Impressive performance at the giant of automation.
The new GARANT long life abrasive flap disc is put to the test.
KUKA AG is a world leader in the field of automation, operating on-site in more than 30 countries and employing around 14,000 people. The company’s primary assets are its focus on quality and its power of innovation. Besides its innovative automation solutions, KUKA AG is known worldwide for its robotic arms. Robots offer maximum precision and maximum performance – far beyond what is humanly possible.
The challenge:
A plasma cutter cutting heavy steel panels from a 30-mm sheet – components for a massive KUKA robot. After shot-peening, the edges still need to be deburred before the panels can be processed further.
“This is where manual labour comes into it, quick and reliable detail finishing with an angle grinder. The abrasive flap discs need to meet the highest specs here,” Andreas Rotunno, head of equipment construction and metalworking, tells us before testing begins. He goes on to define the problem: “The discs simply need to grind with utmost precision for as long as possible – long tool life is really important to us. Because, on top of the disc’s price, every change costs us valuable time. Time is the costliest of our resources! Also, good abrasive flap discs keep grinding temperatures low.”
Tool life has increased significantly with the GARANT long life abrasive flap discs.
When grinding, the aggressive ceramic grain renews its own edge. This way, the tightly packed long-life discs remove a correspondingly high volume of material – with little wear. Besides premium quality, GARANT also offers a great benefit-price ratio – which is what it all comes down to in the end.
“The new GARANT long life abrasive flap discs are of excellent quality and last considerably longer than the discs we’ve used so far. It took only one test to fully convince me!”
Andreas Rotunno, head of equipment construction and metalworking, KUKA AG
Felix Binder, product manager, grinding and cutting, Hoffmann Group says: