Automatic dressing for constant removal

The automatic diamond dresser keeps the grinding stone plane and sharp for optimum performance and precise results. The performance of the grinding stone is monitored continuously and, as soon as removal drops below a pre-defined level, the stone is dressed. This guarantees consistent high-speed performance and the perfect surface quality of specimens. In addition, optimized dressing parameters reduce stone wear by more than 60 % to lower your consumables costs.

Controlled material removal for a faster process

AbraPlan delivers unmatched specimen planeness and reproducibility, which will save you time on subsequent fine grinding or polishing steps. The grinding stone rotates at 1,450 rpm, ensuring very high material removal. The accurate material removal sensor allows you to pre-set the amount of material to be removed, from 0.05 mm to 10.00 mm at increments of 10 μm. A high-quality surface finish is typically achieved in 20-30 seconds. This ensures you only remove the necessary material, saving you time in the next process step.

Removal rate graph to optimize your process

The removal rate graph shows the material removal rate on the sample, as well as when the stone is dressed. This makes it possible to establish optimal dressing parameters to increase efficiency and reduce stone consumption. When working with manual dressing, the removal rate graph indicates when it is time to dress the stone. In addition, the dresser automatically monitors the remaining thickness of the grinding stone at start-up and informs you when it needs to be replaced.

Improved accuracy function with low tolerances

AbraPlan’s Improved accuracy function improves grinding precision to save you time on the next step. Deflection from pressing the specimen holder against the stone can reduce accuracy when working with low tolerances. With the Improved accuracy function, the 0-point for the removal measurement is taken before grinding starts (when the stone is not rotating). This makes removal measurement more accurate.

Stainless steel bowl for improved lifetime

Made from high-quality stainless steel, AbraPlan’s bowl is less likely to be damaged if a specimen is lost at high speed, reducing maintenance requirements and increasing safety. The bowl comes with a lifetime corrosion warranty on breakthrough corrosion.

Recirculation unit for cost-efficient water use

Cooling water minimizes heat when grinding. The AbraPlan’s integrated recirculation cooling water unit ensures cost-efficient water utilization and collects removed abrasives to lower your water consumption and reduce the amount of classified products spent. The unit is easy to access for maintenance and cooling water control. For improved safety, the three-phase recirculation pump is connected directly to the AbraPlan machine to ensure the emergency stop also stops the recirculation pump.

Grinding stones and diamond discs for any material

For ultra-fast plane grinding, our grinding stones and diamond grinding discs are optimized to provide high, consistent removal with low deformation. This reduces time spent on the fine grinding step, as well as your overall preparation time. In tests, our stones have an average removal rate of 474 μm/min. They can be used to plane grind large specimens, or multiple small specimens at once. Different types of materials require different types of grinding surfaces. To ensure high versatility, we have developed a variety of grinding stones and diamond discs covering a wide range of materials. These include aluminum oxide and silicon carbide stones for normal steels, hardened steels, and soft and ductile materials. For extremely hard materials, such as sintered carbides or ceramics, we supply a diamond grinding disc. For more information, please see our Grinding consumables brochure. We keep grinding stones in stock to ensure short delivery times to your lab.

Diamond grinding disc for hard/brittle materials

Plane grinding of very hard and brittle materials, such as tungsten and sintered carbides, can take a long time. It also wears the grinding surface much faster than other materials. Using a diamond grinding disc on the AbraPlan significantly reduces the time it takes to grind very hard and brittle materials – while also lowering your consumables costs.

Flushing gun for easy cleaning

To ensure a long lifetime, we recommend keeping the AbraPlan clean through frequent cleaning and maintenance. A built-in flushing gun makes cleaning of the grinding area fast and easy, using recirculation water directly from the machine.

Non-clogging outlet stops blockages

The AbraPlan has a large (50 mm/2" diameter) outlet and a drain tube with a smooth inner surface to ensure that grinding water does not clog the bowl. The bowl’s outlet can easily be cleaned using a brush or ‘bottle-brush’ without pushing the drain tube away from the outlet.

Maximum operator safety

AbraPlan is designed with the highest level of operator safety in mind. The grinding stone and specimen holder are completely encapsulated in stainless steel covers, eliminating the risk of incorrectly clamped specimens flying out. The entire working area is encapsulated by a transparent safety cover, preventing accidental access to rotating parts. The machine cannot be started before the safety cover is closed and the safety cover can only be opened when the machine is stopped.

User-friendly interface for minimal training

AbraPlan is very easy to operate with minimal training. The large display and icons give the operator a clear overview of process parameters. The stone icon makes it simple to see the stone’s status (dressed or used). The multipurpose turn/push knob makes navigation easy. The countdown feature allows the operator to see the remaining grinding time or remaining material to be removed.

Beacon for monitoring from across the lab

The colored beacon on AbraPlan enables the operator to monitor the machine’s operating state from a distance. The different colored lamps on the beacon can be set up individually to give the operator specific status information as required.