Drake Manufacturing Services Co. has recently shipped a GS:TE-LM 200 Steering Worm Grinder to a European automotive parts supplier. The machine will finish grind the thread geometry on a steering worm shaft. It is equipped with Drake's Smart Spindle technology which features an acoustic emissions sensor mounted in the high-speed spindle. This sensor detects the sound of the wheel touching the part to within less than one micron. In effect, the wheel becomes a probe for the part automatically equalizing stock on both sides of a thread groove. The result is a significant improvement in setup, quality and productivity. The GS:TE-LM 200 is also equipped with a Part Load Verification System. The robot picks a part off the pallet and places it in a measuring fixture in the machine. Measurement sensors detect a particular feature on the part and determine if it is correctly oriented. Once verified, the part is placed in the collet and grinding begins.