When it comes to coated sanding, the first thing you’re likely to hear about are abrasive formulations — alumina, ceramic beta-alumina, silicon carbide and zirconia beta-alumina. Today, we’re going to talk about something just as important, namely abrasive belt backing.
1. The introduction of the cloth backed backing
Cloth backed belts are the most common straps in industry because of their excellent durability, tear resistance, and tolerance to repeated bending and deflection. Cloth backed belts come in three common weights — J weight, X weight, and Y weight (listed from most to least flexible). Both J and X counterweight belts have cotton backs, while Y counterweight belts are usually polyester or polyester/cotton blends. The J-Weight belt is the most flexible cloth back belt available from BINIC Abrasives. As the name suggests, they weigh about the same as regular jeans. A perfect example is crankshaft polishing. Since various radii and curved surfaces must be polished on the crankshaft, highly flexible but durable belts are required, and J-weight belts are well suited. The X weight belt is stronger and stiffer than the J weight belt. Cotton backing is a heavy cotton material. It is a good multipurpose/universal sanding backing. Because of its durability, the X-Weight belt is ideal for production environments that require long life and consistency. Y-Weight belts are considered heavy duty belts and are usually used with coarse abrasives (e.g. Zirconia and ceramic beta-alumina) and are used in heavy cutting applications. As mentioned earlier, Y-Weight belts are usually 100% polyester, but sometimes they can be polyester/cotton blends. Polyester is naturally water, shock and tear resistant, making it ideal for wet applications.
2. The introduction of the fiber backed backing
You may also have heard of fiber-supported abrasives. These are super heavy duty paper-based abrasives made by “vulcanizing” multiple layers of paper using chemicals, heat and pressure. Fiber backing abrasives are commonly used for disks.
Paper back abrasives are made from highly specialized paper designed for abrasive use. Five paper back weights are provided (listed from most flexible to least flexible) – A weight, C weight, D weight, E weight, and F weight.
3. Other types of abrasive belt
Finally, we have film/latex backing abrasives. These are usually used with fine grit (600 and up) and can be used wet or dry. Car Abrasive is available in a variety of standard sizes.
Above all, abrasive belts have a wide range of applications, hoping the above article could be helpful for you to know some information about the backing types of the abrasive belts.
