Coated abrasive


A coated abrasive is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives. Common substrates are paper, cloth, vulcanized fiber, and plastic films and come in grit sizes range from very coarse to ultrafine. The international standard for coated abrasives is ISO 6344.
Sandpaper and emery cloth are coated abrasives for hand use, usually non-precision. These two terms are used by general public in place of "coated abrasives".
Other coated abrasive forms include sanding cords, pads, belts, and discs. Variants are available for use by hand or as components for power tools such as sanders, die grinders and belt sanders

History

The first recorded use of a coated abrasive is from the 13th Century, when the Chinese bonded crushed sea shells to parchment using natural gum.

Mounting systems

Quick change

A quick change system is commonly used with disc type coated abrasives. A plastic or metal hub is bonded to one of the faces, which is threaded. This then mates directly to the sander/grinder or to a mandrel that can be mounted in a sander, grinder, or drill. The advantage is that the disc can be quickly replaced when needed. Quick change discs range in sizes from to no upper limit.