Through the subtractive machining process, the discussion turns to how to handle the remaining drill bits collected. Although mills must be concerned about material debris and grease, abrasive cutter jet users must handle waste abrasive cutter. The abrasive feed rate can exceed 2 pounds per minute and the spent abrasive cutter can accumulate very quickly. Treatments associated with used abrasive cutter are often divided into three categories: treatment, recycling, and reuse.
Throw back: disposal method
There is no doubt that the simplest solution seems to be to throw away the used garnet with the rest of the rubbish. In many cases, this is perfectly acceptable because garnet abrasive cutter are inert natural substances in most cases. However, you will need to check your local environmental regulations to see if small pieces of aggressive material mixed with abrasive cutter can be a problem. Obvious material contaminants (such as lead or antimony) will quickly eliminate the “discarded” model, but there may be other contaminants that make your waste abrasive cutters unsuitable for this simple disposal method. Signing up for a service every few months and absorbing the collection tank can also simplify the process.
Let’s squeeze every penny out of it: the recycling method
A study conducted in India in the early 2000s showed that the garnet used in the cutting process actually cut only a portion of the material and corroded itself during processing. The remaining abrasive cutters collected in the collection tank remains sharp and can still be used as a cutting abrasive cutters To this end, several companies have proposed an abrasive cutters recovery system that absorbs used flap wheel abrasive and produces abrasive cutters that can be used for cutting through a drying cycle and screening process. However, the same study also pointed out that the broken mouth is more likely to occur in the nozzle than during the cutting process. Therefore, although only a small portion of the abrasive cutters is eroded during the cutting process, more debris will break and become finer grit, which limits its recyclability. Most importantly, the cost of operating the recycling equipment may exceed the cost per pound of garnet.
Follow the garnet brick road: reuse method
Used garnets can be used directly from the machine to form passages, etc., and prohibit the use of any toxic substances that may be cut off (environmental regulations apply here, perhaps more effective than disposal). However, a better option is to mix it with concrete because the nature of the garnet makes it a fairly good additive. Its hardness enhances the strength of the concrete and its sharp edges bind it together. Whether you’re making garnet-colored paving stones for your own store or supplying them to local concrete mills as an additive, this recycling method can provide a colorful and useful way to use the abrasive cutters you’ve used.
With a variety of options, there is no shortage of disposal methods, and there is no reason to limit yourself to only one method. If you have treated garnets regularly in the past, try changing the use or recycling a portion to see if any of these options are feasible for the abrasive cutters you have used.