Ontario Tool & Abrasive

12/30/2025

Smart manufacturers are moving to kanban-style replenishment for their abrasive tooling:
→ Wheels are produced and held at the factory
→ Release and bill only as you use them
→ Zero cash locked up in sitting inventory
→ No emergency orders or rush shipping
→ More space on your shop floor

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗶𝗻-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆.

From simple two-bin systems to full consignment programs where you only pay for what you pull. Let's talk about streamlining your inventory for 2025.

12/23/2025

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas filled with joy, laughter, and all the warmth of the season! 🎄✨
Thank you for being part of our journey this year. Your support means the world to us, and we're grateful for each and every one of you.
May your season be merry and bright!

12/22/2025

⚠️ HOLIDAY SHUTDOWN PRO TIP: Spin it DRY ⚠️

Before you shut the shop down, don’t leave a vitrified grinding wheel loaded with coolant.

Why it matters:
💧 Vitrified wheels can absorb up to 16% of their weight in fluid
🌍 A damp wheel sitting idle develops a coolant-induced heavy spot
🔨 That unbalance causes persistent vibration and chatter—even with frequent dressing
⚡ This also affects vitrified CBN wheels, especially at high wheel speeds (>60 m/s)

The pro move:
Run the wheel at operating speed for several minutes with coolant OFF.
Centrifugal force clears trapped fluid from the porous structure and restores balance.

Dry wheel = smoother startup and fewer headaches after the holidays. ☕️🔩

12/18/2025

Before 1891, grinding steel meant natural emery—inconsistent, slow, and hard to control.

Edward Acheson changed that by fusing clay and carbon at temperatures hot enough to melt a steam engine. He called it Carborundum.

But making a breakthrough wasn’t enough. Scaling it took power.

In 1895, Acheson became the second customer of the Niagara Falls Power Company. While others struggled with coal furnaces, he used continuous AC power from the Falls to produce abrasive grain consistently and at scale.

By 1900, his Niagara operation was producing more precision abrasive than the rest of the world combined.

That same Niagara Power mindset shows up in every wheel we deliver today.

When the grinder is working hard, the wheel should be working harder.

12/11/2025

December 11, 1972: Apollo 17's Lunar Module touched down with walls measuring just 0.012" thick - thinner than aluminum foil - yet engineered to withstand vacuum and landing forces.

The precision machining tolerances that made this mission possible reflect the same commitment to accuracy we bring to your most demanding applications.

When failure isn't an option, precision matters. 🚀

11/18/2025

🏭 ROCHESTER MANUFACTURING HERITAGE 📸
November 18, 1906: George Eastman announced plans for Kodak Park - Rochester's manufacturing giant that would employ 60,000+ workers.

Eastman's vision transformed Rochester into a precision manufacturing powerhouse. The same exacting standards that built a global imaging empire still drive our region's manufacturers today.

Then: Kodak's revolutionary film production
Now: Medical devices, optics, aerospace components

Rochester manufacturers have always pushed boundaries - from developing the world's first consumer cameras to today's cutting-edge technologies.

11/11/2025

Honoring Our Veterans on Veterans Day 🇺🇸
Many of the skilled machinists and precision craftsmen we work with learned their foundation in military service. Veterans understand the critical importance of precision tolerances, quality control, and getting it right the first time.
The same dedication that served our nation continues to drive excellence in manufacturing - from grinding components to crafting precision dies.
Thank you to all veterans for your service and for strengthening American manufacturing with your expertise.

Send a message to learn more

11/05/2025

Love seeing American manufacturers get access to this level of innovation! 🇺🇸

The Blue Moon TZ testing results show what happens when German precision engineering meets real-world manufacturing challenges.

As distributors, we get excited about technologies like this because they solve real problems:
Cooler grinding = better part quality
Longer wheel life = lower operating costs
Proven performance on demanding applications

CDT's partnership with Krebs & Riedel means our customers don't have to choose between performance and budget - they can have both.

🌎 Right here in the Midwest, we’re proud to be building partnerships that make a global impact.

This summer, our engineers teamed up with Krebs & Riedel in Germany to test their Blue Moon TZ grinding wheels at United Grinding North America in Ohio. The results showed clear performance gains on the BLOHM PLANOMAT surface grinder.

Our partnership with Krebs & Riedel helps fill a gap in the market — giving American manufacturers access to world-class conventional abrasive products, backed by CDT’s trusted service, application support, and engineering expertise.

Check out the full story and video in our latest blog 👇
Link in the first comment!

10/30/2025

AMADA AMERICA, INC. has been a global leader for a long time and we're proud to have supported them for over a decade.

10/30/2025

🌈 On This Day, 1626: Willebrord Snell passed, but his legacy continues to shape the world of optics. His refraction formula (n₁sinθ₁ = n₂sinθ₂) is the master key behind every precisely ground lens, polished mirror, and laser beam alignment.

From telescopes to cutting-edge manufacturing, Snell’s insight still guides the light. 💎✨

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell%27s_law

10/21/2025

Big congrats to our friends at Sydor Optics, Inc.! 👏 Their $3 million investment in Monroe Community College’s new Advanced Technology Center — now proudly named the Sydor Optics Advanced Technology Center — is a huge win for Rochester and the future of optics. 🔬💡

We love seeing local companies reinvesting in local talent. 🚀💪

Monroe Community College receives $4.15M in gifts from Sydor Optics, the Brunings and SPIE to strengthen its optics program and Advanced Technology Center.

10/15/2025

On this day in 1918, US Patent 1,281,371 was issued to Halbert H. Hitchcock for an Apparatus for Applying Abrasives to Grinding Machines.

Before this, operators applied abrasives manually — inconsistent and labor-intensive work. This invention mechanized abrasive application, improving consistency, wheel life, and productivity. It laid the groundwork for modern automatic wheel dressing and precision grinding.