Applications Guide
Find the right abrasive for your industrial process
White Abrasives materials are used across a wide range of grinding, polishing, surface preparation, and specialty industrial applications. This guide helps you identify which products work best for your specific process.
ⓘ Technical Note — Grit Size Interpretation
Grit size ranges shown are typical examples. Actual performance depends on abrasive form (bonded, coated, or loose), grit standard (ANSI, FEPA, mesh), machine parameters, and application conditions.
Surface Finishing & Preparation
Grinding Wheels
Bonded abrasive wheels for precision grinding and material removal on metals, ceramics, glass, and other hard materials.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 36–220 for rough grinding; 240–600 for fine and precision grinding (depending on wheel bond and application)
Key Considerations: Match abrasive hardness to workpiece material. Silicon carbide for non-ferrous and non-metallic materials; aluminum oxide for ferrous metals and steel.
Polishing
Fine abrasive processes for achieving smooth, reflective surface finishes on metals, glass, ceramics, and stone.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 400–1200 grit or fine powder grades (F, FF, FFF), depending on polishing method and substrate
Key Considerations: Start with coarser grits and progress to finer grits for best results. Boron carbide offers superior performance on very hard materials. Surface chemistry and coolant selection can also influence polishing results.
Buffing
Final finishing process using soft wheels or belts with fine abrasive compounds to achieve high-gloss surface finishes.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: Fine grits and powder grades, depending on compound formulation
Key Considerations: Buffing performance depends primarily on compound formulation and wheel construction. Fine grits and powder grades are used to achieve mirror finishes.
Metal Lapping
Precision surface finishing process using loose abrasive slurry between workpiece and lapping plate to achieve extremely flat, smooth surfaces with tight tolerances.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 240-1200 and powder grades depending on surface finish requirements
Key Considerations: Lapping compound viscosity, abrasive concentration, plate material, and flatness control all affect results. Progress through grit sizes for best surface finish.
Tumbling
Mass finishing process using rotating or vibratory equipment with abrasive media to deburr, clean, and polish parts in bulk.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 46-220 for deburring; 240-600 for polishing
Key Considerations: Media shape, size, bonding system, and compound chemistry work together with abrasive type. Cycle time varies by material and desired finish.
Deburring
Removal of sharp edges, burrs, and surface imperfections from machined or cast parts.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 36-120 for aggressive deburring; 150-240 for light deburring
Key Considerations: Coarser grits remove material faster but leave rougher surface. Match abrasive to base material hardness.
Coatings & Surface Treatment
Coated Abrasives
Abrasive materials bonded to backing materials (paper, cloth, film) to create sandpaper, sanding belts, discs, and sheets.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 36-80 for heavy stock removal; 100-220 for surface prep; 240-600 for fine finishing
Key Considerations: Backing material (paper/cloth), bond type (resin/glue), and grit size determine performance characteristics.
Pressure Blasting
High-velocity abrasive blasting for surface preparation, cleaning, rust removal, and anchor pattern creation on metal surfaces.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 12-36 for heavy cleaning and profiling; 46-80 for general surface prep; 100-220 for light cleaning
Key Considerations: All products are silica-free. Aluminum oxide can be reused in closed-system blasting. Match abrasive hardness to substrate and application requirements.
Coatings (Fillers & Additives)
Abrasive materials added to paints, coatings, and polymers to improve wear resistance, provide texture, or enhance specific performance characteristics.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 220-600 for most coating applications; powder grades for fine dispersions
Key Considerations: Particle size distribution affects coating viscosity and final properties. Ensure compatibility with coating chemistry.
Anti-Slip Surfaces
Abrasive materials broadcast into floor coatings, paints, or sealers to create slip-resistant walking surfaces.
Recommended Products:
Available Sizes: 8/16, 12/30, 36/60
Key Considerations: Coarser grits provide more aggressive traction. Broadcast into wet coating for uniform distribution. Coverage rate depends on desired slip resistance.
Floor Hardening
Abrasive materials incorporated into floor coatings or concrete sealers to increase surface hardness and abrasion resistance.
