Setting up a lab: General Industry Coverage

Dear Doc: The grinding wheel manufacturer I work for wants to set up a basic lab for testing wheels and different Al2O3 grits. What’s the best, most-economical way to do this?

The Doc Replies: For starters, you’ll need a basic new or used surface grinder, with automatic down feed and at least a 5-hp motor; a power meter that gives power (not current) in horsepower (not amps); a data-acquisition system that can log at least 20 samples per second; and a vise and a razor blade for measuring wheel wear.

Somebody may try to sell you a dynamometer, but don’t bother. A dynamometer is only slightly better than a power meter, but costs much more and requires special fixturing. In most cases, a power meter will give you 90 percent of the information at 10 percent of the price and 5 percent of the hassle.

Generally, a basic, water-based flood-cooling system will be fine. For testing water-based coolants, you’ll need a 75-psi pump and an enclosed system. For testing oil-based coolants, you’ll need an enclosed system and fire-suppression equipment.

Next, you’ll need a way to consistently dress wheels. It doesn’t matter how you do it (single point, cluster, blade, diamond roll) or where the dresser is located (above the wheel, mounted on a magnet), as long as you achieve a consistent, repeatable traverse velocity for every dress.