Technical Abrasives Glossary

Aggression - The rate at which stock is removed from a substrate

Air Laying - A method of manufacture of nonwoven abrasives whereby the fibre is air blown, creating a random fleece structure

Airway Bias Mop -

Aluminium Oxide - An abrasive grit manufactured from refined bauxite ore. The hardness is 9.4 on the MOH’s hardness scale

Alumino Silicate - A naturally occurring refractory material. The hardness is in the range 7 – 9 on the MOH’s hardness scale

Alumino Zirconia - A man made grit created from the fusion of Aluminium Oxide and Zirconium. It is approximately 10% harder than the hardest aluminium oxide abrasives.

Angle Grinder - A sanding disc machine with a m.o.s. above 50 m/s. Designed to be used for aggressive grinding operations with bonded abrasives, flap discs and coarse sanding pads.

Anode - The positively charged electron. It is the electrode in electrolysis at which negatively charged ions,(anions) are discharged or positive charged ions are formed

Anodising - (Anionic Oxidation) It is the reverse process of electrolysis in which oxygen released at the anode results in the formation of a coherent oxide film which is adhered to the base metal, providing a degree of corrosion protection

Aqueous Manufacturing - The process of manufacturing nonwoven abrasives where the resin and grit is applied to the base fleece in a water based liquid

Backstand - An abrasive belt machine where the belt is mounted between a contact wheel on the motor spindle and an idler pulley

Bauxite - A naturally hydrated form of aluminium oxide abrasives, it normally contains silica, iron oxide, titania and other impurities

Beartex - Norton / ST Gobain brand name for nonwoven abrasives

Bias Mop - see airway bias mop

Binder - The adhesive used to bond together a product

Body + White - In automotive manufacturing it is a common term used to describe that part of the manufacturing process where the car panels are assembled together

Bonded Abrasives -

Briterite - Standard Abrasives brand name for nonwoven abrasives

Build Up Method - A method of manufacturing PCBs by laying epoxy resin and copper tracks on top of each other

Buffing - The smoothing of a surface by the use of a rotary flexible wheel (mop)

Burr - A small piece of material left attached to the surface of a substrate as a result of any cutting action on the substrate surface

Burst Speed - The speed at which a wheel or brush will break. Normally 1.5 x m.o.s.

Carding - The process of separating out individual fibres prior to the manufacture of nonwoven abrasives

Cathode - The negatively charged electrode. The electrode in electrolysis at which the positive ions (cations) are discharged or negative ions are formed

Centreless Polisher - A machine used for finishing tube in which the tube in which the tube is passed between a polishing head, wheel or belt and a feed roller. The feed roller is set at a slight angle to the axis of the material being finished so as to impart a forward motion to the tube.

Corundum - Aluminium oxide

Coated Abrasives -

Cross- laying - A method of manufacture for nonwoven abrasives whereby the fibre is laid along the main production line at 90° to the direction of the finished product

Convolute Wheel - An abrasive wheel made by winding fleece around a solid core

Curing - The process of hardening resin using heat

De-burring - The process of removing burrs from a particular substrate

De-fuzzing - The process of removing fine hairs from the surface of wood or mdf

De-nibbing - The process of removing fine nibs off the surface of a painted/ coated surface

Electrolyte - A conducting medium, for use in electrolysis in which the flow of current is often accompanied by the movement of matter. It is most often an aqueous solution of acids, bases or salts

Emery - Naturally occurring abrasives containing aluminium oxide and various other compounds including silica and iron oxide. Hardness varies between 7.8 and 9 on MOH’s scale

Friability - The ability of an abrasive grain to breakdown and provide fresh cutting surfaces

Grind Ratio - The ratio of wear of a product to the quantity of a substrate in a given time

Hair Line - A term used in Japan for a straight line grain finishing of metal with abrasives

InOx - Stainless steel - a term used in continental Europe

Keying - The process of providing a finely scratched surface on a substrate such that a surface coating will adhere effectively

Lacquer - Originally this word was used to describe a coating material which dried primarily by evaporation to form a film and originally consisted of shellac or copal dissolved in alcohol. Nowadays it refers to many synthetic materials, which dry by solvent evaporation and would include many vinyl and acrylic coatings

Lap Mop - A series of discs of material stapled together such that the edge of the discs can then be presented to a workpiece

Lapping - A polishing process in which there is a relative motion between a soft surface in which the abrasives are bedded and the surface to be polished

Linisher - A common term for an abrasive belt machine

Loose leaf polishing mop -

Lost Wax Casting - The process of manufacturing a precision casting where a model of the finished product is made in wax then the wax model is then melted away to be replaced by the required metal

Make Coat - The first layer of adhesive on coated abrasive cloth upon which the grit is laid

M.O.S. - Maximum Operating Speed- The fastest speed we would normally recommend a product can be run safely at

Nonwoven Abrasives - Flexible abrasives made from an open fleece nylon structure.

