Patent ID: 8602840

Claim:
A grinding machine for grinding workpieces comprising a machine bed, at least two grinding spindles which can be moved on the machine bed at least in directions which extend substantially parallel to the machine bed and in each case have a grinding disk receptacle and a spindle block, and at least two second grinding spindles which in each case have a grinding disk receptacle and are mounted pivotably via a support on the spindle block of one of the first grinding spindles, with the result that they can be pivoted about the rotational axis of the respective first grinding spindle, wherein the respective first and second grinding spindles together in each case form a grinding spindle set, wherein the grinding spindle sets are oriented with respect to one another in such a way that the grinding disk receptacles of the grinding spindles of one grinding spindle set and those of the other grinding spindle set point toward one another in a direction which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece, wherein the two grinding spindles of each grinding spindle set are arranged with respect to one another in such a way that grinding disks which can be attached to them lie substantially in a common grinding disk plane which lies perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece and the second grinding spindle is pivotable between the workpiece and the first grinding spindle in relation to a direction which extends substantially parallel to the machine bed and perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece, wherein the first grinding spindles in each case comprise a protective cap which is likewise pivotable with the pivoting of the respective second grinding spindle, and wherein the respective protective cap is in operative connection with the support to which the respective second grinding spindle is attached.