Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

The Grinding Doc's
Grindometer
An invaluable tool for optimizing grinding cycles, troubleshooting grinding problems, comparing grinding wheels & coolants, and taking your grinding operations to the highest level

What it is                What it does                Appointing a “Grindometer Guru”                Cost                FAQ


What is The Grindometer
The Grindometer is a tool developed by The Grinding Doc for an analyzing and optimizing grinding processes.

The Grindometer measures spindle power and plots it versus time, giving you a complete picture of the grinding cycle—where cycle time is being taken up, how changes to parameters affect the cycle, what is the risk of burn, how different wheels behave.

The Grindometer is a must-have tool for those serious about their grinding operations. Don’t resort to trial and error, use The Grindometer to see exactly what’s happening in your process.


What it Does
What information will The Grindometer give you? Click on each one for a small pop-up with a description.
  1. Cycle Mapping & Process Optimization
  2. Wheel Behavior
  3. Measuring Process Changes
  4. Comparing Wheels & Coolants
  5. Optimizing Grinding Parameters
  6. Troubleshooting Machine Problems
  7. Finding the Source of Chatter
Appointing a “Grindometer Guru”
I strongly recommend you appoint a smart, enthusiastic, on-the-ball person in your shop to master and use The Grindometer. This “Grindometer Guru” will then hook up The Grindometer to the processes in your shop and work with your machine operators to improve and troubleshoot these processes. The Grindometer Guru will attend my High Intensity Grinding Course.

Cost
The Grindometer: $13,500

What you’ll get:

  1. Grindometer Power Meter & Data Logger.
  2. All necessary cables.
  3. Detailed instruction booklet.
  4. Data-logger software.
  5. The entire set-up neatly assembled and packed into a hard plastic box.
  6. The Grinder’s Power Box: An Excel spreadsheet designed by The Grinding Doc to use with data from The Grindometer for manipulating data and presenting graphs in a format suitable for publication.
  7. Instructional video. A one-hour video on using The Grindometer and analyzing the data.
  8. Technical Support. For the first year you use your Grindometer, I will give email and telephone support and work with your Grindometer Guru for up to 16 hours, answering questions on processing signals, analyzing processes, etc.

Optional Items

    Optional Item 1: One-day on-site training on The Grindometer. $1600 + travel
    Optional Item 2: Vibration-Measuring Add-On. $2000
    Optional Item 3: Low-Power Amplifier. For extremely low-power grinding machines where the machine signal is very faint, on the order of 50 Watts (0.050 kW, 0.070 HP). This device amplifies the signal so it can be measured by The Grindometer. Cost: $400

Payment

  1. Credit card (via the secure Paypal site)
  2. Check or money order, sent to:

       Jeffrey Badger, Ph.D.
       The Grinding Doc
       916 Jewell St.
       Austin, TX 78704 USA

  3. Direct bank deposit / wire transfer:
       Email me for details
    Delivery time: 3 weeks
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Will The Grindometer tell me exactly what to do in my grinding cycle?
A:Absolutely Not! The Grindometer is not an idiot box. It will not spoon-feed you the solutions to grinding issues. You will need to have an understanding of grinding fundamentals to interpret the signal. It’s a tool, and needs to be used properly. But if you use it properly, it’s the best tool you’ll find for improving grinding cycles.

Q:How long does it take to hook up?
A:A decent electrician can open the back panel and have The Grindometer hooked up in 5 minutes.

Q:How long can I record data?
A:At 10 samples/second (enough for most grinding operations), you can record data for 14 uninterrupted hours, and then check it in the morning to see how the process behaved. I’ve found this extremely useful to see the long-term behavior of your grinding process.

Q:How big is it, what does it weight and can I take it on the plane?
A:About the size of a wide briefcase; 22 lbs (10 kg) fully loaded; Yes, you can check it in as luggage, but I wouldn’t suggest trying to take it as a carry-on.

Q:Don’t others sell more sophisticated Grindometer-like devices, and why not buy one of those?
A:Yes, they do same basic thing, but have custom-made software. It’s nice, but you don’t really need it. Nevertheless, if you feel strongly about it, buy one. It’ll cost you around $35,000.

Q:Can’t I just build my own Grindometer?
A:Yes, but by the time you figure out what you need, buy the extras, assemble it, figure out how to use it, troubleshoot it, finally get it up and running, and then figure out how to use it effectively, you’ll waste lots of time and money. I’ve fine-tuned mine over the years to be small, easy to set up and run and bug-free. And, my instructional video will have you using it the same day you get it.

Q:Can I live without a Grindometer?
A:Sure. You have so far and you’re probably doing ok. But if you’re serious about your grinding operations, you need one.