New Norton BRGg Gear Grinding Wheels Generate up to Five Times Longer Life on Parallel Axis Spur and Helical Gears; High Performance BRGg Wheels for Gear Applications Can Be Used at Greater In-Feed Rates to Reduce Cycle Time.

WORCESTER, Mass. -- BRGg-VPHS high-speed wheels are the latest addition to the complete line of grinding wheels engineered for superior worm and angle gear grinding. Norton BRGg wheels are designed to reduce grind cycle times by increasing metal removal rates. The increase in metal removal rates has been applied without metallurgical damage to the surface being ground or loss of dimensional tolerance. Longer wheel life is an additional benefit of the BRGg-VPHS grinding wheel. The new BRG high-speed wheels are qualified to run up to 60 m/s (11,800 sfpm).

In a test on a 7.335-inch diameter 56-tooth helical gear, the new BRGg wheel generated 28 good parts before it needed to be dressed, while the competitive grinding wheel was able to produce only 17 parts before requiring dressing. When tested on a 2.8117-inch spur gear, the new Norton BRGg wheel was able to produce more good parts between dressings while reducing per part grinding time to lower total grinding costs.

For high-speed and standard-speed grinding on the most advanced CNC grinders to older grinders, Norton has combined the most effective abrasives and induced pore bond systems to come up with a complete wheel line for gear grinding. Norton Abrasives offers a complete line of GOOD, BETTER, and BEST gear grinding wheels with conventional aluminum oxide to the most advanced high-performance ceramic grains, as well as a complete line of dressing tools for worm and angle profiling applications. Norton application engineers help customers increase their productivity and lower grinding cost by evaluating the complete grinding system and identifying the right grinding wheel and dressing tool to meet their quality and productivity requirements.

Norton is a brand of Saint-Gobain Abrasives, a division of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain. Saint-Gobain (Paris) is a leading producer of construction products (building materials, gypsum products, insulation and pipe), high-performance materials (abrasives, ceramics, high-performance plastics, and reinforcements), flat glass, and glass containers. The company is also a leading distributor of building products in Europe. One of the top 100 industrial companies in the world, Saint-Gobain's 2005 sales approximated $43.7 billion. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain employs about 25,000 people and has approximately 200 manufacturing locations.

Saint-Gobain's web site is www.saint-gobain.com. The Norton web site is www.nortonabrasives.com.