Choosing The Correct Abrasive For Sanding And Linishing Belts

Despite being a small selection these 2 products will cover most applications and do a reasonable job, but very possibly not the best. The great thing with technology and R&D is that we have a vast range of manufactured abrasives that will do a superior job to their predecessors and all the while lasting longer and reducing overall costs.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing what abrasive to use:

1/ What abrasive is best suited for what I am sanding?

For example stainless steel being a very hard metal can be sanded by a variety of abrasives but Ceramic, Zirconia and Trizact are by far the best option, however they might not be the best option for timber. Choosing the correct abrasive will give you the best result possible, everytime!

2/ How long will the abrasive last? 

Using the correct abrasive will not only improve your finished result but will increase the longevity of the belt. This is especially true when sanding specific materials like very hard metals, soft metals, soft timbers that cause loading or hard woods to name a few. 

A great example is you can sand resinous woods using an RBX belt but it will clog up quickly, requiring frequent cleaning and replacement, however sand the same wood with Ekamant ARKFEO fully antistatic paper with extra open coat and the result is that the sanding dust follows the sanding belt and is carried out by the suction devices/dust extractors of the machine. The belt will remain sharper, have less loading and deliver a better result for longer.

3/ What is the cost?

The price for using the correct product is far outweighed by the benefits, especially when it comes to results. Cheap abrasives do not last long and you will be rewarded with poor results.

What are my options?

With these things considered how do I know what abrasive will be best?

At Millin, we have simplified this to a choice of 8 different products which are categorised into there main usages. There are more products available than this including different brands however this is a good overview of what you should be using.

Click on the following links to learn more.

We can custom make belts in all the above products based on your need of application, if you are still not sure what product you need sand us an email with what you are sanding and we can recommend the product that will give you the best result. sales@millin.co.nz

*Originally Posted by Matt Piggin on 26th Sep 2017