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Improving workplace ergonomics pays dividends by minimizing operator fatigue and providing more time devoted to completing the task at hand. That’s especially true with hand grinding operations such as deburring and eliminating welding seams. It also stands to reason that a grinding wheel is easier to use because it’s removing material efficiently and retaining its abrasive qualities longer.  

Although the new Norton Quantum3 (NQ3) depressed center grinding wheel from Saint-Gobain Abrasives has additional features as well, I found it interesting that operator comfort was listed as one of its primary attributes. This is accomplished, the company says, by using a proprietary grain along with a tougher bond system containing a unique combination of fillers and bonding agents that allow for much better mix quality in manufacturing. As a result, the wheel provides substantially faster grinding for more metal removal and longer tool life with less operator fatigue, at the same time significantly increasing grinding output. In fact, tests conducted against competitive wheels indicated that NQ3 removed almost twice the amount of carbon steel at 5-minute intervals.

The new wheels are offered in 12 Type 27 all-purpose grinding application SKUs, one Type 28 all-purpose and two Type 27 SKUs for foundry applications. Sizes range from 4" × ¼" × 3/8", to 9" × ¼" to 7/8". in addition to downloading a white paper and product brochure, and read this article about Norton’s efforts to enable gear manufacturers to grind large, high-quality gears directly from a blank.