WELDING AND GRINDING ARE INSEPARABLY CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER

During welding, the task of grinding inevitably arises. This is due to the fact that preparation for welding and its subsequent processing are important for obtaining a high-quality connection. Abrasive materials are used for cleaning the welded areas, removing the chamfer and leveling the weld. Therefore, the requirements for the tool are very high: it must be suitable for processing large volumes with consistently high quality, recover a lot of metal and match the properties of the material being processed. This means, for example, the absence of run marks on heat-sensitive materials and, at the same time, reliable processing of hard-to-reach alloys.

In the case of the formation of traces of running on the parts, it is necessary to perform additional processing or manufacture the parts again. Both additional work and material waste are factors that affect costs. The correct choice of abrasive can prevent the formation of run marks. Active additives for grinding in the upper layer reduce the temperature in the processing area, which, above all, avoids discoloration. Materials that are difficult to grind, such as inconel or titanium alloys, set special requirements for the abrasive: to penetrate the material and prevent accidental chipping, the abrasive grains must be very hard and viscous. Ceramic grain combines both of these properties.

Abrasives as a means of reducing production costs

In addition to technical requirements for processing processes, a key factor is the economy of the tools and resources used. In addition to personnel costs, the main factors are procurement and storage costs, as well as energy, equipment maintenance, new machine purchases and downtime. High-performance abrasives with a long service life help reduce purchasing and storage costs.

For abrasives, in particular, the time factor is important: the faster the chamfering in the welding zone and the alignment of the weld are performed, the more workpieces can be processed per shift. The more aggressive the abrasive, the greater the amount of material removal.

These areas of application allow the full potential of abrasive ceramic grains to be revealed: they remove more material than conventional abrasives and are therefore particularly effective. A ceramic grain with a precise geometric shape, such as VSM ACTIROX, provides the highest level of performance. The brittle triangular grains break evenly and in a defined pattern, creating new sharp cutting edges during processing. At the same time, it provides particularly aggressive cutting at the initial stage. Thus, all the possibilities of this abrasive become obvious immediately after the start of its use. A grinding tool allows you to remove more material, works faster and thereby increases productivity.

Due to the high aggressiveness of ACTIROX tapes, the user can achieve maximum material removal. This has a positive effect on the operation of the grinding machine: energy consumption is reduced, operating time is increased and repair costs are reduced. The machine operator needs less effort. In addition, the level of noise and vibration during machine operation is reduced. This makes work easier for employees and downtime is minimized.

Welding takes 50% less time.

ACTIROX abrasives are available as belts and discs in various sizes, so they are suitable for existing equipment. Welds on small parts, such as housings, can be removed on a belt sander with a contact roller according to corporate procedure. The use of ACTIROX AF799 and AF890 fiber discs together with the corresponding backing plates further increases performance. This is due to the fact that the design of the plate affects the result of grinding. Support plates of medium hardness allow the fiber disc to adapt to the treated contours. Aggressiveness and volume of removed material increases with increasing stiffness.

Thoroughly tested

VSM AG tests all its products in practice in its own training center at the company's headquarters in Hanover, where ideas are exchanged and a close partnership is established with industry and trade representatives. Using the ACTIROX AF890 fiber disc, it was possible to remove a 200 mm long weld on 1.4301 stainless steel in just 2 minutes. It took 4.5 minutes to remove the suture using the previously used disc with ceramic grain. Saving time for processing one seam was 55%. VSM fiber discs also perform significantly better than the widely available flap wheels on the market, which are popular because of the grain on the overlapping lobes. In a direct comparison, the life of the AF890 disc during weld processing exceeds the life of the flap disc by more than 30%.

ACTIROX AK890Y sanding belt has successfully passed tests on hard-to-sharpen materials. On titanium alloys, its efficiency was higher by 15% or more, and on chrome vanadium steel - by more than 20%.

The right abrasive for increased productivity

Abrasive materials play an important role in preparation for welding and further processing of welds. They allow you to achieve the desired technical results and are an important economic factor that increases productivity and reduces costs. For this, it is very important to choose the right grinding tool.