What are non-woven abrasives?

Non-woven abrasives can be used to enhance almost any finishing or restoration project. They are used in a variety of environments from kitchens to shipyards; to remove stains and oxidation, to prepare surfaces and to polish finishes.

Performance of non-woven abrasives

Non-woven abrasives can be used dry, with water or oil-based lubricants to clean or remove oxidation. Unlike steel wool, the non-woven abrasives do not rust, so plumbers and pipe fitters can use them repeatedly from job site to job site. These abrasives hold up well in long-term use, making them ideal for creating clean surfaces on joint lines in operations such as welding.

Non-woven abrasives are a three-dimensional fiber web with resin balls and abrasives embedded in the fiber network. Typically, the fibers are nylon or other synthetic materials. Non-woven abrasives are suitable for use on stainless steel, standard or alloy steel, non-ferrous materials and alloys, aluminum, titanium, fiberglass, plastics and wood.

Non-woven materials can be converted into belts, discs, pads, flap wheels and flap discs to suit a wide range of power tools. Due to the 3D construction, finish is determined by grade rather than grit, and a range of coarse grains is used to determine the grade. Finer grades provide a smoother finish, while coarse grades facilitate cutting through heavy scale and debris for surface preparation.

The three-dimensional network of fibers can be compressed like a sponge or spring, which allows the abrasive to better adhere to the surface without causing planing, scraping or other abrasive defects. Non-woven abrasives are ideal for cleaning and surface preparation as well as finishing operations such as deburring, polishing and decorative finishing.

How to use non-woven abrasives

Non-woven abrasive grades, operating speeds and pressures can be used to achieve the desired finish. Different materials may require different grades, speeds and different pressures.

● Abrasive grades

▷ Coarse: For removing scale, rust, deburring, flying edges, paint and coatings.

▷ Medium: For lighter surface preparation and cleaning, weld cleaning, blending, light deburring.

▷ Fine: For light cleaning, blending and finishing.

▷ Ultra-fine: For final finishing and polishing, decorative finishing.

●Running speed

Non-woven abrasives are most effective between 2,000 - 9,000 SFPM, depending on the tool, workpiece material and the desired finish. The running speed of the non-woven material determines the cutting rate. Lower running speeds are suitable for cleaning and higher speeds are used for better polishing results. Therefore, variable speed tools are very useful because they can be set to run at different speeds needed for cleaning, deburring and polishing. As with abrasive products, never operate a non-woven product at a speed that exceeds the maximum RPM marked on the product.

● Pressure

For cleaning and decorative finishing, use a lighter pressure range. For deburring and polishing of hard materials such as steel, apply higher pressure. For non-woven materials, light to medium pressure is recommended, typically between 3 and 6 lbs. The 3-D structure of the non-woven material controls the cutting speed, so excessive pressure will not result in increased polishing or cutting speed and will cause abrasion of the non-woven material.

Applications

Non-woven abrasives can be easily cut to the desired size and shape as needed, making them ideal for use in tight spaces or with a variety of electric sanding tools. This makes them invaluable to plumbers for removing oxidation from inside and outside sweaty joints.

Woodworkers and refinishers use nonwoven abrasive pads to polish surfaces prior to finishing and to finish between coats. Automotive and marine refinishers can remove old paint and prepare it for refinishing with abrasive grades, and by using nonwoven pads instead of steel wool, they don't have to worry about leaving behind fine metal fibers that can ruin the finish.

We offer a variety of sizes of non-woven abrasives, including coarse, medium and fine abrasives, as well as non-abrasive versions for polishing. This range of options makes it easy for you to choose the right "grit" for the task at hand. Whether your job requires cleaning, rust and oxidation removal or surface treatment for finishing, our non-woven abrasives will help you get the results you need quickly and efficiently.