3M Cubitron II wheels can give engine manufacturers up to three times the wheel life of other conventional wheels for applications including gear grinding, camshaft and crankshaft grinding, cylindrical grinding and centerless grinding.

The key to the strength and performance of Cubitron II products is in 3M’s patented Precision-Shaped Grain. Comprised of uniformly sized triangles of ceramic material, 3M Precision-Shaped Grain is designed to fracture as they wear, continuously forming sharp points and edges that slice cleanly through metal, instead of rubbing or plowing. This prevents heat from building up in the workpiece and allows the abrasive to stay cooler and sharper, dramatically increasing its life.

Cubitron II Vitrified Wheels bring the outstanding benefits of precision-shaped grain to a number of grinding applications for powertrain components:

• Camshaft and Crankshaft Grinding—Cubitron II Vitrified Wheels are useful for automotive and truck applications, including camshaft lobes and journals, crank pins, mains and thrustwall; and enable aggressive grinding without thermal damage to the part. Testing has shown that Cubitron II wheels can process up to three times the parts of a competitive ceramic wheel and up to 50% less cycle time.

• Gear Grinding—Cubitron II Vitrified Wheels are available for threaded, single rib and spiral bevel configurations, and can be used in automotive applications; pinion shafts; planetary; spur; hollow and pinion gears. In one comparison to a traditional vitrified wheel, the Cubitron II Single Rib Wheel averaged 50 percent more parts per wheel for double helical bull gears, and 220 percent more for double helical pinions.

• Cylindrical Grinding— The wheels can be used for tool steel, case-hardened steels and HSS. In OD cylindrical grinding, Cubitron II wheels can provide up to 5 times more material removed than a traditional vitrified wheel.

• Centerless Grinding— Cubitron II Grinding Wheels are ideally suited for use on carbon steels, tool steels and high alloy steels. They produce optimal results with high infeed rates, high grinding pressures and high material removal rates.