A coated abrasive is composed of three primary raw materials: abrasive grains, backing and bonding agent. The abrasive grains are primarily attached to a backing by means of a bonding agent. Coated abrasives are primarily used for heavy stock removal, grinding, de-burring, blending, cleaning, polishing and finishing operations.
Backing materials form the base of coated abrasives and anchor the abrasive grains with bonding agent. The various backings used in the manufacture of coated abrasives are as follows: paper, cloth, vulcanized fiber and polyester film.
Paper backings vary from A-weight (lightest, most flexible) to F-weight (heaviest, least flexible). Some specialty products include latex treated paper for flexibility and tear resistance. Paper backings are available with us in the forms of abrasive sheets, rolls, belts, hook ‘n loop, double side discs and plain discs.
The cloth backings undergo a series of treatments to impart flexibility, stiffness and other caracteristics depending on the application. ICT’s range of cloth backings are carefully chosen right from the weaving to processing, making them highly suitable for every application. Cloth backings are primarily classified by weight and yarn constructions and are available in cotton, polycotton and polyester.
Vulcanized fiber backings are primarily used for the manufacture of jumbo based fiber discs, IDC based fiber discs and quick change discs. Fiber backings are available in more variants (which are chosen depending on the end application), from 0.95 mm – typically used for heavy stock removal requirements – to 0.60 mm – used in finishing operations.
