Today, the abrasives industry plays an increasingly important role in the development and construction of the world.
Flap discs are essential abrasives for metal fabrication and are often the go-to choice for a wide variety of applications.
However, many small businesses are still confused about how to choose flap discs, especially because vague and inaccurate information online misleads them.
Therefore, I sort out 8 buyers’ most concerned and confused questions about flap discs and give you the most objective answers in this post
ⅡWhat are the common sizes, materials and types of flap disc
ⅢApplication fields of flap disc without materials
ⅣWhen to use coarse sand and when to use fine sand
ⅤThe difference between flap disc and grinding wheel
ⅥThe production process of flap discs
ⅦSpecifications and precautions for using flap disc
ⅧPractical Tips for Finding a flap disc Supplier
A flap disc is an abrasive product found in the coated abrasive family and used on an angle grinder.
The discs are made up of many layered, overlapping sections of abrasive material or ‘flaps’ (hence the name).
These flaps are formed of a polycotton or polyester backing material to which abrasive grains are adhered, these are then layered and bonded to a backing plate).
The backing plate provides stability to the flap disc and imparts its own unique properties to the product.
I will list some common sizes, materials, and types for your reference. Of course, we also welcome you to customize special sizes.
Conical shaped flap discs（T29）
Conical flap discs are the best choice for removing stock in a short space of time.
The conical shape is perfect for working on the edge of the flaps, the small area of contact assists with increasing the grind pressure which in turn improves the material removal rate.
Conical discs are shaped at the perfect angle so the chance of hitting your workpiece and damaging it with the angel grinder M14 hub is also reduced.
Flat shaped flap discs(T27)
Conversely, when comes to operations that require a lower grinding pressure and more control, you should opt for a flat shaped flap disc.
This is the ideal shape for blending and finishing on flat surfaces and outer edges.
Care must be taken as the M14 grinder hub often protrudes further than the disc, increasing the possibility of hitting your component with it.
Ceramic
Ceramic grains have a unique microcrystalline structure that is highly friable at high pressure and therefore is said to be self-sharpening.
Newly exposed sharp edges are continually exposed to the surface of the workpiece – making ceramic grained abrasives stay sharper and more effective over a long period of time.
As it does the job quicker, the heat build up in the ceramic grain is lower, therefore these abrasives tend to cut at a cooler temperature, which reduces glazing and improves their overall efficiency.Ceramic Flap Disc feature the ceramic grain.
Zirconia Alumina
Like ceramic, Zirconia Alumina has a self-sharpening characteristic, which gives it a long product life and is great for aggressive heavy grinding of metals such as carbon steel and stainless steel.
Zirconia has a larger crystalline structure and is a very tough grain with a good product life. These features make it an excellent choice for high performance jobs. Zirconia Flap Disc feature the Zirconia Alumina grain.
Aluminium Oxide
Generally recommended for grinding steel but it can also be used on some high tensile aluminium and bronze alloys.
Aluminium flap disc is manufactured in varying qualities and is a blocky, friable grain.
The friability of the abrasive depends on the purity and carbon content.
Ceramic Flap Disc
Suitable for:
Carbon steel, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, chrome-nickel, high-alloy steel, titanium alloy, non-ferrous metals and other hard to grind materials.
Application:
Used for grinding all kinds of metal and wood and other workpiece. Often used in transportation rail industry, automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, stainless steel manufacturing, aerospace industry and so on.
Benefits:
Wear resistance
High stock removal
Extra-long service life
Excellent self-sharpening
Good heat dissipation and no damage to the workpiece
Zirconia aluminum flap disc
Suitable for:
Stainless steel, high carbon steel, mild steels, tool steels, spring steels, cast iron, non-ferrous metals and wood.
Application:
Grinding and polishing of car bodies, machines, tank constructions, and wooden surface such as furniture.
Benefits:
High-quality Zirconia Alumina cloth
Ideal for a range of heavy-duty applications
Durable backing plate
High tensile and bending strength
Good grinding effect
Low noise and no clogging during grinding
aluminum oxide flap disc
Suitable for:
Alloyed and unalloyed steel, aluminium, nonferrous metals, plastic, paint, wood etc.
Application:
Grinding, deburring, removing welding seams and spots, removing rust and oxidation.
Advantage:
High quality Aluminium Oxide cloth
Economic but perfect polishing effect
Excellent performance and efficiencies on stainless steel applications
Fast stocking removal
Durable backing plate
Good flexibility
When to use a coarse gritted flap disc:
For rapid stock removal and where the final surface finish does need to be highly refined or where the customer has no regard for the finish and just wants to get the job done fast.
