CF 500/400 ST: The new generation of centerless grinding machines geared towards Industry 5.0
On EMO 2025 exhibition, at Hall 11 Stand E48, SMT Special Machine Tools presents the CF 500/400 ST centerless grinding machine, a newly designed model that integrates the most advanced Industry 5.0 technologies.
The machine is equipped with an operating wheel with a diameter of 508 mm and a width of 400 mm, enabling grinding on a wide range of workpieces, with diameters between 2 and 150 mm, and on various materials such as steel, aluminum, and plastic. Fitted with a Fanuc CNC 0i-F Plus, latest-generation axis and spindle motors, this grinder has been designed to optimize productivity and reduce energy consumption, thanks to targeted construction solutions and intelligent control architecture that combines precision and sustainability in a single system.
Energy efficiency and smart functionalities
Among the most significant innovations is the adoption of regenerative drives, capable of recovering energy from the axes and returning it to the system. Compared to traditional models, this results in a total energy consumption reduction of 7%, achieved thanks to the use of high-efficiency motors and an optimized energy management system. A concrete and measurable approach that lowers operating costs and meets the increasingly central environmental sustainability requirements of industrial production. The CF 500/400 ST also introduces smart features that go beyond simple automation. Among these, the “sleep” mode automatically shuts down non-essential devices during idle periods, reactivating them autonomously when needed, while a timer-based scheduled start system allows the user to set the date and time for machine warm-up, reducing setup times and improving overall production cycle efficiency. These solutions demonstrate that automation can also mean cost savings and resource awareness. The use of new AI-managed intelligent sensors, capable of real-time monitoring of contact between the wheel and the workpiece, ensures consistent profiling and dressing quality, improving precision, and enabling continuous data analysis for grinding process optimization—a key aspect for ensuring repeatable results over time.
Advanced software for profiling and predictive maintenance
The machine management software is based on an advanced algorithm capable of precisely displaying and controlling the wheel profile, optimizing axis travel in real time and significantly reducing both execution times and energy consumption. This innovative production cycle management brings tangible benefits in speed, efficiency, and operating cost reduction. Completing the range of employed technologies, the CF 500/400 ST integrates an intelligent BUS system for real-time machine status monitoring and data collection for interactive diagnostics. This infrastructure underpins SMT’s predictive maintenance approach, allowing anomalies to be detected before they lead to failures, thus reducing downtime and enabling more efficient scheduling of interventions, which is a strategic advantage for those aiming for uninterrupted production.
With this new generation of ultra-precision centerless grinders, SMT Special Machine Tools and Fanuc demonstrate how Industry 5.0 technologies can be successfully applied to grinding, offering the perfect combination of energy efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. The CF 500/400 ST represents a concrete answer to the challenges of modern manufacturing, where performance goes hand in hand with resource optimization and reduced environmental impact.
On EMO 2025 exhibition, at Hall 11 Stand E48, SMT Special Machine Tools presents the CF 500/400 ST centerless grinding machine, a newly designed model that integrates the most advanced Industry 5.0 technologies.
The machine is equipped with an operating wheel with a diameter of 508 mm and a width of 400 mm, enabling grinding on a wide range of workpieces, with diameters between 2 and 150 mm, and on various materials such as steel, aluminum, and plastic. Fitted with a Fanuc CNC 0i-F Plus, latest-generation axis and spindle motors, this grinder has been designed to optimize productivity and reduce energy consumption, thanks to targeted construction solutions and intelligent control architecture that combines precision and sustainability in a single system.
Energy efficiency and smart functionalities
Among the most significant innovations is the adoption of regenerative drives, capable of recovering energy from the axes and returning it to the system. Compared to traditional models, this results in a total energy consumption reduction of 7%, achieved thanks to the use of high-efficiency motors and an optimized energy management system. A concrete and measurable approach that lowers operating costs and meets the increasingly central environmental sustainability requirements of industrial production. The CF 500/400 ST also introduces smart features that go beyond simple automation. Among these, the “sleep” mode automatically shuts down non-essential devices during idle periods, reactivating them autonomously when needed, while a timer-based scheduled start system allows the user to set the date and time for machine warm-up, reducing setup times and improving overall production cycle efficiency. These solutions demonstrate that automation can also mean cost savings and resource awareness. The use of new AI-managed intelligent sensors, capable of real-time monitoring of contact between the wheel and the workpiece, ensures consistent profiling and dressing quality, improving precision, and enabling continuous data analysis for grinding process optimization—a key aspect for ensuring repeatable results over time.
Advanced software for profiling and predictive maintenance
The machine management software is based on an advanced algorithm capable of precisely displaying and controlling the wheel profile, optimizing axis travel in real time and significantly reducing both execution times and energy consumption. This innovative production cycle management brings tangible benefits in speed, efficiency, and operating cost reduction. Completing the range of employed technologies, the CF 500/400 ST integrates an intelligent BUS system for real-time machine status monitoring and data collection for interactive diagnostics. This infrastructure underpins SMT’s predictive maintenance approach, allowing anomalies to be detected before they lead to failures, thus reducing downtime and enabling more efficient scheduling of interventions, which is a strategic advantage for those aiming for uninterrupted production.
With this new generation of ultra-precision centerless grinders, SMT Special Machine Tools and Fanuc demonstrate how Industry 5.0 technologies can be successfully applied to grinding, offering the perfect combination of energy efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. The CF 500/400 ST represents a concrete answer to the challenges of modern manufacturing, where performance goes hand in hand with resource optimization and reduced environmental impact.