What are Different Types of Abrasive Grains
What are Abrasives and their Applications?
The abrasives are used to remove unwanted material from the workpiece by rubbing the abrasive material on it. The abrasives are used in manufacturing industries, toolmaking, household repairing, plumbing, sanding, grinding, and other DIY projects. The main purpose is to achieve a high surface finish on the materials.
Abrasive materials include flap discs, grinding wheels, sanding pads, drill bits, carbide burrs, grinding belts, and polishing or buffing products.
Introduction to Abrasive Grains
There are various types of abrasives available to use for various industrial and DIY applications. They are made of synthetic and natural materials. These abrasive grains are then heat-treated and bonded together with a resin bond. The abrasives are separated and used for different applications by the degree of hardness.
While choosing the suitable abrasive for your application you need to remember some factors to get better results in the operation.
Types of Abrasive Grains
Following are the common types of abrasive grains.
Aluminum Oxide
These grains are commonly used in abrasives for DIY and other professional grinding and surface finishing operations. It is cheaper and more reliable for your sanding and finishing applications. Aluminum oxide provides consistent and sharp-cutting on a wide variety of surfaces.
Zirconia Abrasive
It is commonly used in casting and foundry processes. It has more heat resistance and works better than aluminum oxide. It is great for stock removal on hardwood and metal. The Zirconia grains are generally found in green or blue color and can be identified easily on the abrasives.
Ceramic Abrasive
The ceramic material is hard, provides a clean and consistent cutting surface. It is one of the expensive abrasives available in the market. But it is a durable and efficient abrasive for many grinding and cutting applications. The abrasive made of ceramic grains perform well under high-pressure conditions in any metalworking, repairing works, woodworking, or any other projects. Available in various grits ranging from 24-120 Grit.
Silicon Carbide
Silicon carbide is the most suitable for finishing work in DIY, automotive, repairing work, etc. It works effectively with an excellent cut rate while working on metals and other materials. This material is sharper and harder than aluminum oxide. Silicon carbide gives good results on rubber, wood, alloys, cast iron, and a few other materials. The abrasive is black.
Understand Your Abrasive Requirements
You need an ideal grit size to fulfill the grinding, cutting, or surface finishing task. The grain size differs according to the type of workpiece. Then if you need faster and quick material removal on the workpiece you.
Read More: Applications of abrasives