The coarser the grit, generally the quicker material removal rate (depending on the material) but the scratches left behind may be too deep to blend out at a later stage.
This is particularly apparent when comparing finishing processes on carbon steel and stainless steel. The temptation is to always opt for the coarser grains but this can hinder and prolong your finishing options at a later stage.
Coarse grits are also the best choice for soft materials, such as soft steel and aluminium.
When to select a fine gritted flap disc:
Fine grits should be used when a blended and more refined finish is essential to the project. They are typically used at the latter stages of the grinding process to clean up deeper scratches imparted by the coarse grain in stock removal.
Stainless steel for instance usually requires additional surface finishing processes because of the properties that each imparts on the material.
A highly refined finish is primarily used for decorative purposes example or the number 4 finish that is chosen for its anti-fingerprint, anti-bacterial properties in commercial hand rails etc.
After initial stock removal from a coarser grained flap disc or grinding wheel, the scratch would look unsightly on a stainless steel surface.
To blend this out and deliver more refined surfaces, we would use increasingly finer grits.
Finer grits are also more effective over smaller areas of contact and better suited to harder and more brittle materials.
So why would you choose a flap disc over a grinding wheel?
Grinding wheels are a key part of our product portfolio and, like the flap disc, are highly versatile and suitable for a whole raft of metal fabrication applications.
Grinding wheels are a great choice for rapid stock removal when the surface finish isn’t such a key concern and there are not multiple steps involved proceeding the grinding.
One such example is removing a weld seam from carbon steel, as the surface as is usually just painted, there is no great requirement for a highly blended or refined finish afterwards.
However as great as grinding wheels are, flap discs generally have the following key advantages over them:
(1)Less re-work
A flap disc will provide much more controlled stock removal. They are often lighter and cooler cutting (less glazing), which reduces the requirement for re-work.
(2)Smoother finish, no gouging
In the same vein, grinding wheels are extremely aggressive and can have a tendency to gouge the surface and leave a very rough finish, particularly when in the hands of a less experienced user.
Whereas with a flap disc, the abrasive flaps are made from cloth or polyester, providing conformability to the disc, which reduces the possibility of damaging the workpiece whilst removing material effectively.
(3)Fewer vibrations
As the flap disc is less rigid and has far more flexibility than its grinding wheel counterpart, fewer vibrations are generated when grinding. Not only does this make for a drastically more comfortable experience for the operator but it is also significantly less noisy.
Plastic/Nylon
This type of backing material gives the flap disc some degree of flexibility, which helps reduce the level of vibration generated, making it a good choice for uneven surfaces.
In addition, some plastic backing plates are readily trimmable and can be colour coded for ease of identification.
Fibreglass
Strong, rigid and lightweight, fibreglass is the most commonly used material for a backup plate for a flap disc.
Its rigidity and vibration absorbing properties help the operator maintain greater control over their process.
The flaps gradually wear away as the grain diminishes during use, exposing a new layer of abrasive grains.
Its effectiveness will of course decrease over time and use but a flap disc can actually be used until the cloth is practically down to the resin.
You can read more about Fibreglass.
The production of louver blades generally uses epoxy resin glue specially prepared for louver blades. Different qualities of glue determine the viscosity of the louver blades. The problem of some louver blades falling off when used is largely due to the quality of the glue.
At the same time, the amount of glue is also very particular. Too much or too little will not work. Too little glue will cause unstable adhesion and easily cause the problem of pieces falling off. Too much glue will seriously affect the appearance of the leaves. .
The glue level can be used to detect whether a company pays attention to details and controls quality.
The blade arrangement is to use a fully automatic louver machine to cut the emery cloth into the blade size required by the customer, and then arrange it on the glued backing in order. The quality of the sheet arrangement depends on the quality of the fully automatic louver sheet machine. The sheets discharged by a high-quality louver sheet machine are very symmetrical, with exactly the same size and spacing, which perfectly solves the problem of product consistency.
Extrusion is the last step. The purpose is to make the emery cloth fit the backing better. Because the emery cloth is stood up when arranging the sheets, which is not conducive to grinding. After extrusion, the emery cloth will fit on the backing at a certain angle. Lining is more convenient for people to use for grinding. The force of the machine's squeezing is also very particular, neither too large nor too light. If it is too large, it will easily crush the emery cloth; if it is too light, it will easily cause the emery cloth to not adhere firmly.
This requires manufacturers to use high-precision precision instruments to complete manufacturing.
