Choosing the correct type of
grinding wheel will help you cut through your next bigger job. Selecting the
right ceramic
aluminum oxide grinding wheel will depend on the type of
performance you are looking for. The cutting wheel wants to be made of an
abrasive suitable for slicing through the stock you are working with and it
needs to be bound with a substance that can hold up to the pressures of the
job. The grit rating has to offer the correct combination of cutting speed and
smoothness.
Selecting a Suitable Abrasive:
Abrasive materials do the cutting, and every
type of abrasive offers a diverse balance of cost, and performance. The most
common abrasive materials are:
Aluminum Oxide:
It is versatile, inexpensive &
durable. Aluminum oxide is a good abrasive for everyday jobs and it will cut
through steel, as well as soft metals like brass, iron, and steel alloys. The
material’s drawback is its slow-cutting speed
Zirconia Alumina:
A mix of aluminum oxide &
zirconium oxide, this abrasive is very durable and fast. Zirconia is a logically
occurring mineral with extremely higher fracture toughness, which produces a
higher metal removal rate when cutting through toughened materials like tempered
steel. Zirconia offers superior heat dissipation, which can be significant when
cutting through a thicker steel plate.
Silicon Carbide:
This sharp abrasive makes quick
work of softer materials. Silicon carbide has a sharp-edged grain. The cutting
material fractures as it wears, creating razor-edged cutting faces through the
wheel’s life.
Ceramic Aluminum Oxide:
Ceramic wheels are very durable
and versatile. This abrasive is made by heating aluminum oxide in a process
known as sintering. This process fuses the aluminum oxide into a crystalline
structure, which rises the alumina’s hardness and durability. Abrasive ceramics
are intended to microfracture in a controlled manner.
Ceramic cutting wheels have
excellent refractory properties, which according to ceramics manufacturers
makes them resistant to deformation under heat & stress. Due to high
production costs, ceramic wheels were reserved for detail work.