Optimizing Bonded Grinding and Cut-off Wheel Performance
Cut-off wheels and grinding wheels are versatile abrasive products used across many applications in fabrication, manufacturing, foundries, construction and numerous other industries. These consumables can have a significant effect on the overall productivity and efficiency of the operation.
Cut-off wheels are a precision product used primarily for making exact cuts, whether on structural steel, pipe or plate. Grinding wheels are used when applications call for removing a large amount of material or to clean up welds.
These abrasive products are available in different grains and bonds. Grain types include aluminum oxide, zirconium, ceramic and silicon carbide, with each type offering different characteristics. For example, aluminum oxide provides toughness and good performance for cutting steel. Zirconia alumina is a self-sharpening, tough, durable grain that holds up well in a range of demanding applications. Ceramic grain is self-sharpening and offers cool cutting that does not require as much pressure from the user. Products made with ceramic grain achieve maximum performance with high-power machines. It’s important to consider the needs of the application, the type of base material and the power capabilities of the tool being used when choosing the appropriate grain.
Optimizing Performance with Advanced Abrasives Solutions
Cut-off wheels are all about efficiency. Choosing the proper thickness and dimension of a cut-off wheel for the job depends on the workpiece shape, dimension and tool available. For larger profiles, larger wheels are recommended. For thinner materials, thinner products are the best choice. Thinner wheels make a quick and cleaner cut. The thinner the wheel, the faster the cut. Thicker wheels are more stable and side load resistant.
Grinding wheels are ideal for stock removal. In this photo, the user is blending a weld on a pressure tank.
Grinding wheels are thicker and contain coarser grains. Their main purpose is to be used over larger surface areas when there is a lot of metal to remove, and they offer a long product life.
Grinding and cut-off wheels deliver numerous benefits, including increased productivity. With grinding and cut-off wheels, there is often a trade-off between product life and cutting speed. Still, some products on the market today, like the Metalynx 2.0 and Toroflex 2.0 product lines from Weiler Abrasives, are designed to optimize both — so operations no longer have to choose. These wheels increase wheel life by up to 40% and match industry-standard cutting speed, allowing users to increase time spent cutting and grinding and reduce changeover.
Understanding wheel life
So, how do users know when a wheel should be changed? Typically, it’s time for a changeover when the product stops performing well or doing the work efficiently. Also, the diameter of the wheel gets smaller as it is used. When a cutting wheel gets so small that it cannot get through the workpiece anymore, that’s a sign for a wheel changeover.
Not using a wheel to its fullest life can cost money — both directly and indirectly. It’s throwing money away in the form of usable product, which increases an operation’s consumable spend. But it also increases downtime for the user when changeover happens more frequently than necessary. From a sustainability perspective, throwing wheels away too soon generates more waste.
The Metalynx 2.0 grinding and cut-off wheels from Weiler Abrasives include a visual indicator to ensure every user gets the optimum product life out of every wheel. This marking diminishes as the product is used, wearing down to arrow indicators so the user knows the product has been used to its full efficiency and can be changed.
This takes the guesswork out of knowing when to change the wheel. It also helps ensure the wheels are used consistently, which is important for production managers as they plan consumable inventory and budget. By removing the variables from the product’s performance, it becomes a dependable and reliable part of the production operation.
A visual indicator can help users know how much life a wheel has left. Using a wheel for its full life reduces changeovers, which improves user productivity while reducing waste and abrasive spend.
In addition to using the full life of grinding and cut-off wheels, several best practices can help save time and money in the operation. Consider these tips for wheel use:
- Put safety first: Be sure to follow all proper safety procedures for using grinding and cut-off wheels. Metalynx 2.0 grinding and cut-off wheels have a QR code printed on, providing easy access to safety information.
- Choose the right product: First and foremost, be sure to match the speed and size of the wheel to the speed and size of the tool. Be sure the RPM rating of the tool doesn’t exceed the rating of the wheel. A cutting wheel with a depressed center (Type F42) can resist more side pressure and provide safety benefits. But a flat Type F41 wheel will allow the user to perform deeper cuts.
- Use wheels for the application they are designed for: Don’t grind with a cut-off wheel because the product was not designed for that. Grinding with a cut-off wheel can lead to the product breaking. Grinding requires a grinding wheel or a combination wheel.
- Watch the angle: Grinding wheels perform best when they are used at an angle of 25 to 35 degrees. Users who grind at too flat of an angle often struggle. When too low of an angle is used, the bonds of the grinding wheel can break down, causing pieces of the wheel to chip off. To solve this common challenge, Weiler Abrasives has developed an advanced formula for its newest wheels that prevents chipping. This provides more flexibility in the angle used, allowing users to vary technique more without worrying about damage to the wheel. When using cut-off wheels, keep the wheel at a 90-degree angle to the surface. Using any other angle increases the chance of damaging the wheel. Thinner wheels are more sensitive to side pressure. Cut-off wheels with a depressed center resist more side load.
The wheel on the left shows edge chipping, which is common with grinding wheels. The wheel on the right shows the performance of the anti-chipping formula from Weiler Abrasives, which will improve user experience and extend wheel life.
VALUE OF CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE
Choosing the right grinding and cut-off wheel for the job and following best practices for using the wheels will improve results. Technologies available on wheels today can also help ensure safe and efficient wheel use, saving operations time and money and increasing productivity.
Cut-off wheels are ideal for making precise cuts.
Doris Vrečko,
Product manager,
Weiler Abrasives
Andrew Koch,
Product manager-metal fabrication,
Weiler Abrasives
The Weiler consumable productivity program (WPC):
The Weiler Consumable Productivity (WCP) program specializes in enhancing cutting operations in fabrication facilities, particularly where there's a lack of resources or methods to measure outcomes. WCP stands as a tested approach, focusing on efficiency, and providing real-world data to pinpoint opportunities for cost and time reductions.