Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Hall 1, stand 1013, GrindTec, Augsburg, Germany, 14-17 March, 2018
Saint-Gobain Abrasives, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of performance abrasives, will present its latest grinding tool innovations from its Norton and Norton Winter brands at this year’s GrindTec. The highlights of the show include products designed for the grinding of engine and gearbox components and the manufacture of components for the aerospace industry.
The company will also be demonstrating the advantages of its high porosity abrasives and presenting a selection of products specifically designed for a variety of applications from grinding and dressing to finishing and polishing across six key markets: Tools, Gears, Aerospace, Bearing, Automotive and General Engineering. With a full range of products, Saint-Gobain Abrasives supports these industries with the latest technology to reduce costs while delivering improved performance.
High performance technologies
The highlight of the Saint-Gobain Abrasives stand will be Norton Winter AEON technology, the latest innovation in electroplated grinding wheels designed for high precision applications in the automotive market. AEON superabrasive wheels have one usable abrasive layer to which diamond or CBN grit particles are mechanically fixed by an electrochemical process to achieve high grit retention levels for extended wheel life. Once the wheels are worn, the core can be re-plated with new CBN or Diamond grain in a continuous cycle, allowing it to be reused several times for significant cost savings. Norton Winter grinding tools manufactured with this process can now grind gearbox and engine components with greater speed and precision for increased productivity.
Also on stand is the Norton Winter CarbonForce large dimension grinding wheel, which is made up of a carbon fibre reinforced polymer core to offer greater strength than steel at a lower weight than aluminium. Norton Winter CarbonForce achieves a 75 per cent reduction in weight compared to steel-hubbed superabrasive wheels for greater operator safety. With their robust, form-holding carbon fibre core, the wheels also come in a multi-track version to machine multiple large engine components at once, grinding at high speeds and low pressures. Norton Winter CarbonForce also reduces cycle times thanks to fewer wheel changeovers, lowering production costs.
Cool grinding in hot zones
Norton Quantum X grinding wheels combine three of the very best Norton technologies, Quantum, Vortex2 & Vitrium3, to bring high value and performance to a range of industries. This highly porous wheel delivers high material removal, exceptional cool grinding and reduced cycle times and has been specially designed to efficiently grind difficult to machine materials in heat and stress sensitive processes, such as the aerospace industry.
Norton Vitrium3 will appear on the stand, as part of the Tools and General Engineering showcase. Vitrium3 features exclusive chemistry that promotes grain adhesion and allows for increased porosity. An improved holding power and reduced bond-to-abrasive ratio exposes a larger grain surface area, enabling the wheel to cut more freely to improve cut rate. This reduced bond-part interaction also minimises heat build-up to reduce burn and power consumption and requires lower grinding forces on the part to improve quality. Thanks to the superior grain holding properties, wheel form and corner holding is optimised to reduce dressing time, dresser wear and dresser replacement requirements. The bond also provides the ultimate wheel strength with lighter construction so machines can work at higher feed rates, speeds and pressures, significantly increasing production with existing equipment.
Visitors will also be able to understand how effective cooling is also achieved with the porous Norton Winter Paradigm bond. Thanks to decreased bond-to-workpiece action, the technology reduces friction and heat generation to improve part quality. Combining the wear resistance of a metal bonded wheel together with the ease of profiling a vitrified bonded wheel, Norton Paradigm provides the ultimate precision grinding tool for maximum productivity with long life, reducing downtime and providing a more cost-effective solution to manufacturers.
Optimised gear-grinding
Norton Abrasives has introduced a new platform for engineered gear solutions, Norton Xtrimium. This new platform removes a number of sub-brands to streamline the product portfolio and offer a single, simplified solution to customers. The range has also been expanded with the addition of a new dual-worm grinding product, further enhancing Norton’s capabilities in the gear grinding market.
To find out more about all of Saint-Gobain Abrasives’ grinding tools and experience a number of informative practical demonstrations, visit Saint-Gobain Abrasives in Hall 1, stand 1013.