Recommended Products:
Available Sizes: 8/16, 12/30, 36/60 (anti-slip product); custom sizes available
Key Considerations: Increases floor durability in high-traffic areas. Can be combined with anti-slip function for dual-purpose flooring.
Material Removal & Machining
Slurry Sawing
Precision cutting process using wire or blade with abrasive slurry to cut hard, brittle materials like silicon wafers, ceramics, and stone.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 240-600 for most slurry sawing; finer grits for precision work
Key Considerations: Slurry viscosity, abrasive concentration, and cutting speed affect cut quality and blade/wire life.
Ultrasonic Machining
Material removal process using ultrasonic vibration with abrasive slurry to machine hard, brittle materials that are difficult to cut with conventional methods.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 240-600 and powder grades depending on material and tolerance requirements
Key Considerations: Abrasive hardness must exceed workpiece hardness. Slurry concentration and ultrasonic frequency affect material removal rate.
Flow Finishing
Abrasive flow machining process where abrasive-laden media is forced through or around workpieces to deburr, polish, and radius edges in complex geometries.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 120-400 depending on material removal requirements and desired finish
Key Considerations: Media viscosity and abrasive concentration determine aggressiveness. Multiple passes with progressively finer grits improve surface finish.
Specialty Industrial Applications
Investment Casting Molds
Abrasive materials used in ceramic shell molds for investment casting (lost-wax casting) to improve mold strength, permeability, and surface finish.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 46-220 for shell building; finer grits for face coats
Key Considerations: Particle size distribution affects shell permeability and strength. Finer grits on face coats improve casting surface finish.
Refractory Materials
High-temperature resistant materials used in furnace linings, kiln construction, and thermal insulation applications.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: Varies widely by application; 36-220 common for refractory aggregates
Key Considerations: Silicon carbide offers superior thermal conductivity. Aluminum oxide provides excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance.
Friction Components
Abrasive materials incorporated into brake pads, clutch facings, and other friction materials to control friction coefficient and wear characteristics.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 46-220 depending on friction requirements and base material
Key Considerations: Particle size and concentration affect friction coefficient, wear rate, and noise characteristics. Must be compatible with binder system.
Wear Resistant Parts
Abrasive materials incorporated into coatings, composites, or castings to create components with superior abrasion and wear resistance.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: Varies by manufacturing process and application requirements
Key Considerations: Abrasive hardness should significantly exceed anticipated wear conditions. Proper dispersion in matrix material critical to performance.
Heat Transfer Components
Thermally conductive abrasive materials used in heat sinks, thermal interface materials, and heat dissipation applications.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 220-600 and powder grades for most thermal applications
Key Considerations: Silicon carbide offers superior thermal conductivity but is electrically conductive and unsuitable for electrically insulating applications. Aluminum oxide provides thermal conductivity while maintaining electrical insulation.
Static discharge considerations should be evaluated when using electrically conductive fillers.
Electrical Potting Insulation
Abrasive materials used as fillers in potting compounds and encapsulants for electrical and electronic components.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 220-600 and powder grades for uniform dispersion
Key Considerations: Aluminum oxide provides electrical insulation while improving thermal conductivity of potting compounds. Particle size affects viscosity.
Fillers
Abrasive materials used as functional fillers in polymers, adhesives, sealants, and composite materials to modify physical properties.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 220-600 and powder grades depending on application
Key Considerations: Particle size distribution affects viscosity and final properties. Surface treatment may improve dispersion and compatibility.
Fining
Abrasive materials used as specialty additives in glass manufacturing to assist fining processes by promoting bubble coalescence and rise.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: Powder grades (F, FF, FFF) for glass manufacturing
Key Considerations: High-temperature stability essential. Particle size and chemistry affect fining efficiency and glass quality.
Medical & Specialty Applications
Micro-dermabrasion
Cosmetic skin treatment using fine abrasive particles to exfoliate and resurface skin.
Recommended Products:
Typical Grit Ranges: 100–220, depending on device design and treatment protocol
Key Considerations: High purity essential for medical/cosmetic applications. Particle size determines treatment aggressiveness. Must meet applicable medical device regulations.
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