b'We have different options to reach the required surface finish in a reasonable cycle time for a wide range of workpieces.To the Finish Line of an engineered abrasive imparts aU936 engineered abrasive belts lastconsistent surface finish during the25% to 35% longeror morelife of the belt. than a conventional or competing Tools of the Trade Therearemultiplelayersofbelt. Norton | Saint-Gobain Abra-What surface requirements haveabrasive in the belt, Bonner said,sives reports that in an application in common is that parts manufac- so you constantly have fresh abra- for automatically polishing stainless turers typically need finishing tools,sive thats always of the same char- steel airfoils after milling them, the such as polishing and buffing tools,acteristic and the same quality asNORaX U936 belt lasted twice as to achieve the requirements. you go through the belt life. long as a competitive engineered One offering from Norton | Saint- Compared with a conventionalceramic belt. The machine was a Gobain Abrasives is NORaX U936abrasive belt, she said an engi- six-axis belt grinder running at 3,024 engineered abrasive belts. neered abrasive belt requires fewerrpm and 1,134 m/min. (3,720 sfm).NORaX is our engineered abra- process steps to achieve the re- Another finishing tool that the sive product line, and U936 is onequired surface finish. companyoffersisNortonFAB of the products within that technol- (Youre) going from a four-step(which stands for fixed abrasive buff) ogy envelope, Bonner said. Andprocess to a three-step processbuffing wheels. FAB wheels have sil-that one incorporates ceramic asor from a three-step to a two-stepicon-carbide abrasive grains, which the abrasive type in the belt. process, Bonner said. are controlled tightly for shape Primarily applied for polishing,Depending on the applicationand particle size distribution, on she explained that the performanceand workpiece material, she saidboth sides of the nonwoven cloth, Fixed abrasive buffing wheels function effectively at a speed from 762 to 1,067 m/min. (2,500 to 3,500 sfm), which is up to 50% slower than the speed for a cotton buff.Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives14JULY 2023Finishing.indd 14 6/15/23 1:49 PM'