6 Things That You Should Know About Flap Wheels

Things That You Should Know About Flap Wheels

Do you have any idea about a flap wheel? It is actually a mechanical wheel which is made from abrasive flaps or strips radiating from a central hub. It works best for tasks such as stress relief and metal grinding. It plays an important role in the buffing process. In common, it acts as a prelude to the final buff.

This tool may be too new for you. Let me share with you some useful information.

• In general, flap wheels come in many different grit sizes, shapes, bonds and weights of cloth. The outside diameter of the wheel usually ranges from 4" to 24". Some are even larger. The center hub holds the flaps together at the periphery.

• Basically, there are 3 types of hubs used, i.e. metal centered hub, cardboard core hub and heavy duty mechanical hub. Different hubs suit the requirements of different industries. However, metal centered hub has become an industrial standard because it provides a wide variety of applications.

• Let's look at the types of material used to produce flaps. The most common material used in the wheels is abrasive flaps, both woven and non-woven. Other materials include neoprene, buff cloth, cardboard, etc. Flap wheel abrasives are grouped into 2 main categories, i.e. natural and artificial. For the natural abrasives, they are made from diamond, garnet, quartz and corundum. On the other hand, for those artificial abrasives, they are made of synthetic diamond, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and so on.

• Normally, flap wheel heads are designed to be flexible. This allows the heads to conform to any shapes. Since they are able to conform to irregular shapes, you can skip many hand operations and indirectly increase your work efficiency. At the same time, it assists you to cut down your labor cost. You can simply start the finishing operation and the flap wheel will wear down to the exact contour automatically.

• What is the main use of a flap wheel? It is used for preparing the work-piece for further finishing steps, i.e. buffing, plating and anodizing. Sometimes, the wheel is used for de-burring and stress relief. Seriously speaking, it is in fact a unique grinding and polishing tool. If you need to remove metal stock or alter the metal surface, you can also make use of the wheels.

• When you operate the wheel, the abrasive grain, bonding, agent and backing materials are all consumed in a proper manner. These materials will not clog the wheel. By using this tool, you will not face the problem of wastage of materials. Everything will be utilized at optimum level.

I believe by going through the points above, you are able to have better understanding about flap wheels. In my personal opinion, it is definitely worthwhile for you to invest on the tools because they make your work easier.

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