History of GMT - Manual Chucks - Part-1

Voltas were the selling agents for GMT chucks. Several initiatives were taken by GMT to help them to sell chucks especially to ordnance factories and BHEL, Tiruchy. This included demonstration of GMT chucks on their lathes. Chucks were given to CMTI and HMT R&D for testing. They inspected our chuck for gripping power and compared the same with Forkardt and Reishauer. Their report were very encouraging. In terms of gripping force GMT chuck was far superior to Forkardt and Reishauer.

GMT Manual Chuck

However, selling GMT chucks against scroll design proved to be a challenge. Without running down the scroll design we were focusing on our chuck's gripping force for machining castings, forgings, aircraft alloys and wherever intermittent cuts on components were the need. The chucks were recommended for gear driven lathes namely HMT H 22, H 26, LB 17, LB 20, LB25 and German, Czech and American gear driven lathes. Full Horse Power could be utilized on the machine using our chuck for machining. This selling point caught the attention of customers and we sold GMT chucks to many industries initially with Voltas and later by direct selling in 1972 after our agreement came to a close with Voltas.

Sri.K.Jagannathan

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - The Berg Story

GMT entered into technical collaboration with Berg, Germany for the manufacture of Hand Operated Chucks in 1963.  Berg Germany were manufacturing sizes 3B 160 to 3B 630 mm dia. 7 sizes viz. 160, 200, 250, 315, 400, 500, 630. Berg gave all drawings for chucks, jigs and fixtures, cutting tools, gauges and operation sheets.

Initially sizes 3B 160, 3B 200 and 3B 250 mm dia. were taken up. 3B 250 mm dia.  was a very popular size in those days so we started with a prototype of this size. Right from machining process and fixturing for certain machining process spl cutting tools for milling and drilling and using  existing machines for machining chuck parts posed several challenges and grim struggle. We overcame all odds and completed the first 3B 250 mm dia. in 1966.

The first chuck was taken personally by PV to Bangalore by car to show to Mr. Grautoff  MD Gildemeister who was on a visit.  We were working throughout the night and grinding the hard jaws in position. to achieve runout as per standards. Accuracy was no where in sight. Due to continuous grinding gripping serrations in the hard jaws disappeared. Fortunately we had made soft jaws. The chuck was sent with soft jaws. 

After PV showed the chuck to Mr.Grautoff, the chuck was brought back to GMT and refitted with a hard jaw and achieved accuracy as per standard.  Today GMT is the leading manufacturer of lathe chucks in India!

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - Belt grinders - The MICO story

MICO Bangalore approached us in mid eighties and asked us to develop Platen Grinder with built in dust extraction. Belt size 1500 x 200 mm. We quoted for the machine and got the order and supplied the machine. When GMT supplied the first machine MICO's planning department had some issues with the machine. After a detailed discussion we perfected the product and GMT Platen Grinders started setting standards in India. GMT learnt a  lot during supply of machines to MICO viz. Safety features, noise level parameters and other electrical safety etc.

Several Belt Grinders were supplied to MICO same model viz. model 05-15 and 05-16. In one location at MICO our machine was located in a section where a number of Multi Spindle Bar Auto Machines were in use. After parting the component a small projection(pip) will remain in the component. This will have to be removed. MICO were using a Second Operation Lathe where the component will be gripped in a collet chuck and the projection(pip) will be faced by a turning tool. This is a time consuming process.

One of the operators of Multi Spindle saw our Belt Grinder took the component and touched the pip of the parted component in the belt the pip was removed  no time. He mentioned it in the suggestion award scheme and won a award. As the belt width is 200mm three /four operators were able to use the machine and the second operation lathe was discarded.

Belt Grinder business  continued for few more years and they stopped procuring as the processes were changed.

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - Belt Grinders - part-2

GMT Belt Grinder

GMT Belt Grinding machines were targeted for aluminum die casting component for removal of runner and riser. This process is also heavy duty and we supplied machines to Sundaram Clayton Chennai for their aluminum foundry. 

