Grinding wheels are vital in the manufacturing world—they’re how machinists polish rough edges and achieve consistent chamfers. The size and abrasiveness of these wheels very depending on what materials they’re made of. This will directly correlate with what gears/parts the wheels are used for.
Here at James Engineering, we have an extensive stock of various grinding wheels and sell them at competitive prices. Let’s get into the 3 main wheels we sell and why you need to know the difference between them.
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1. The Woven Fiberglass Wheel
This is your typical grinding wheel made from a homogenous blend of aluminum oxide and powdered resin. The tops and bottoms of these wheels are pressed with fiberglass, which acts as a strengthening agent and ensures the wheels don’t break while spinning.
Pros: They’re quick, and they’re aggressive, meaning their time efficient and great for cutting.
Cons: They can sometimes be a little too aggressive. These wheels can cut too deeply and have an extreme tendency to bounce, as they have no dampening factor.
2. The Woven Cloth Wheel
This wheel is comprised of cotton, liquid resin, and aluminum oxide. You might be thinking, cotton, really? But it really works! Strips of cotton cloth are layered between layers of resin, and these many layers keep the wheel’s structure from falling apart.
Pros: These wheels are great for chamfering due to the fact they don’t bounce nearly as much as fiberglass wheels do since the cotton acts as a dampening agent. The fact that they’re softer, and don’t have as much bounce, means the parts/gears they’re working on can be spun at faster rates, achieving a quicker and smoother chamfer.
Cons: They’re a bit too soft for cutting. Believe it or not, cotton isn’t very sharp.
3. The Woven Carbon Fiber Wheel
This is the most unique wheel sold at James Engineering. In fact, it’s so unique and rare that we are the only ones to carry it! These wheels are made of carbon fiber and resin, and nothing more. There’s no abrasive added to them, but the carbon itself acts as a very mild abrasive.
Pros: They’re perfect for those with very niche needs. They create extremely subtle chamfers and have beautiful surfacing abilities. They’re also great to use at trade shows because they won’t tear apart gears or non-gears during demonstration.
Cons: They’re very, very gentle, so they can’t do very much. Since they have no abrasive added to them, they make cutting and grinding a drawn-out process—essentially, they’re mostly for people who need very petite chamfers.
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Whatever your grinding needs consist of, James Engineering will help you find the most perfectly-fitting wheel. We’ll even send you a sample or two!
If you’re interested to know even more about the different kind of grinding wheels we sell, check out https://www.james-engineering.com/grinding-wheels.