Abrasives
In industries where surface preparation, shaping, and finishing demand exactness, abrasive materials are absolutely necessary. They consist of tightly packed, hard particles called abrasive grains--aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are two common examples--that do the actual cutting and grinding. These grains are held together by a variety of bonding agents--from resin to rubber to concrete--to form an almost endless variety of tools we use to do the jobs that need doing. Among the more common ones are grinding wheels, sanding discs, and flush-mounted flap discs. Abrasives do most of their work in the metalworking, construction, and woodworking trades.
Abrasives are able to achieve consistent results across a range of surfaces because of their inherent characteristics. The material from which an abrasive is made, the material it is applied to, or the mixture of materials that makes up a bonded abrasive determine what an abrasive can do, how well it can do it, and for how long. Coated abrasives, like sandpaper or sanding blocks, are made from an assembly of abrasive grains and other materials. Bonded abrasives are dense assemblies of grains held together by a bonding agent. The tools that are made from such assemblies can be used for anything from fine work to heavy grinding, and no tool can do those things better than a bonded abrasive tool.
More Information about Abrasives
Abrasives are an essential part of many trades and are especially important in achieving fine finishes on surface materials. They are employed in a wide range of tools, from hand-held to power saws. Saws, in turn, must use the right kind of teeth to get the job done well and efficiently, especially when cutting thick material. Surface grinding is an operation where an abrasive wheel is used to produce a flat surface. It is performed on materials that might be too soft for other cutting methods or where precision is required. Surface preparation is necessary for painting or other sorts of finishes. Abrasives of increasing durability and efficiency might be seen as a threat to jobs, but in fact, they use fewer resources and generate less waste.
FAQs
Are flap wheels or other abrasives used for polishing metal?
Yes, flap wheels and other abrasives like sanding discs and polishing compounds are commonly used for polishing metal, providing a smooth and refined surface finish.
Beveling with 3M Abrasives
There are various methods to bevel a workpiece, each with its own advantages. Choices include a grinding wheel, a fiber disc, or a flap disc, and the selection often boils down to personal preference. In this discussion, we'll explore different beveling techniques and conduct a test to compare how much material each method removes in 30 seconds of grinding. The material used for this test is a 1018 carbon steel plate.
3M™ Silver Depressed Center Grinding Wheel.
Renowned for their long-lasting durability, grinding wheels might not be the quickest at cutting, but they endure through extensive grinding and beveling on numerous parts. In our test, this wheel removed 19 grams of material.
3M™ Cubitron™ II Flap Disc 969F.
Flap discs may not be the fastest cutters, but they stand out for their conformability and ease of use. However, they tend to wear down more rapidly in high-pressure tasks like beveling. In our test, the flap disc removed 27 grams of material.
3M™ Cubitron™ II Fibre Disc 982C.
Among the three abrasive types, fiber discs are the most efficient, cutting significantly faster and removing more material than both the grinding wheel and the flap disc in a 30-second grinding interval. This disc removed 43 grams of material.