A Grinding System works on four factors working in tandem: Abrasive Product Factor, Machine Tool Factor, Work Material factor and Operational Factor. All these factors working together at optimum efficiency results in parts with required Surface quality resulting into components performance at optimum cost. By Abrasive Cost Optimization our aim is to make all above four factors of the system to work as an integrated system in the most efficient manner.

In a Grinding process while calculating the cost per component what is generally considered is the no of parts produced wrt to the price of the grinding wheel. While this gives some idea on the cost incurred, it does not give a correct picture on the total cost incurred in getting the required quality and output from the grinding process.

Just consider: A grinding wheel lower in price may be giving more no of components but with a higher % rejection. Though the grinding cost per component may appear low, the total cost of such an operation is definitely high. Besides the cost of rejections, the cost of time spend in checking and segregating rejections, dressing cost – all of this considered together will show a much higher cost incurred in such grinding system.

 At Grindwell Norton ltd. using modern tools we focus on the Grinding process as a whole, consider the entire process as an input – process – output system, focus on the components of the system as a whole and improve to get the optimization in performance of the grinding wheel. If a Grinding wheel can be made to run at its optimum condition its output can be expected to be most cost effective.

What is Total Cost of Grinding System?

In any Grinding System, the Total Cost is the summation of:

   ü      Abrasive Cost    =  Wheel price / Parts per Wheel

ü      Machine Cost     =  Machine hour rates / Parts per hour

ü      Labor Cost         =  Labor hour rates / Parts per hour

ü      Dressing Cost     = Dresser Price / Parts produced per dresser

ü     Downtime Cost = (Time of downtime) x (Machine + Labor hour                                     Rates) / Parts per downtime.

ü      Energy Cost       = (Energy per hour) x Power tariff / Parts per hour.

 Apart from these quantifiable parameters, the Total cost also includes factors like    ü      Rejection cost

ü      WIP/in-process material on shop floor.

ü      Abrasive Inventory carrying  cost

ü      Possible thru-put increase.

Most of our efforts on improvisation in a Grinding process are focused on improving one of the following –

Ø      Parts per wheel

Ø      Parts per dress

Ø      Productivity etc.

All these are technical outputs from a Grinding system and definitely important. However, in many a cases, each of these outputs are studied in isolation and hence, overall impact is not known or measured.

Today, when we talk of Quantum improvements to be competitive in the Global economy, the driving factor becomes the ‘ Cost per Component ‘. The Cost per component looks at the total picture and hence, acts as the right benchmark.

Thus, as can be seen, the Cost per component considers the entire System outputs. It is very well possible that a Grinding wheel with higher initial price thereby higher Abrasive cost per component will still result in lower Total cost per component – which finally drives the price and margins for a product.

     Tools to optimize the Abrasive Cost:

·        Field Instrumentation System

The technical output from FIS can be collected and analysed to arrive at the Economic aspects of Grinding. These economic aspects then helps us to arrive at the Economic output i.e Total Cost of Grinding system.

     How to calculate Cost per component?

 At Grindwell Norton ltd.  We have arrived at a table which helps us to arrive at the cost per component considering all the aspects of the grinding system simultaneously . for more details please mail to: charu.joshi@saint-gobain.co.in