Yellow. The Klingspor customer magazine - Edition 1|2020

8 CHOICE OF ABRASIVES
Yellow. The Klingspor Customer Magazine 1|2020
Grinding tips for
professionals
Part 7:
Abrasive
For more info, log on to:
www.youtube.com
Abrasive disc, fibre disc or abrasive mop disc? There are many different ways to
grind metal. Our expert explains which benefits the various abrasives have to offer and
how their service life can be extended for the long term.
What is the primary focus of every
training session?”, asks Gavin
Smith, trainer and director of
Business Development at Klingspor UK.
“Safety! Not far behind is the question of
how to tap the maximum performance and
lifetime of the products”. He knows of
which he speaks – after all, Smith's
profound experience stems not only from
his 33 years at Klingspor but also from
hundreds of training sessions and
instructional videos he posted on YouTube.
“If you want to grind metal, you can opt
between an abrasive disc, a fibre disc and
an abrasive mop disc”, explains Smith.
“The choice users make hinges on the kind
of stock removal rate, versatility and cost
they expect.”
The angle is important
Abrasive discs, for instance, offer the
advantage of being affordable and
versatile. What is more, they can be used to
reach places that would be hard to access
with other tools. “Achieving the highest
performance requires that you choose the
correct angle of attack”, informs Smith.
Approx. 30 degrees are ideal. If operating
with a steeper or flatter angle, you will
reduce the aggressiveness of the disc – and
accelerate wear in the process.
Creating the perfect finish will then
require an additional tool: the fibre disc.
“This product comes with three types of
grains, each with its own unique
properties”, says Smith. The first one,
aluminium oxide, loses its aggressiveness
quickly, thus providing for a clean finish.
This makes this grain ideal for fine metals.
Your profile partner
The second one, zirconium, is a selfsharpening
grain with great aggressiveness.
“Our current best-seller, however, is
ceramic grain”, discloses Smith. This is
because it marries a long service life with
good stock removal rates and minimum
heat generation to create a clean finish on
high-alloyed and non-alloyed materials.
However, the choice of fibre disc is not
the only factor that affects performance.
“Fibre discs also require a matching backing
pad”, says Smith. His recommendation for
fine grinding and fine grits is the medium
hard version, while he considers the harder
version to work best for higher removal
rates and coarse grits. “If the backing pad
you are using is too small, worn out or
damaged, the lifetime of the disc will be
diminished.”
Smith’s overall favourite, however, is
the abrasive mop disc. “In my opinion, this
tool offers the best price-performance
ratio.” The reason: it is capable of
completing two work steps: stock removal
and surface finishing. “Better yet, abrasive
mop discs possess a long lifetime and
provide for enhanced on-the-job safety.”
For instance, they generate a much lower
amount of noise, vibrations, and dirt.
“However, picking the right backing is
essential here, too”, declares Smith.
Machines with lower power are best paired
with cotton backings. High-speed
machines, on the other hand, should be
used with a backing made of a cottonpolyester
mix. “If you combine these
choices with a flat grinding angle, you will
utilise the maximum lifetime of the
product.“ ■
For two years now Gavin Smith has been producing
YouTube videos for Klingspor. Our objective: share
Klingspor's abrasives expertise with users across the globe
– and provide them with useful tips that will make it easier
for them to use the tools with great efficiency in their daily
work routine. Ten videos on the subject areas of weld seam
finishing and diamond cutting blades are already available in
different languages on YouTube.
This year, we will be adding the subject area of wood
processing.
At a glance
You will find additional information on the topics of abrasive disc, fibre disc and stock removal
in the following videos.
1. The tutorial on
stock removal:
www.youtube.com
2. The tutorial on
fibre disc backing
pads:
www.youtube.com
3. The tutorial on
thin cutting-off
wheels:
www.youtube.com