How to measure Grinding Wheel Performance
Productivity And Cost Evaluation – Grinding
P.A.C.E. Program
The unit price of a grinding wheel is not indicative of the overall cost to the user, since the amount of work done by different manufacturers’ wheels can vary widely. Flexovit’s ‘G-Ratio’ lab testing indicates the true cost of the wheel by factoring wheel price with G-Ratio results.
G-RATIO (Grinding Ratio) – A ratio that measures how much work a grinding wheel will do in a particular application. It is calculated by grams of
material removed, per gram of wheel used. The higher the number, the more work the wheel will do.
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Step 1:
Weigh the unused grinding wheel and the workpiece.
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Step 2:
Grind for a set time period.
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Step 3:
Weigh the used grinding wheel and the workpiece after grinding.
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Step 4:
Calculate results or G-ratio. Factor in prices to determine wheel value.
As an example, Flexovit tested one of the most widely distributed Chinese manufactured 4-1/2″x1/4″x7/8″ Type 27 ‘fastcut’ wheels against a standard Flexovit USA manufactured fast grinding specification, A30S. These import wheels are typically sold at low unit cost, but yield much higher overall job cost. The results appear below.
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- It will take 3.4 Chinese wheels to do the work of 1 Flexovit USA manufactured wheel.
- At published end user list pricing, you will pay total $5.95 for 3.4 Chinese wheels vs. $2.58 for 1 Flexovit A30S wheel.
- Using this Chinese made wheel will cost your company 2.3 times MORE than using Flexovit USA’s A30S wheel.
* This data is presented by Flexovit USA, Inc. to assist users and distributors of industrial abrasives in establishing the actual cost of alternative Depressed Center Grinding Wheels. Testing was performed at Flexovit USA’s test facility in Angola, New York. This data is for illustrative purposes only. G-Ratio test results may vary depending on grinding procedure, material type, and tool used.
