VIDEO: 3M Random Orbital Sanding Basics: Random Orbital Disc Selection

Hi, I'm Dan with 3M. In this video, I'm going to talk about random orbital disc selection.  One of the first factors in selecting your abrasive disc is the backing. We offer three different types of backings. Paper, film, and cloth. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Paper backings are probably the most common. Paper backing products tend to be the lowest cost products and are very good general-purpose products. Where they fall a little bit short sometimes is in the durability. The paper simply isn't as durable as what the film or the cloth would be. The film products are also a very good general-purpose product. The film backing lends more durability than paper, but maybe not as much durability as cloth. It is a very flat surface to apply the mineral to so it is very well known for having very consistent finishes. Oftentimes, if you have a P 1200 to P 1500, it is going to be on a film backing simply because we can take advantage of that consistent finish. Lastly is the cloth back products.  These products are intended for heavy-duty use because the cloth backing itself tends to be quite durable. It oftentimes is used in your 36 through 80 grit range of grades and is also used in the more demanding types of applications:  if you're running over sharp edges or something of that nature. Where you need the durability, choose the cloth discs. The next factor in selecting your abrasive disc is choosing the attachment type. We have two options. We have a Hookit attachment system, which is a standard hook- and-loop attachment system. And we have a Stikit attachment system, which is your pressure-sensitive or PSA adhesive type of attachment system. The hook and loop is pretty straightforward.  I like to recommend this one in applications where customers will be using that disc over again. If you're switching from grade to grade through a sequence and you haven't worn that abrasive disc out, you can take it off and reuse it. Discs with a Stikit attachment come in two different forms. They come in a tab liner and a Stikit discs roll. The tab liner has the liner that peels off the back and we just apply that directly. I like to put a little pressure on it to make sure it sticks. Stikit disc rolls are attached in the very same way. They just come off the roll.  They will sometimes have a little curl to them. The Stikit attachment system has its advantages because it is very flat. It doesn't have the cushion associated with the hook-and-loop type of attachment system. This tends to leave us with a very flat finish and a very consistent finish. The next factor in selecting your abrasive discs is to determine whether or not you want dust collection. If you are using one of our Non-Vacuum tools, obviously we would recommend the No Hole products. If you want to collect dust either using our Central Vacuum tool or our Self-Generated Vacuum tool, we have two different hole pattern options. One is our dust free. It's a five hole on a five inch or a six hole on a six inch. The other is our clean sand hole pattern. The clean sand hole pattern is very easy to use. It doesn't require hole alignment. You simply place it on the backup pad just the same as you would with a No Hole Disc. To use our dust-free products, it is important for you to line up the dust collection holes with the holes on the backup pad in order to have the most effective dust collection. If you have additional questions on this topic, please reach out to your local 3M sales representative. Thank you for watching.