Use of Pneumatics in the Abrasives Industry

Currently, China's abrasives industry is at a low development stage where abrasives companies produce low-end products and compete with one another by lower price. The products' technological content and added value are low, even if abrasives products that have been exported in bulk are simply inexpensive raw materials produced at low labor costs. To change the current situation of China's abrasives industry, the breakthrough point is abrasives automation, depend on which abrasives companies can reduce manufacture costs, improve production efficiency and products quality. Pneumatics plays a significant role in automatics and will make great contributions to the development of China's abrasives industry.

1. Pneumatics

Pneumatics is a section of technology that deals with the study and application of pressurized gas to produce mechanical motion. Pneumatic systems used extensively in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. Pneumatics also has applications in dentistry, construction, mining, and other areas.

Advantages of Pneumatics

Simplicity of design and control - Machines are easily designed using standard cylinders and other components, and operate via simple on-off control.

Reliability - Pneumatic systems generally have long operating lives and require little maintenance. Because gas is compressible, equipment is less subject to shock damage. Gas absorbs excessive force, whereas fluid in hydraulics directly transfers force. Compressed gas can be stored, so machines still run for a while if electrical power is lost.

Safety - There is a very low chance of fire compared to hydraulic oil. Newer machines are usually overload safe.

2. Manufacture Process of Abrasives

Formula

Abrasives products include the proportion of abrasives, bonding agents, and additional materials as well as the density of abrasives products. Formula is an important technical data in abrasives products manufacture. It is the base for dosing, mixing, and shaping design. In view of the usage of abrasives products, formula decides basically the performance of abrasives products.

Dosing

Dosing is the first procedure of abrasives products manufacturing. Certain quantity of abrasives should be weighed according to standard, put them into containers and sent to mixing workshop. Bonding agents and additional materials will be weighed when mixing.

Mixing

Mix abrasives, wetting agents, bonding agents, and filling by mechanical rabbling in order to make the materials evenly distributed on the abrasives.

Cold Storage

After mixing, abrasives compression molding forming will not be conducted instantly. They should be cold storied based on different formula.

Abrasives Products Hardening

Resin abrasive products will go through furnace run, after which their shape will be fixed, and become abrasives products or semi-finished products with certain hardness, intensity, and heat resistance. The process is hardening.

Mechanical Treatment

The aim of mechanical treatment is to make abrasives products' surface flat with adequate sizes and shapes. Finished product checking includes the appearance, balance, intensity, and hardness. When all the conditions are up to standard, the products can be packed.

3. Use of Pneumatics in Abrasives Automatic Production

Pneumatics can replace manual operation in various procedures of abrasives and abrasives manufacture process. It can improve product quality and production efficiency.

Pneumatics can replace labor in formula. After grinding wheels are shaped, labor force can no longer carry them. So pneumatics can be used to achieve automatic transport. During the shaping of resin cutting discs, most parts use assembly lines that take intensive labor force. Now pneumatics can be employed to replace labor force. The packing of cutting discs also use pneumatics.

Currently, China's resin abrasives products production equipment is old-fashioned, labor intensive production modes are widely spread all over the country. Large amount of labor force is occupied, and the production efficiency is low. Therefore, automatic production is essential. Pneumatics is helpful in improving the production efficiency and saving costs. It is of great significance to the rapid development of China's abrasives industry.

Author: Liwei Chu
Copyright: iAbrasive.com--Abrasives & Diamond Tools Market