Abrasives

Abrasives are materials used to smooth, machine or sometimes to roughen another softer material through extensive rubbing. Abrasives are used to remove surface materials such as metal, ceramics, glass, plastics and paint.

We offer a variety of abrasive materials such as discs, belts, sheets, rolls and hand pads for use of different materials such as stainless steel and wood. Our range of quality abrasives are manufactured by a number of highly reputable companies such as Klingspor, Sait and 3M and are available at competitive prices.

Abrasive grains are particles of man-made abrasive compounds. Engineering Services offer you only the highest quality products from only the finest manufacturers, ensuring that you receive only the best products.

A bonded abrasive consists of an abrasive material contained within a matrix. This matrix is known as a binder and is often a clay, a resin, a glass or a rubber. This mixture of binder and abrasive is typically shaped into blocks, sticks or wheels.

A bonded abrasive is a grinding or cutting tool composed of abrasive grains that are held together by a bonding agent, determining the resistance of the wheel and usually reinforced with a woven material. The reinforcement gained by the reinforcing material provides additional strength when an abrasive wheel is used at maximum RPM and helps it to withstand lateral pressure applied during use.

The most common forms of abrasives used are Aluminium Oxide and Silicon Carbide. Aluminium oxide is a tough block-shaped grain that is used for cutting metals and a range of other high tensile strength materials with as little fracturing as possible. Silicon Carbide on the other hand, is a very hard, sharp abrasive used for materials such as concrete.

When using an abrasive wheel, always ensure that guards and work rests are correctly adjusted before starting the machine. A guard should cover at least half of the grinding wheel and a newly mounted wheel should be allowed to run for at least one minute at the operation speed with the guard firmly in place. Eye protection should be worn at all times.