Not sure how to choose the best multitool sanding belt and disc attachment for your machine and application?
This guide can help you make the best choice!
Combining all the different sizes of sandpaper, as well as the type of grain and bottom material on the multitool sanding belt and disc attachment, picking the multitool sanding belt and disc attachment can be a daunting task. Let us start with which grain material is best for each application, and then we will provide you with the help of particle size and backing materials.
The most common multitool sanding belt and disc attachment materials come in four main categories. These are; alumina, zirconia (sometimes called zirconia alumina), silicon carbide and ceramics.
Alumina
The “main force” of abrasive particles was originally used to replace natural particles (such as garnet), alumina, and work well on hardwoods and cork, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals and even certain grades of steel.
Zirconia (zirconia alumina)
You can think of zirconia as the industrial equivalent of cubic zirconia in the jewelry industry. This man-made material is very hard and works well in applications where the matte hard material produces high heat, especially in large removal applications. The preferred application for zirconia is rough grinding or shaping of very hard wood, steel and stainless steel.
Silicon carbide
This type of particle is very similar to a rock called “slate” or “shale.” Very sharp and brittle (we call it “fragile” in the abrasive industry). Silicon carbide is most commonly found on dry and dry sandpaper and is the preferred grain for abrasive glass, plastic, rubber, ceramic or other masonry materials. It is also very popular for finishing on metals and wood with very high thickness.
Ceramic
Ceramic abrasive grinding wheels are a relatively new term in the field of sanding wheels. They are specially heat treated alumina granules and are very hard. Although ceramic pellets are more expensive than comparable products, when you look at the long-term life of the wheel, it will make up for this deficiency in production. Ceramic strips do shine in hard metal applications such as stainless steel, Iconel and tool steel.
Sand selection
The size of the sand on the conveyor wheel determines how rough or smooth the finish is after use. A simple way to consider the grain size (but not exactly) is “How many rocks do you need to fill a square inch?” So the 16 grain size is very coarse and the 400 grain size is very good.
Coarse powders 16, 24, 36, 40, 50 and 60 are used to remove material and rough work.
80, 100 and 120 coarse sand for smoothing surfaces and removing 瑕疵
The 150, 180, 220, 240, 320, 400, 400, 600 and 800 grinding wheels are used for the final finished surface or, in some cases (planar material), you can move to the grinding wheel at this time.
Substrate
There are two types of wheel backing materials: cloth and paper support.
Cloth
The cloth backing is the most durable and versatile backing material for the wheel. The “weight” of the clothes is indicated by letters. The deeper you go into the alphabet, the heavier the support material.
J-Weight is a lightweight, soft cloth backing suitable for use in contouring applications.
The X-Weight is a medium weight backing that is ideal for general use.
Y-Weight is a heavy-duty backing with maximum strength that withstands the stress of heavy sanding and product removal.
Paper lining
Paper backings are typically about 20-30% cheaper than cloth backings and work well on flat surfaces. The most popular uses are on woodworking stroke sanders and wide wheel sanders. wheels are also represented by letters, usually “E-Weight” or “F-Weight”.