VIDEO: Contact Wheel Performance Test with 3M Abrasive Belts

Hi, I'm TJ with 3M Abrasives. Today I'm going to show you how the contact wheel can affect the performance of your abrasive belt. Here we have two different contact wheels that we'll use to grind on carbon steel on our back stand machine. We're going to test to see which one performs better. This one is a durometer of 50 with no serration. This second contact wheel has a 1:1 serration and a firm rubber of 90 durometer.

We'll be using our 3M Cubitron II Cloth Belt 984 F 36 Plus and we'll have our machine set at 1900 RPM or 7000 surface feet per minute, which is optimum for grinding on carbon steel. Before we start grinding, let's make sure we put on our safety gear. First want to have our eye protection, then our hearing protection, a good pair of safety gloves and a 3M safety respirator. Now let's go to the back stand and start grinding.

I started with a smooth 50 durometer contact wheel and ground the carbon steel for a total of four minutes. [Music] The bar weighed 1724 grams and now weighs 1307 after grinding, a total of 417 grams of metal were removed.

Now I'm grinding the new carbon steel bar on a fresh belt with a 90 durometer contact wheel. In addition to being firmer, this contact wheel is serrated. The serration doubles the unit pressure which helps keep the mineral sharp and fresh, improving the cut rate and life of the belt. [Music] This bar weighed 1723 grams and now weighs 1239 grams after four minutes of grinding, a total of 484 grams removed compared to 417 with a smooth, softer contact wheel. The difference is clear after only four minutes of grinding and it will only become more dramatic over time.

If you consistently use the wrong contact wheel in your shop, it could be costing you a lot of time and money. If you're doing heavier grinding like I just did, you want to select a firmer contact wheel. For lighter pressure applications like finishing and polishing, a softer contact wheel will do the trick. Now you've seen how important it is to choose the right contact wheel for your application. Even if you're using the right belt, your contact wheel could be holding you back. Thanks for watching.