Some electronic gadgets are made to complement each other; such as cutting discs and angle grinders. Cutting discs vary in size and mode of use; or the kind of angle grinder available for use. Before you embark on buying a cutting disc, here are seven great facts you need to know before buying a cutting disc.
What is a cutting disc?
We know that cutting disc cannot be used by itself except added to an angle grinder, a cutting disc is a tool attached to an angle grinder or stationary devices mainly for cutting hard materials that includes steel, aluminium, wood, stone concrete, to mention few. Cutting disc are round in nature, flat and thin like a CD or DVD. They are of two categories; there is the classical cutting disc and a diamond cutting disc. Cutting disc became relevant when it became difficult to cut some classes of materials as the little that was being able to cut had to pass through a complicated process and costs. Cutting disc is a great tool meant particularly for cutting hard materials, and it’s easy to use.
How cutting discs are used
There is no doubt that a cutting disc must be attached to an angle grinder before it becomes useful on any materials at all. You should not expect that the size of an object should remain the same after you have used a cutting disc on it, unlike when you use objects like scissors to cut materials the materials remain the same and the purpose of cut is still achieved. The reason why we usually experience this is that when you cut an object with a cutting disc some part of those materials becomes a waste generated from a hole that will separate the product in pieces of the desired length.
Classic Cutting of disc with synthetic resin
Among the different kinds of discs, you can find in the metal industry, Classic cutting disc with synthetic resin as a binder is the most common. This disc has various categories divided according to their usefulness. In this wise, we shall have to differentiate discs based on their use.
Steel ring- it gives room for the natural and safe installation of machines
Label- this contains all relevant information related to the cutting disc
Safety net- this is fibreglass that does not allow the glass to crack.
Most of the times cutting mixture is made of aluminium oxide A1203
Diamond cutting disc
A diamond disc is an entirely different ball game compared to other discs, they are partly diamond, and their mode of use makes them expensive. It is not a pure diamond product, but some part of this disc, which is the cutting edge area is a thin layer which is diamond, that is why it is called the diamond cutting disc. It is mainly for cutting materials like stones, concrete, asphalt. However, the diamond cutting disc is expensive, but with the help of advancement in technology, it became cheap such that operators could use it to cut ceramics, steel, stainless, and many more.
How the thickness of materials influences the cutting of a material
Most of, the times the thickness of the disc is a factor that determines the speed and quality of disc cutting. There is no doubt that disc is meant for materials cutting and you can as well cut materials with a grinding disc, but the question is how much power and time does it take to cut. This is to show that there is a big difference when using a thinner disc from applying a thicker disc. How? Lighter discs are faster and do not waste materials, unlike the ones with more adhesive discs. Over time size 3.00 was the only disc thickness size you can find because it was thick enough to withstand the official safety requirement and lateral straining thin enough for reasonable cutting. However, with the help of technology and for the fact that operators find the 3.00 size perfect, disc producers decided to produce a thinner disc to help do work, even more, faster which is the reason for smaller sizes of 2.5mm, 1.9 (18mm), 1.5mm, 1mm, and 0.8mm.
Safety measures of cutting discs
Because of the risks involved in the use of cutting discs, discs are not allowed to be available in a sub-standard way, instead produced based on the requirements prescribed in standards EN 12413for bonded abrasive products and EN 13236 safety requirements for super abrasives.
At any time, we aim to work with a cutting disc always be cautious and pay attention. Make sure you don’t throw it to the floor or drop heavy objects on it. They are made of a good standard but note that they are not indestructible. Always check to know if there is no crack in the disc you want to use, and always avoid buying discs available in low prices as they may be of low quality despite the regulatory procedure made by the standard regulatory bodies.
Durability and quality of cutting disc
Every cutting disc has its strength, which is why it is part of the standard procedures that manufacturers must print year when validity ends, clearly on the cutting disc. The validity days or years may vary from one up to 3 years as it is not advisable for operators to use an expired cutting disc even if you haven’t used them until they expired. Regarding the quality of the disc, this circumstance is a very sensitive subject. There are lots of manufacturers who have invested in the production of a cutting disc; some even go as far as China to make a particular specification that they want to resell to their own or other countries. A good test of the available ones in the market will over time let you know the best among preferred and such act will at the long run save you a lot of money. There is a need for us to know that nowadays, tools and technology changes daily. This is the reason why you have to take your time to test new products available in the market before you settle finally for that of your choice.