Designed with the increasingly competitive steel market landscape, 3M has introduced its new premium roll grinding solution – A wheel that cuts faster, lasts longer, runs cooler, and achieves substantial cost savings and productivity improvements. The 3M solution was built to meet the extreme challenges of narrow and tighter profile tolerances along with finer surface roughness expectations. Moreover, the total absence of defects such as feedlines or scratches require adapted grinding solutions. Compared to conventional wheels, 3M Cubitron II Resin Bond Grinding Wheels 92 BC can complete up to 30% more rolls. Longer-lasting performance is combined with up to a 20% faster cut and 30% lower cycle time than standard grinding wheels.
3M considered several key market trends when designing its new grinding wheel such as process optimisation, process efficiency, harder materials to grind as well as the increasingly more demanding quality standards required. Increasing grinding wheels’ durability and overall grinding performances is how the new 3M Cubitron II Resin Bond grinding wheels 92BC helps to achieve the industry’s costs savings targets. The new grinding wheels, additionally, free up capacity while helping to reduce overall grinding times.
3M Cubitron II Resin Bond Grinding Wheels 92BC are manufactured to meet the extreme challenges of narrow and tighter profile tolerances along with finer surface roughness expectations
According to Marco Lück, Product & Sales Manager at Maschinenfabrik Herkules, when asked why Herkules chose to partner with 3M he said: “By using 3M grinding wheels for applications specified by us, we have a reliable partner for repeatedly excellent grinding results. Our customers can therefore expect a consistent quality product and are better able to plan their production accordingly. Frequent intervention through (permanent) adjustments in the grinding process is therefore not necessary. This saves overall time, and our process reliability is significantly increased.”
The most suitable grinding wheel specification will depend on the composition of the rolls. The content of chromium and other alloying elements is an important factor when selecting a grinding wheel’s specification. Generally, the carbide-forming elements which generate these hard carbides in high alloyed steels, contribute strongly to how hard the specific steel grade is to grind. The harder the steel, the better the new 3M Cubitron II Resin bond grinding wheel 92BC outperforms other conventional solutions.
3M precision-shaped grains made with 3M micro-replication technology enabling a more efficient grinding solution
3M precision-shaped grains
Conventional grains tend to grind through the metal causing heat to build up in the workpiece and the abrasive, resulting in a slower cut with a shorter lifetime. Whereas the unique 3M Precision-Shaped Grains made with 3M Micro-Replication Technology, continuously form sharp peaks that easily slice through metal, thus cutting cooler, faster and lasting longer than conventional grains. 3M Precision-Shaped Grains can now be oriented into a specific direction, thereby, optimising the usage of each single oriented grain.
With the new 3M Cubitron II Resin bond grinding wheels 92BC, 3M observed that grains stacking into a specific zone is far reduced thus preventing mineral agglomeration and notably reach better grains anchorage into the bonding system.
According to Rainer Trettenhahn, Process Engineer Roll Machining at voestalpine Stahl GmbH he said: “Our cooperation has been quite successful. With the new 3M Cubitron Resin Bond Grinding Wheels used, we were able to significantly increase the service life compared to the competitor, and with the same removal rate. Due to this new grinding solutions offered by 3M, there is a significant economic advantage that the steel division of voestalpine benefits from.”
New Resin bond formulation with homogeneous pores forming and distribution drastically improves the overall cooling system resulting in substantial positive impact on performance
New resin bond formulation
Having a more homogenously distributed pore structure helps to drastically improve the overall cooling system since the entire wheel’s thickness is instantly flooded by the cooling fluid being captured by the wheel’s opened structure. Even in extreme stock removal conditions, it does facilitate chips evacuation outside of the contact area preventing from generating heat which may lead to thermal damages. The grinding process runs cooler with substantial positive impact on performances such as wheel’s durability extension and work parts quality improvements (free of burning marks). Finest surface roughness (Ra): down to 0.3-0.5 µm is easily achieved and maintained.
Further information at https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/metalworking-us/applications/precision-grinding/industries/roll-grinding/
