Thanks to quick changeover, the Saturn double surface grinding machine from Junker is not only flexible, but also an economical and
reliable solution for the precise production of a wide variety of connecting rods.

As a partner to the automotive industry, the Canadian company Linamar develops and manufactures components and systems for drive solutions at over 60 global locations. The Linamar Powertrain plant in Crimmitschau, Saxony, was founded in 2010 and produces engine
produces engine components such as connecting rods and transfer cases for all-wheel drive vehicles on an area of 23,000 square meters.

The connecting rods to be machined on the Saturn 915 are mainly used in petrol and diesel engines with a displacement of one to three liters. André Schmiedel, Operations Manager at Linamar Powertrain GmbH, explains: ,,We can manufacture over eleven million connecting rods per year on a total of six installed production lines. The connecting rods are either machined according to the OEM's specifications or fully assembled".

Economical connecting rod machining

In a continuous grinding process, the Saturn machines connecting rods with a length of up to 400 mm. The connecting rods are fed into the machine on a conveyor belt. The workpiece carrier disk rotates continuously and feeds the blanks to the vertical, plane-parallel grinding wheels. The flat surfaces of the connecting rods are
The flat surfaces of the connecting rods are machined synchronously and the intelligent measuring systems ensure the perfect final dimensions.

Schmiedel confirms: "The Saturn is able to precisely meet OEM specifications in terms of parallelism, flatness and surface roughness. This sanding technology is a cost-efficient and
economical process." The finished connecting rod is transported suspended on the unloading rail, cleaned and fed to the next station in the production line on a conveyor belt.

Flexible use and versatile versatility

The double surface grinding machine is used to machine plane-parallel workpieces with a wide variety of shapes and geometries particularly economically and precisely. In addition to connecting rods, these include rolling elements, rings, universal joints, cams, needle or ball cages, pistons, clutch components and stamped parts of all kinds.

The segments for holding different types of workpieces can be exchanged quickly and easily. The grinding machine is also suitable for processing heavy workpieces, such as valve plates, bearing and pump housings.
such as valve plates, bearing and pump housings. Different materials can be processed on the Saturn, so Linamar uses micro-alloyed steels as well as sintered metals.

Schmiedel explains: "With the Saturn, we have a high-performance grinding machine that ensures that we can offer our OEM companies good availability at all times while maintaining tolerances. The Junker sanding machine can be flexibly converted and can be set up for new requirements in just a few simple steps and in a very short time. The cost-effectiveness with hardly any service costs and consistently very good quality results have impressed us in the long term."

Parallelism in the company's history

During the many years of collaboration, it has become clear that professionalism has resulted in a partnership. Linamar and Junker not only share a passion for pioneering developments, but also a common company history. Frank Hasenfratz and manufacturer Erwin Junker started out in a small workshop and both have managed to inspire others with their innovative business ideas and technologies.