Open Coated - When the grain density of coated abrasives is reduced to increase the grain spacing and thus reduce clogging

Orange Peel - In surface technology it relates to a mottled uneven appearance on the surface of a coating, resembling the surface of an orange. It is most commonly caused by either excessive atomising air pressure in the spray gun or by the spray gun being held too far from the substrate

Passivation - The process of protecting a metal surface from corrosion

PCB - Printed Circuit Board, also referred to as a Printed Wiring Board in Japan

Peening - A steel shot or glass bead blasting treatment applied to a metal surface to improve it’s metallurgical properties

Pickling - The process of cleaning metal in acid, usually for the purpose of removing scale or oxide

Pig Tail - A commonly used colloquial term for a tapered spindle

Plating - See Electroplating

Polishing compound -

Positive Lock Discs - A generic term for abrasives, discs attached to a mandrel by means of a locking screw thread

PSA - Pressure Sensitive Adhesive

PWB - Printed Wiring Board, also referred to as a Printed Circuit Board in Europe

Ra - Arithmetic mean roughness value

Rmax - Maximum individual peak to valley height

Rt - Maximum peak to valley height

Rz - Mean peak to valley height

Random Web - See Air Laying

Random Web Abrasives - An alternative term for nonwoven abrasives. Often used by 3M™

ROS - Recommended Operating Speed- The best speed at which to operate abrasive products

Resinoid Products - Solid abrasive products. This term usually refers to grinding discs and cut off discs

Sander Polisher Machine - A disc sanding machine with a m.o.s. below 50m/s

Sateen -

Satin Finish - A term used for the straight line finishing of metals

Scotchbrite - 3M™ brand name for nonwovens

Section - Used in connection with bias mops and defines one length of material used in the manufacture of bias mops

Segmented Belts - Abrasive belts manufactured with more than one joint

Siavlies - Sia brand name for nonwoven abrasives

Silicon Carbide - An abrasive grit manufactured by the reduction of silica by excess carbon in an electric arc furnace. Hardness is 9.6 on MOH’s scale

Sisal - A natural fibre used for the manufacture of traditional abrasive cutting mops

Size Coat - The second layer of adhesive on coated abrasives cloth. It is used to increase the stability of the grains and vary the cutting properties of abrasives

Slack of Belt - A method of using abrasives where contact between a workpiece and the abrasive belt is made in an area where the belt has no support behind it

Smearing - Marks left on the surface of a substrate. It is normally caused by excessive heat build up.

Soap -

Solvent Manufacturing - The process of manufacturing nonwoven abrasives where the resin and grit is applied to the base fleece in a solvent based liquid

SPC - Statistical Process Control. A method of analysing in a simple chart format changes in a process

Stitched Cotton Mop -

Stock Removal - The action of removing material from a workpiece by an abrasive process

Substrate - Any workpiece upon which an abrasive action is carried out

Super Abrasives -

Tack Rag - A rag for the removal of extraneous dust from surfaces being prepared for a coating

Titanium - A very hard and tough metal, it is chemically and electrochemically resistant

Toughness - The ability of an abrasive grain to continue cutting and withstanding shear and frictional forces

Unified Wheels - Norton abrasives term for unitised products

Unitized Products - Nonwoven abrasives made by compressing sheets of abrasive fleece

Uniweb - EAC term for nonwoven abrasives

Vibratory Finishing - A method of improving the surface finish and also deburring components in bulk by applying vibration energy to the mass of work and media

Vitrified Wheel - A bonded abrasives grinding wheel

Weld Bluing - The discolouration marks around a welded area of metal, caused by high temperature

Weld Spatter - Small pieces of solder found around the area of a weld but not attached to the weld itself

Zirconium Abrasives - See alumina zirconia