Developing the Future through Abrasives
As the growth in aircraft travel is predicted to virtually double to 7.1 billion passengers over the next 20 years and the combination of a reduction in fuel prices, you have the perfect storm for demand in new aircraft and engines sector.
How can the aerospace industry achieve this growth in demand?
Engine manufacturers and their strategic global partners are challenged to increase output by up to 25+ percent. As the demand in production is set to grow, businesses are buying new equipment that’s more automated, consequently it is vital that they fully utilise these machines and get utmost output from all aspects of the grinding process.
At Norton Abrasives we believe we have a strong part to play in finding solutions to increasing output, minimising costs and making sure that the high investment in new machinery is utilised to its full potential. Using our in-house PSP approach we offer our customers a holistic approach when it comes to the full grinding application, which doesn’t only concentrate on the grinding wheel element. The need for a complete understanding of the machine tool and its boundaries are vital to attaining the best possible outcome in productivity, capability and consumable spend, CpP (Cost per Part) Factors to consider include process parameters, dressing tools fixtures, coolant systems including flow, pressures and nozzle design. |  |
A variety of specially designed PSP diagnostic tools, as well as training in Kaizen methods, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, Norton Abrasives are fully qualified to evaluate your full manufacturing operation doubling wheel life and increasing production output by as much as 30 percent on well-established grinding processes.
FIS Units are allowed to measure power drawn and acoustic feedback during the grinding process, assessing one cut strategy or product to another ensuring that any new process or wheel creates the same or no greater force/temperature to these highly sensitive parts and materials to remove inefficiency.
A great example of this method can be found in the success of the now well established NortonQuantumX wheel that offers highly permeable ceramic grain spacing enabling cutting efficiency and cycle time reduction, low threshold power of Norton Quantum in a homogeneous Vortex structure decreases the cutting forces, allowing lower stress and friction for a better part quality, consistent cut and less dresser wear. |  |
Furthermore, Norton QuantumX, the next generation of vitrified grinding wheels has caused a stir amongst industry experts. Norton QuantumX combines three of the very best Norton technologies; patented Norton Quantum and Vortex2 3D engineered grain spacing and the revolutionary Vitrium3 bond; resulting in a grinding wheel that provides extreme performance, improved productivity and less process costs, bringing unrivalled value and performance, for the ultimate grinding experience.
Saint-Gobain Grinding Process Health Check
We find that many establishments are operating at a fraction of their true potential, with high levels of Non-Value-Add cutting techniques, and with huge potential for minimising cycletime, increasing productivity and decreasing consumable abrasive spend.
To develop a culture of constant advancement, you will need to build a foundation that can assist the creation of stable predictable methods. Using skilled Norton application engineers, our process health checks help to assess, quantify and prioritise the prospects for improvement.Norton Abrasives Grinding Process Health Check explains a set of key guidelines where each rule encompasses specific conditions that maps the main performance indicators to successfully measure the health status of the grinding application. |  |