Optimizing Bonded Grinding and Cut-off Wheel Performance

Cut-off wheels and grinding wheels are versatile abrasive products used across many applications in fabrication, manufacturing, foundries, construction and numerous other industries. These consumables can have a significant effect on the overall productivity and efficiency of the operation.

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Cut-off wheels are a precision product used primarily for making exact cuts, whether on structural steel, pipe or plate. Grinding wheels are used when applications call for removing a large amount of material or to clean up welds. 

These abrasive products are available in different grains and bonds. Grain types include aluminum oxide, zirconium, ceramic and silicon carbide, with each type offering different characteristics. For example, aluminum oxide provides toughness and good performance for cutting steel. Zirconia alumina is a self-sharpening, tough, durable grain that holds up well in a range of demanding applications. Ceramic grain is self-sharpening and offers cool cutting that does not require as much pressure from the user. Products made with ceramic grain achieve maximum performance with high-power machines. It’s important to consider the needs of the application, the type of base material and the power capabilities of the tool being used when choosing the appropriate grain. 

Optimizing Performance with Advanced Abrasives Solutions

Cut-off wheels are all about efficiency. Choosing the proper thickness and dimension of a cut-off wheel for the job depends on the workpiece shape, dimension and tool available. For larger profiles, larger wheels are recommended. For thinner materials, thinner products are the best choice. Thinner wheels make a quick and cleaner cut. The thinner the wheel, the faster the cut. Thicker wheels are more stable and side load resistant.

Understanding wheel life

So, how do users know when a wheel should be changed? Typically, it’s time for a changeover when the product stops performing well or doing the work efficiently. Also, the diameter of the wheel gets smaller as it is used. When a cutting wheel gets so small that it cannot get through the workpiece anymore, that’s a sign for a wheel changeover. 

Not using a wheel to its fullest life can cost money — both directly and indirectly. It’s throwing money away in the form of usable product, which increases an operation’s consumable spend. But it also increases downtime for the user when changeover happens more frequently than necessary. From a sustainability perspective, throwing wheels away too soon generates more waste. 
 

In addition to using the full life of grinding and cut-off wheels, several best practices can help save time and money in the operation. Consider these tips for wheel use:

Precision cutting enables cutting directly next to significant analysis areas and also for materials with particularly complex material properties. Precision cut-off wheels are significantly thinner than larger diameter cut-off wheels. With QPREP, you can choose from aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, diamond or CBN abrasives. The abrasives can be either electroplated, resin bonded, rubber bonded or bronze bonded. QPREP precision cut-off wheels are the ideal solution for cutting requirements with high surface quality and exact cutting accuracy.

Benefits

• Minimal material loss due to thin cut-off wheel thickness
• Allows cutting closer to the desired surface
• Allows cutting of small, sensitive, and very brittle specimens

Recommended applications

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• Target and defect preparation
• Electronic component segmentation
• Preparing for thin sectioning specimens

QPREP silicon carbide precision cut-off wheels offer the highest precision and surface finish when cutting complex components. Thanks to their tight manufacturing tolerances, they ensure a reliable and reproducible cutting process with a high degree of repeatability every time.

Product Advantages

• Excellent surface finish
• High repeatability
• Exact cutting precision

Recommended applications

• Optimal for cutting soft to medium-hard non-ferrous metals and alloys (e.g. copper, aluminum, and brass)
• For preparation of demanding materials such as titanium and titanium alloys
• Ensures precise cuts, ideal for accurate preparation of delicate components

For precision cutting of ferrous materials, QPREP Aluminum oxide precision cut-off wheels are the optimal choice. These cut-off wheels are available in two different grain types (fine and coarse). Coarse-grained cut-off wheels are ideal for fast and efficient cuts on low-hardness materials and produce a rougher surface. Fine-grained cut-off wheels are excellent for precise and smooth cuts on higher hardness materials, but with lower cutting speeds.  

Product Advantages

• The dense structure of the disc allows a longer lifetime
• Less wear and less heat between specimen and cut-off wheel

Recommended applications

• Suitable for a wide range of materials, especially various steel samples
• Cutting of high alloy steel
• Cutting of nitrided steel
• Allows cutting through mounted samples

The QPREP Saw blade cut-off wheel is particularly suitable for cutting materials with a high tendency to smearing.

Product Advantages

• The best performance when cutting non-metallic material
• Lower heat generation due to single engagement of the saw teeth during cutting
• Since there is no binding of abrasives, the disc is odor and dust free

Recommended applications

• Separation of non-metallic materials
• Separation of plastic materials
• Separation of polymers e.g., carbon fiber reinforced polymers

If you would like to learn more about the different procedures, please visit our extensive Knowledge Base.

Our Knowledge Base article about cutting includes:

• Typical methods to sample materials
• The different materialographic sectioning techniques
• How to select a suitable cutting wheel

QATM offers a wide range of innovative machines for metallographic sample preparation. Accompanying QATM accessories and consumables are thoroughly tested and selected for perfect interaction with our machines. Contact us for a consultation, quote or to talk to one of our dedicated application specialists!

For more information, please visit Cut-Off Wheels Manufacturer.