For belt grinding, abrasive grits on a flexible backing material are used as tools. Chip formation takes place as the abrasive belt is engaged with a target material over a contact element, generally a roller or support element.
Besides fine grinding and deburring for glass, ceramics, wood and metal, it is also possible to reach chip removal rates with belt grinding methods comparable with rough processes.
Advantages compared to grinding with grinding wheels are:
• rapid tool change,
• grinding without cooling lubricants is possible (dry-grinding) and
• the ability to conform to shaped tool shapes.
In belt grinding, there are basically two approaches. On the one hand, we can grind on a free belt section, whereby concave, convex or similarly complex- structured tools can be processed. On the other, contact elements (shoes, rollers) can support the belt at the grinding contact zone, whereby large material removal rates are realizable in compliance with strict form and dimensional tolerances.
3.6.1 Composition of Abrasive Belts
Abrasive belts, abrasive sheets, abrasive casings and lamellar abrasive tools are all considered abrasives upon a backing material, whereby belts and sheets take up the largest share in the total production of these abrasive tools.
These abrasive tools consist of three main components: the backing material, the abrasive grit and the bond mass. For special tasks, the tools are furnished additionally with a coating, which can, for example, have a dust-repellent effect [N. N.3].
Abrasive belts are distinguished by the form, material and flexibility of the backing material, the type and grit size of the abrasive and the bond type. Normal belts are up to 500 mm and broad belts over 500 mm wide. The size of wide belts generally reaches up to 3750 mm in width and 6000 mm in length.