Several models of Belt Grinders were developed to suit customer requirements. Single Ended, Double Ended using different belt sizes., light and heavy duty machines with built in dust extraction were also developed.

To educate customers and to create awareness on Belt Grinding GMT prepared a four page catalogue which deals with elaborate information on belt grinding.

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - Belt Grinders - Part-1

In the early 60s we were manufacturing  Major Back Stand Assembly (MBSA) and Minor Back Stand Idler ( MBSI). These were manufactured for M/S. Carborundum Universal as per their drawings. Carborundum were buying the assembly from us and then fixing on a Base and Motor and selling as a BeltGrinder.

Carborundum Universal's Marketing Chief hit upon a idea of selling Belt Grinders using MBSI mounted on a base with motor and a belt between motor pulley and MBSI idler pulley as a demo unit.The entire assembly is so designed so that it could be accommodated inside the boot of then Standard Herald Car.  Carborundum's  Marketing staff would drive the car to the customers works to demonstrate. Carborundum sold coated abrasive belts, so both belts and grinders were sold for a while very successfully for a while.This project  was abandoned due to some reasons.

 GMT Belt Grinders

GMT then started developing Heavy Duty Double Ended Belt Grinders using 3500 x 75 mm width Belt for TELCO Jamshedpur for removing flash of die forged components. Removal of forging flash was a challenge. Abrasive Belt Grinding was the only solution for this. TELCO  Jamshedpur had German  Heavy Duty Belt Grinders in their forge shop and wanted GMT to develop such Grinders. We took the design and supplied 2 such machines.

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - Surface plates and Bed Plates - Part-4

Bed Plates were developed where the plate design is different to that of standard surface plate. There was no change in ribbing. Bed Plates are kept side by side with a gap of 3 mm. The plates are offered in grade2 and grade3 accuracies. The plates are mounted on special Cast Iron stands. Depending upon customer needs stands are supplied with 600 mm above floor level or can be kept in a pit so that plate is in floor level.

Unique feature of the special plates are foundation arrangement, erection and commissioning. At our works the plates are matched and assembled and scraped to the required accuracies, They are dismantled and dispatched to the customers works. Fabricated stands are dispatched as a single piece wrapped in hay and gunny. 

 GMT bed plate - size - 6000X4000 mm (consists of 4000x1500– 4 Nos)

Foundation plan sent well in advance to the customer with instruction to prepare the foundation, size of foundation bolts, and other important details specified in drawings and documentation. On confirmation from customer that foundation is ready with our stand in position our team will visit customer site and erect and commission the plate, Minor touching up by scraping is done at customer end to ensure accuracies are maintained as per our inspection report.

I remember Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum were so impressed with the design, stability and strength of our Special Surface Plate size 6000 x 1200 mm,  2 other divisions also bought similar sizes. When asked why not use the plate which is already available. The  Department Heads said that the plate looks so impressive they budgeted for their requirement and raised purchase requisition as a single tender and ordered for the same.
 

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.

History of GMT - Surface and Bed Plates - Part-3

Although our prices were high, we were securing a number of orders from Defence and Public Sector due to the ribbing design of our surface plates. The rigidity of the plate and capability to match and assemble surface plates together also worked in our favour. Notable users:

• Vikram Sarabhai Space Center 
• Nuclear Fuel Complex

We developed Portage Layout Table for precision measurements. Bendix US were making Layout Marking Machine. Bajaj Tempo and Hindustan Motors wanted such Tables. Size of the table 4000 x 2500 mm consists of 8 nos. 1000 x 1250 mm plates matched and assembled. The table top will have precision slots 12 mm width 250 mm pitch distance on length and breadth of the table. Bendix arm will travel on the slot manually. The plate is mounted on speciall. low height CI legs so that the height of the table from floor is max. 500 mm....to be continued

About the author : Shri. K Jagannathan - Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Guindy Machine Tools Limited.
Sri.K.Jagannathan is synonymous with lathe chucks in the Indian machine tool industry. He has been with Guindy Machine Tools for over 5 decades. His vast experience and immense knowledge of workholding products is evident in some of the most complex workholding solutions provided by GMT.