Abrasive Testing: Best Practice and Benefits for Engineering Teams

SAIT Abrasives UK’s Applications Engineer, Andrew Frost, and Managing Director, Chris Ingman, discuss best practice for abrasive testing and how a solid relationship with an abrasives manufacturer can be an asset for engineering teams in diagnosing and solving operational issues.

Why is Testing Important in the Abrasives Industry?

AF – Without testing, you can’t prove where you stand – either against competitors or yourself. As a manufacturer, it provides a benchmark of where you sit in the marketplace with products, so it is a vital tool for staying current and avoiding complacency.

This latter point also replicates across to end users - you often come across scenarios where people think that they are already using the best, and a lot of this comes down to how long they’ve used the product for. And this thinking is absolutely understandable. But it can also hold you back from finding even better solutions, and this is where engaging with testing can be a real game changer.

What are the Key Mistakes Commonly Made with Abrasive Testing?

AF - One of the key mistakes made with testing is not going far enough – ideally you need to test until you can’t test anymore. The main reason for this is to lay the product bare straight off and gather as much of a feel as possible for the job and the potential issues along the way. Plus the dynamics of product performance can change with longer use - an impressive first few minutes can fade into an average or erratic operator experience, whereas something that is slower out of the gates could be far more consistent and predictable across its lifespan. Central to testing for any manufacturer should be finding something workable for your team in their day-to-day, rather than putting on a brief albeit impressive display that is of little practical value.

CI – There are so many variables – no one job is ever the same. Hence another major mistake is only considering processes in isolation – a disc that does a great job of one stage might leave the material unworkable for the next step, meaning that far from improving the situation, you’ll have to introduce additional processes to make good. You can also run the risk of over-speccing products, ie. implementing something that does more than is required for the particular job at hand. Both of these scenarios can be avoided by establishing the full picture of the task that the customer is trying to complete – their needs, expectations and job scope – from the outset.

Can You Outline the Key Points That Underpin Best Practice for Abrasive Testing?

AF – The simplest starting point is to go to the stores so you can see exactly what’s being used – generally it’s all neatly laid out in boxes that you can record. Then through a tour of the process in action you can gather feedback from the operators as to any issues they encounter. From this you can piece together the best course of action. Once the scenario is established, a control test is absolutely vital to set down some base figures and expectations. I will then leave samples with the customer to see if they can replicate the same results themselves. By dishing out samples without the control test, they can spread far and wide with no central point of reference to go back to – no data to dissect and no way to diagnose which variables have influenced results. Another absolutely vital skill is the need to adapt to the testing scenario as it presents itself. Active observation of the situation on the day is crucial – you have to look at what is going on in front of you on the day and be flexible.

CI – It’s important to work with a customer’s schedule. We are acutely mindful that we are there thanks to a possibility that we may save them money – they are giving us their time based on this, so it is important to respect it and retain focus. It’s good to see what they’re trying to achieve as well - for instance a certain level or type of finish - because it doesn’t necessarily stand that the products being used are right for the job. There could in fact be a better way.

How Does Safety Factor into the Picture of Testing?

AF – You do see a lot of people jump on the wagon of the 115 x 1.0mm cutting wheel – a staple fast-mover of our industry – and thinking that it’s going to work for everything. But when you get to a task like cutting welds back, you’re going to start breaking wheels. A one-fits-all situation is rarely the case, and if it does apply, you can guarantee that it won’t be the optimal way of working. When you are tasking an abrasive product with spinning at 80m/s in your hands, you have to be able to trust it.

CI - There’s a safety element to all this as well in the sense that when Andrew does an assessment of the test or gets called in for an issue where there is a technical problem with a product, the first thing he’ll do is go back to basics – start at the machine and work back to the product, and understand whether the machine is actually fit for purpose and performs as it should.

AF – It’s about the wider picture of what’s going on – looking at fixturing, the castings/pieces and the way they’re running the machine. We can combine our specific practical experience in abrasive solutions with the thinking and design skills of engineers to prove that a machine that they bought for thousands of pounds isn’t a white elephant – they can actually use it. We can feed into perfecting their processes and saving them money in more ways than the immediately obvious.

What is the Ultimate Role of Testing within the Abrasives Industry?

AF – Proving the product is one aspect, but to solve a problem or offer a different perspective offers far greater satisfaction. If you can identify an easier way of doing things – chopping steps out or whatever it might be – you can relieve pressure and enhance operations across the board.

CI – It’s ultimately proving to people that you can add value to their business – because that’s all you’re trying to do. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to prove – all they’re looking for is an improvement, cost saving, reduction in time – efficiency, ultimately. With that point firmly at the fore, you are well positioned for earning credibility.

Through testing and troubleshooting on-site and within its specialist grinding booth at its UK HQ, SAIT Abrasives can provide engineers with an expert extension to their technical team. For more information, call 0344 801 3355 or email technical@sait-abrasives.co.uk.