
Top row (l-r): New Norton RazorStar Belts set up in the Norton APS Robotic Automation Cell and RazorStar discs and belts.
Bottom row (l-r): Norton Worm Gear Grinding Wheel, Paradigm Wheel and Quantum Prime Grinding Wheels.
Saint-Gobain Abrasives will be highlighting a wide range of high performance, innovative abrasive grinding products and technology at IMTS booth N-237042 located in the Finishing/ Machining Pavilion, North Hall.
To be shown for the first time at a major international event, new Norton RazorStar belts, quick-change and fiber discs feature engineered-shaped ceramic grain, a new technology with enhanced performance and metal removal rates in tough grinding applications when performing off-hand and/or automated grinding. A combination of uniquely-shaped razor-sharp grains in an upright position, along with a special supersized grinding aid, helps to reduce heat generation for cooler cuts and longer life on a range of materials such as carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, nickel alloys and other hard-to-grind metals. In addition to impact grinding and off-hand applications, RazorStar belts are suited for robotic applications in markets such as aerospace, automotive, oil and gas and general machining. RazorStar belts, as well as other abrasive products, will be shown on a dual-head Yaskawa robot in the booth.
Norton Quantum Prime Grinding Wheels, which feature proprietary nano-crystalline ceramic grain, offer productivity gains across a wide range of applications will also be highlighted. The Quantum Prime grain offers increased grinding efficiency and part quality, as well as longer wheel life than traditional ceramic grains, according to the company. Wheels are available in a range of types, including OD, ID, gear grinding, toolroom, disc grinding, mounted wheels, surface grinding, creepfeed and flute grinding.
Also to be highlighted, the Norton Abrasive Process Solutions (APS) Program provides custom grinding expertise by helping customers determine the most optimal grinding or finishing solutions for the application at hand, ranging from simple to complex, off-hand or automated, and for metal fabrication, production grinding and virtually any abrasives operation. The APS Program draws upon the knowledge of the Norton team along with access to 30 different machines, and the state-of-the-art APS Robotic Automation Cell, which is at the core of the new APS Program located at the Higgins Grinding Technology Center in Northborough, MA. The APS team provides abrasive process development, optimization, automation and in-house testing. APS services encompass the testing and optimization of new abrasives, improving quality and/or throughput and exploring entirely new and customized processes.
Additional key Norton grinding technologies to be showcased at IMTS include:
- Paradigm Plus Diamond Wheels feature new premium grain technology that complements a brittle metal bond to deliver even higher grinding performance on carbide round tools and periphery grinding on carbide and cermet inserts. This technology, together with an advanced lightweight core, produces lower specific cutting energy with a 25% to 50% higher MRR, and has significantly improved wheel life when compared with other Paradigm wheels, the company reported.
- Gear grind