CPT International 02/2021

nally bonded wheels to Foundry Xdiamond
and CBN abrasives not only
increases productivity and quality but
also cuts down on dust by as much as
90 %”, says Andreas Eckhardt, product
manager at Norton Winter.
Service life, quality and
consistency
An electroplated grinding wheel consists
of asteel body with asingle layer of diamond
or CBN. The grains are embedded
in aspecial nickel bond. This gives users
agrinding wheel with astable diameter
and profile. That means that there is no
need to make diameter adjustments in
the machine software during series production.
The main body can be re-used
many times, provided that it is not
damaged. The wheel can then be used
until there is no protruding grain left.
The new line of Norton Winter
Foundry Xelectroplated single-layer
grinding wheels, featuring an extremely
hard and yet ductile nickel bond coupled
with high-quality special diamond
and CBN grains, have been developed to
prevent heat and load problems from
being factors limiting productivity and
quality in grinding and cutting work.
For that purpose, Norton Winter has
equipped Foundry Xwith high-quality
special diamond and CBN grains arranged
inhigh concentrations bonded to
the high-grade steel main body by the
nickel electroplating. This enables the
grain toprotrude more than on wheels
with multiple layers. The special new
electroplating technology also ensures
excellent grain retention, which leads
to anoticeable reduction in wear in
applications on CNC-controlled machining
equipment as well as in robot guided
applications and manual processes.
Automated cell grinding is one
example. Foundry Xtruly shines in this
department, with along service life,
reduced wheel changes and minimized
downtime, with consistent wheel
dimensions and minimal wear. Its precise
geometry reduces vibrations, while the
unchanging wheel dimensions allow for
faster and easier programming.
As Eckhardt explains, “Foundry X
combines unique grain quality and
maximum grain concentration in the
wear zone and offers better homogeneity
in comparison with other coated
wheels. Grain quality is selected depending
on component material. The grain
size can also be adjusted to suit the
application. Foundry Xcan maintain the
expected tolerances depending on the
grain size and offers excellent diameter
and profile stability as well as profile
tolerances of 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm.”
Thanks to the design benefits and
the ability to make minute adjustments
to the tool in line with the specific
application, manufacturers can cut and
grind at lower temperatures and
improve their material removal rates.
Foundry Xsuperabrasives last for longer
thanks to their wear resistance. According
to Andreas Eckhardt, “they offer
the longest service life per wheel on the
market compared with directly coated
standard wheels. That means more grinding
between wheel changes and also
Foundry Xoffers
impressive performance,
durability
and safety during
cast product machining
thanks to a
special new electroplated
bond technology.
The grinding wheels
are available in a
range of sizes and
profile shapes to
meet specific
requirements for
grinding various
cast materials.
reduced downtime. Consequently,
depending on the application, using a
Foundry Xwheel can allow you to
machine up to 50 %more parts”.
This is underlined by aNorton Winter
case study entitled “Rough machining
grey cast iron: Foundry Xvsstandard
electroplated wheel with agrain
size of D851”. With parameters of a
hardness of 67 HRC, material removal of
3mm, wheel speed of 50 m/s and feed
rate of3mm/s, the Foundry Xtool
manufactured 40 %more workpieces
per wheel.
In cutting processes for machining a
brake calliper from tempered grey cast
iron (67 HRC) in aMaus robotic cell,
Foundry Xachieved aservice life 30 %
longer than aconventional superabrasive
available on the market. Furthermore,
it did so with better chip clearance,
astraight cut and fewer rejects.
Safety for employees
The switch from conventional grinding
wheels to diamond and CBN wheels in
foundries offers significant potential for
improvements in safety and environmental
aspects. The steel bodies of the
diamond and CBN grinding wheels prevent
the risk of the wheels breaking
during use. Much less dust is produced
than with conventional abrasives and
the odour that is typically emitted
during grinding in foundries is almost
entirely eliminated.
All Foundry Xwheels are manufactured
to suit user requirements. They
are available in arange of sizes and
profile shapes to meet specific requirements
for grinding various cast materials.
Arange of special shapes can also
be created.
www.nortonabrasives.com/de-de
Andreas Eckhardt, Product Manager
Direct Plated Products, Superabrasives
EMEA, Saint-Gobain Diamantwerkzeuge
GmbH, Norderstedt, Germany
CASTING PLANT &TECHNOLOGY 2/2021 31