or methods, there may also be particular requirements for quality assurance or specific handling, in these areas we are also very capable.

Setup Fees

Depending on your camshaft design, certain fixturing will need to be implemented to produce your camshafts in our equipment. We are equipped to handle most camshaft formats and dimensions, but realize that specialized drivers or other holding apparatuses may be required to produce your parts. Initial consultation with us will help you determine what is involved for your particular needs.

Cycle Times

Machine cycle times (the amount of time it takes to produce one camshaft) can vary greatly and will influence overall cost of your project. After initial setup requirements, cycle time is probably one of the next critical factors in costs for your project. We will have a good knowledge of how long this cycle time will be depending upon the required processing for your individual needs.

Core Related Fees

In-house we produce some of the finest, most durable tool steel camshaft cores available. Our extensive list of CNC machinery is capable of any format specifications or tolerances required. We do not however provide any type of cast core camshafts. In the event that your core requires casting, you will be required to procure your own cam cores. Also we do routinely work by regrinding the new profiles you request from your existing cores.

Value Added Services

Although grinding itself is straight-forward, there are many other services we provide that may affect the overall quality of your part. 

• Many times the camshaft cores we receive from other camshaft manufacturers will be grossly out of round, our centerhole grinder trues up the end centers of the camshaft, thus greatly reducing the total amount of runout encountered. 
• We provide chamfering service for your camshafts that require a two-stage process. Chamfering in-house allows us to handle normal workflow from start to finish in-house without service delays.
• If you're grinding a new more radical profile over existing cores, we have the capabilities to weld-up your existing lobes to meet the new profile specs. This method is effective in reducing costs associated with acquiring a whole new core as well as the ability to potentially strengthen and harden the existing surface.
• Certain companies require measurement verification of each individual part for quality assurance. We can handle QA in-house with a variety of measurement capabilities required to verify stringent adherence to those requirements.
• REM surface polishing is a relatively new process that we handle in-house to provide our camshafts with the ultimate surface finishing. This process uses agitated ceramic particles to polish parts alleviating micro-fine surface imperfections.