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Here’s How to Choose the Right Abrasives for Your Metal Parts

Abrasive tooling is one of the most crucial components of metal finishing. Choose the wrong type, and you’re left with a frustrating deburring process—or a finish that’s not acceptable to your customers. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right abrasives when finishing or deburring metal parts. So then, how should you go about selecting the best abrasive tooling for your shop’s unique needs?

At Apex Machine Group, we provide a variety of high-quality metal finishing solutions, including abrasive sanding machines and other deburring tools for metal. Over the past decade, we’ve helped customers across the nation work more efficiently and safely with versatile machines and sanding strips that can perform multiple finishing operations in a single pass. This time, we’ll provide you with a simple guide on choosing the right abrasives for your metal parts—and how this decision can massively impact your operations and bottom line.

An Introductory Guide to Metal Abrasive Types

Metal abrasives come in many different designs, styles, and materials—ranging from aluminum oxide and ceramic to silicon carbide. Let’s break these categories down a bit further to help you find the ideal abrasive products for your metal finishing operations:

Non-Woven Abrasives

Non-woven abrasives provide a reliable, uniform finish across metal parts. This relatively non-aggressive abrasive is the perfect follow-up to heavier grits, providing a consistent finish that minimizes workpiece smearing and discoloration. Common media types for non-woven abrasives include flap wheels, hand pads, and sanding strips.

Ideal for: polishing and finishing stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and copper workpieces.

Aluminum Oxide Abrasives

Aluminum oxide crystals are extremely durable and cost-efficient materials. As a result, aluminum oxide abrasives are some of the most common and effective solutions for finishing and deburring metal. Common media types for aluminum oxide abrasives include semi-flexible discs and sanding strips.

Ideal for: deburring and finishing hard metals, including steel and titanium workpieces.

Silicon Carbide Abrasives

Silicon carbide is a strong and sharp material that is relatively brittle. As a result, this abrasive type is best suited to finishing applications with light cutting pressure—such as graining to establish an aesthetically uniform finish. Common media types for silicon carbide abrasives include sanding strips, hand pads, wheels, and discs.

Ideal for: finishing and graining stainless steel and other metal workpieces.

Zirconia Abrasives

Zirconia is a white crystalline oxide that is exceptionally tough and durable. Abrasives made from this material are highly resistant to wear and tear—making them well suited for heavy grinding operations. Common media types for zirconia abrasives include sanding discs, sanding strips, and discs.

Ideal for: heavy grinding, snagging, and slag removal for the toughest metals.

Key Considerations for Choosing Metal Abrasives

Now that you have a general grasp on the types and capabilities of metal abrasives, let’s discuss more specific tips and advice to help you find the right solution quickly:

1. Research Your Options Carefully

It may be tempting to settle for a low-budget metal abrasive—or whatever existing product you might have on hand. But using the wrong abrasives will result in poor-quality final products, inefficient workflows, and increased costs overall. It’s more than worth it to research and invest in top-quality abrasives and deburring tools for metal.

2. Choose the Proper Type & Grade

Selecting an abrasive that’s too delicate or fine will make your metal deburring and finishing operations painful and inefficient. In the same vein, an abrasive that’s too coarse or tough will deliver a subpar finish. Strike a balance between these two extremes by choosing an abrasive that’s perfectly suited for your specific materials and workflows.

3. Speak With a Metal Abrasives Expert

The world of metal abrasives can be overwhelming—but not if you have an industry expert to guide you. If you’re having trouble finding the optimal abrasives for your metalworking shop, then be sure to reach out to Apex Machine Group. Our experts can help you understand which solutions will work for your unique goals, needs, and projects.

Make Abrasives Selection Simple with Apex

Our team at Apex offers flexible brush-backed sanding strips and other high-quality abrasives to match your unique needs for deburring metal, paint adhesion, laser oxide removal, edge radius, graining, surface conditioning, and more. Here’s a quick overview of the types of abrasives we can deliver for your metalworking shop:

  • Aluminum Oxide
  • Silicon Carbide
  • Zirconia
  • Ceramic
  • Non-Woven
  • Grit-Impregnated Nylon Bristles
  • Stainless Steel Wire
  • Twisted & Straight Wire

Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? As a custom abrasives company, we can build a custom solution around your work and processes. We also carry the industry’s best wet and dry metal machines to support your metalworking needs. These powerful deburring tools for metal can process even the toughest materials in a single pass—making your deburring, graining, finishing, and other applications more efficient than ever.

Have any more questions about metal abrasives—or how we can help solve your sanding or finishing application? If so, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We’ll put our decades of experience to work for you to provide (or build) the abrasives solution that’s best for you.

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