60 Grit Alumina Zirconia (Blue) Sanding, 4 in. Wide x 24 in. Long

Alumina Zirconia (Blue) Sanding / Planing Belt

These belts are perfect for heavy stock removal.

They work well for grinding of stainless steel, spring steel, titanium and other hard steels and for dimensioning of wood. They may also be used for heavy stock removal of plastic, rubber, glass and stone or concrete products.

Specifications:

• Alumina Zirconia (very hard, sharp grain)
• YX weight - A lighter weight polyester backing
• Closed Coat
• Resin to Resin bonded
• May be used wet or dry
• Sold individually

Alumina Zirconia (AZ)

AZ is a grain that takes the best characteristics of AO & SC and combines them together to create one very durable yet friable grain. Its main ingredient is bauxite, just like AO. It is friable like SC, but machine pressure is required to crack the AZ grain where the SC grain will fracture under simple hand pressure. Failure to achieve enough pressure to crack the AZ grain will result in glazing of the abrasive and reduced life. The best of both worlds, this grain provides you with a consistently sharp edge on the workpiece and extended life. It is commonly seen anywhere high removal rates and time are factors, including planning of wood, heavy grinding of metal and other dimensioning type applications. It is normally mounted on heavier paper or cloth backings and the grain itself is 15% – 40% more expensive to produce, so using it in the removal grits, 24 – 60, is where you will achieve more bang for your buck.

Cloth Backing

There are 3 basic weights of cloth backings: J, X and Y. J and X are cotton materials. The J has a slight degree of conformability to it and should be used where a small degree of conformability to the workpiece is needed in belts or sheets. The X is heavier weight cotton and is an all-purpose/general purpose backing used in a wide variety of belting applications including portable belts, intermediate belts and wide belts. Y backings are 100% polyester (or in some cases a 60/40 poly/cotton split) and are used for flat, heavy duty dimensioning or other high heat or rough applications. The J and X weight backings have flexed versions available that are referred to as J-Flex (JF) and X-Flex (XF). These would be suitable for applications where the X or J is not quite flexible enough. The most common uses for JF backings are as pump sleeves and for mold sanding belts. The XF backings are used mainly for slack of belt operations. The Y backings are not flexed but come in a lightweight poly (YX) and a heavy weight poly (Y or YY). Normally 24-50 or 60 grits will be the heavier poly backing and the 80-120 will be the lighter poly backing.

No cotton backings are naturally waterproof. They may be chemically treated to be waterproof however. If this has occurred, the backing should say waterproof or be marked as W/D or WP. If you do not see such a marking on the back of a cotton belt, do not run with water or the backing will stretch. You may use 100% oil as a lube if that is not detrimental to your application. Polyester, on the other hand, is inherently waterproof. As it is not chemically treated to attain this resistance, it is not normally marked as W/P on the backing itself but may be noted in a product description by the manufacturer. Just remember that any 100% polyester back is waterproof. Polyester is in fact naturally waterproof, shockproof and tear resistant, which is why it is often seen in heavy duty, rough applications and wet grinding applications.