Use of Non Woven Abrasives

Nonwoven products contain nylon fibers, which are bonded together and saturated with abrasive grains. It produces a cushioned, three-dimensional material that's pliable, flexible, and long-lasting.

Abrasives are categorized into two main groups: Bonded abrasives and Coated abrasives. Traditionally right-angle grinders are utilized in conjunction with grinding wheels, fiber discs, flap discs, and wire brushes. However, Nonwoven discs have entered the abrasives market as a 3rd category that serves a specialized function of preparing and applying the ultimate surface finish, which may affect the workpiece's performance and appearance.

Types of Non-Woven Abrasives

Flex-N-Finish

Nonwoven clean & finish products are generally hand-operated. They're not as strong as other nonwoven products because less grain, fiber, and resin are utilized in their production. Clean & finish products generally include hand pads, sheets, and shop rolls.

Heavy Duty & Hi-Strength Flex-N-Finish– HD & HS Non-Woven clean & finish products are designed for machine use and may handle higher RPM's. They're made with stronger nylon fibers and extra resin. they're not as strong as surface conditioning products, but they will be ganged together in disc form to get rid of burs, particularly on threaded parts. They're also great for applying a uniform satin finish on irregular shaped parts. The finish is going to be consistent on part-after-part.

Surface Conditioning

Surface conditioning refers to changing a product's surface without removing or damaging the bottom material. These products are utilized in mechanical operations and include Surface conditioning discs and belts.

Flex-N-Strip Products

Extra coarse carbide grain is bonded to stiff extruded nylon fibers with a versatile resin. They're excellent for removing coatings from wood, metal, and plastic. Also effective at paint & rust removal.

Convolute Wheels

Formed by wrapping and bonding web material impregnated with abrasive grain and resin around a central core. Because they're "wrapped," they need to be run within the direction of the arrow printed on them. Very useful on a spread of deburring & polishing applications.

Unitized Wheels

Formed by pressing web material impregnated with abrasive grain and resin into a slab. Wheels are then cut from the slab. These products are often run in either direction so that they don't have directional arrows printed on them like convolute wheels.

Use of Non-woven Abrasives

Non Woven abrasive products are available in hand pads, rolls, discs, belts, and wheels.

• Designed for hand finishing, hand pads have good conformability and adaptability. Available in coarse to microfine grit, they typically measure 6 in. by 9 in. and may be folded into a smaller size if necessary. Because they're rustproof, pads are a natural alternative to wire wool in wet applications.

• For larger sanding applications, which will be done by hand or with a jitterbug, nonwoven rolls are suitable. They typically are available in 30-ft. lengths and 4-in. to 6-in. widths. You merely cut the roll as required.

• Nonwoven discs are available in various designs. High-speed grinders use arbor hole discs. An extra-coarse arbor hole disc provides an efficient means to eliminate surface contaminants, like rust, residue, corrosion, and lightweight weld spatter. You'll gang these discs alongside spacers to make a right wheel for sharp-edge radiusing or deburring.
  
  
• Right-angle discs are used on portable grinders for cleaning, deburring, blending, and finishing and removing light rust, oxidation, and coatings. Transparent discs that feature a triangular profile combined with holes within the discs and backup pads provide a transparent view of the cutting surface. This enhanced visibility enables better process control. The disc holes also disperse heat and loose grinding material.

• Nonwoven belts designed for portable, bench, and pedestal bench machines are suitable for cleaning, buffing, and polishing. Because they're highly conformable, these belts cause minimal gouging and produce a more consistent finish.
  
  
• Flap wheels, made by mounting sheets of nonwoven material around a central hub, are the most straightforward option when surface conformability may be a requirement or when a long-line brushed finish is desired.

• Convolute wheels, created by wrapping nonwoven material around a middle core and bonding the layers together, are easily shaped to match preformed parts.

• Suitable for general cleaning and deburring, unified wheels are formed by compressing nonwoven web material layers and bonding them together to make a wheel.
  
  
• Wheels require more careful setup and operation than other non woven abrasive types. Following these guidelines will assist you to produce a high-quality finish and extend wheel life.