You can use the following video of louver blade production in our factory as a reference.
（1）Wear work clothes, masks, goggles and other protective equipment; check whether the screws of the angle grinder are loose and ensure that the leakage safety device is normal; whether the protective cover of the angle grinder is normal, its function is to protect the angle grinder when the blade is working When damaged for any reason, the plates can be effectively covered to ensure the safety of personnel.
（2）Pay attention to the matching problem. The installation and matching of the chuck and the hundred-leaf blades must meet the standard requirements. The diameter of the chuck shall not be less than 1/3 of the diameter of the installed sand disc, and the corresponding regulations stipulate that new blades should be replaced when the diameter is 10 mm larger than the diameter of the chuck.
（3）During the grinding process, you need to hold the grinding tool tightly with moderate force. Keep the grinding wheel at an angle of 15-30 degrees to the working surface. Do not use excessive force and do it step by step to ensure the smoothness of the grinding surface.
（4）Pay attention to balance issues. The imbalance of the hundred-leaf blade is mainly caused by inaccurate manufacturing and installation of the hundred-leaf blade, which causes the center of gravity to not coincide with the rotation axis. Imbalance can easily cause polygonal vibration marks on the surface of the workpiece. It can also accelerate the vibration of the spindle and the wear of the bearings. In severe cases, it can cause the blade to break.
（5）Before polishing, you need to check whether the welding part of the workpiece to be processed is reasonable, whether there is any bumping, and whether the weld is flat. If there is a defect, it must be re-welded before polishing.
（6）When polishing the surface of the door panel, you should use the weight of the grinding tool itself to smoothly combine the louver blade with the processing surface, and use translational or circular motion. Do not suddenly apply force or change the grinding angle at will in the middle.
（7）When problems such as pores, slag inclusions, cracks, etc. are found on the surface of the polished object during grinding, repair welding should be done first.
（8）After polishing, check carefully to ensure that there are no obvious cracks and defects in the polished area and that there are no welding spatter around it.
（9）After grinding and polishing, there should be no unevenness on the surface of the polished parts and the overall surface should be smooth. The grinding depth should not exceed 0.2mm.
（10）After the grinding work is completed, cut off the power in time, place the tools neatly in the designated positions, and clean the site.
You may ask me, where can I find a reliable Flap Disc Manufacturer? Don’t worry, I’ll show you three main places to find a Flap Disc Manufacturer and a trading company.
Fairs
In addition to looking for louver blade manufacturers online, you can also visit trade shows. For example, if you want to import from China and get a Chinese import agent, you can visit the Canton Fair, Hong Kong Exhibition, Yiwu International Exhibition, etc.
But looking for louver blade manufacturers at the show is more suitable for large importers, who are more likely to spend millions of dollars on purchasing every year. If you are just a small and medium-sized importer with an annual purchasing budget of tens of thousands of dollars, the supply at the show The merchant may not accept your order.
Osa
Founded in 2000 in Bonn, Germany, the Organization for Abrasive Safety (oSa) has become a symbol of trust for nearly 60 leading manufacturers of quality tools (and counting!). oSa is the global symbol of maximum security and an internationally protected trademark.
Members are entitled to use the mark on their products only after meeting strict admission criteria. oSa members are committed to certified quality management through documented processes and in-house testing facilities of the highest competence. Three EN standards (EN 12413, EN 13236, EN 13743) form the cornerstone of the oSa safety concept. All members accept these safety standards for their products.
Since its inception, oSa has become an internationally recognized authority on cutting and grinding tools. oSa audits and provides recommendations to manufacturers and represents the highest safety requirements. Today, almost all of the world's leading quality manufacturers are members of oSa. Approximately 70% of handheld cutting and grinding tools on the market today are already engraved with the oSa logo
The Osa organization represents the highest level of the abrasives industry, and finding their products will have higher credibility. However, at the same time, these louver blade manufacturers are often unable to provide good prices or delivery times because of their large scale. You are just a small and medium-sized importer with an annual purchasing budget of tens of thousands of dollars. These suppliers may not accept your order due to purchase volume or delivery issues.
When faced with a problem, the first thing most people think of is always a Google search. In fact, Google does help in most cases, it provides useful information. If you want to find louver blade manufacturers in a certain country (such as China), just enter "China louver blade manufacturers" and a list of Chinese louver blade manufacturers will appear in the search results.
When you look at a website, you need to pay attention to the content, year of establishment, company photo, contact details, team size, infrastructure, customer reviews, blog, etc. Only a professional team will invest enough money and effort into optimizing their website on Google.
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