Operating an abrasive wheel is one of the most dangerous operations in the construction industry. If the operator is careless about safety, it would occur abrasive wheel accidents. To let you have a full understanding of abrasive grinding wheels before you get the abrasive wheel training. This page would give you a brief introduction to the manufacturing process.
What is an abrasive wheel?
An abrasive wheel (grinding wheel) made up of compound bonded abrasive particles, is designed for cutting and grinding materials such as metal and concrete. Nylon is the commonly used raw material for the abrasive wheel.
Abrasive wheels can be fitted to different types of mechanical apparatus for different industrial areas, such as angle grinders, petrol saws, handheld machines, and so on.
Manufacturing Process of Abrasive Wheel(Grinding Wheels)
A rough and simple wheel also needs a series of standard and complex procedures. The whole manufacturing process includes 7 procedures. Here are the procedures:
Raw materials
Raw materials are the first and vital step to manufacturing the abrasive wheel. The raw materials include abrasive grains, bonds, and filling. Different wheel requires different kinds of raw materials. Take an instance, The factory usually uses synthetic non-woven fiber and abrasive emery as the raw materials of the flap wheel.
Except for the normal functional materials, the abrasive wheel also contains many compounds as filling. The filling has different functions, such as performance increase or coloring.
Mixing the ingredients
When all materials are set up. We need to mix them thoroughly and dry them.
Molding
After drying them, it’s time to form them in mold. Forming them could make the product easier to be used and to be installed. In this step, we also should insert the special glass fiber(glass cloth) as reinforcement during the process of molding.
Pressing
Pressing is an important step to ensure the finished products could fit the required standard. The factory usually controls the pressure is in the range of 100 to 5000 pounds per square inch(psi) for 10S-30S.
In this pressing process, establishing even thickness is the key point of pressing. Therefore, some professional manufacture would control the thickness through closely monitoring the consistency of the mix and the force of the press.
Placement
After demolding, the wheel should be placed on an even, heatproof carrier. In this step, we should pay more attention to the placement, because the wheel is formed by a temporary binder. If the wheel is relatively heavy, it needs to be transported by some transporting tools.
Firing
Firing is a very significant process that could influence its grade and quality. The firing process could enhance the ability to resist the heat and solvents encountered during grinding.
The firing temperature is varied, depending on the type of bond. Take an instance, the wheels with vitrified bonds are fired to temperatures between 1700 and 2300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Test: What is an Abrasive Wheel Ring Test?
Abrasive Wheel Ring Test is a procedure that factory inspects whether the abrasive wheel has cracks or other flaws. Therefore, an abrasive wheel ring test should be performed on abrasive wheels.
Common Types of Abrasive
After we understand the abrasive wheel manufacturing process, we also need to know the types of abrasive. The abrasive wheel could be divided into different categories.
Abrasive Cut Off Wheel
The abrasive cut-off wheel is the most commonly used on hard materials such as metal, stone, and so on. It is also called the self-sharpening wheel. It is a suitable and ideal tool used for maintenance, repair, metal fabrication, and other normal industrial applications.
Grinding Wheel
Initially designed for the grinding machines, the grinding wheel is used for grinding, abrasive cutting, abrasive machining operation. The grinding wheel includes a cylinder ring, tapered type, diamond-type.
Fiber Disc
With vulcanized fiber backing, the fiber disc is around the grinding wheel. One of its sides has resin and abrasive grain resin. It is widely used in machining metal.
Polish Pad
Polish pad is the common grinding tool for removing the slight scratches and dents from the cars. Also, it could give relatively finish to the starches or dents areas, with the cooperation of the polishing compound.
Flap Wheels
Good elasticity, high security, and safety are the outstanding features of these wheels. Therefore, it could be an ideal and proper polishing tool for most irregular surfaces. Flap wheels also have a variety of grit size for wide application. 60 grit flap wheel is the best size for deburring and blending.
Flap Discs
Made up of multiple overlapping pieces of flaps, the flap discs can be applied to welding, finishing, industrial maintenance, and food production. Most manufactures offer a variety of flap discs, therefore, you need to take the flap grit size, shape, and backing material into the consideration.
Conclusion
When you plan to purchase abrasive wheels in bulk, you may prefer to consider abrasive wheels manufacturers in India, due to the low labor cost. However, the abrasive wheel is a precision tool for polishing or grinding machines. If you over-focus on the cost, you may fail to get the perfect finish surface that affects the quality and function of your machines.
