Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
(OP)
Dear All, 
We are buying belt sanders from a factory (we are a trading company), but in tests we have had done, the grinding belt wears off quickly.
The test report states that this is because the pulley is smaller than the grinding belt.
Besides changing the pulley, are there other ways to improve the wear and tear of the grinding belt?
Cheers,
GM

We are buying belt sanders from a factory (we are a trading company), but in tests we have had done, the grinding belt wears off quickly.
The test report states that this is because the pulley is smaller than the grinding belt.
Besides changing the pulley, are there other ways to improve the wear and tear of the grinding belt?
Cheers,
GM





RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
What you have described is a Belt Sander. To really understand why it is wearing out so fast we need to know what you are sanding on it. If you are using it to sand metals, yes the belt will wear very quickly. The principle behind the belt is that particles of abrasive are attached to the backing with an adhesive. When you sand something with the belt the particles are knocked off as the rub against the part.
To know if there is a way to improve this we would need to know the material you are sanding and what your definition of "belts wearing off quickly".
HTH
Alan M. Etzkorn

Product Engineer
Nixon Tool Co.
www.nixontool.com
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
The material that is sanded is steel. The reason I'm saying that it wears off quickly is because we use a reputable testing lab to test them. They tell us that the grinding belts wear off quickly.
Cheers,
GM
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
I have the same problems as an end user. I believe there is a woven, stainless steel, mesh belt which replaces the normal grit on cloth type of belt & is almost indestructable. I have not been able to find a supplier yet, can anybody help?
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
answers to your problems you might
be more specific as to drum size,
drum material, the belt width,
the rpm, grit size, type of belt,
etc. of what you are using,
and also the hardness of the material
you are sanding or polishing.
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
Any other opinions on this?
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
A thinner belt thickness [belt/binder/substrate] would have less relative "fibre" stretch as it goes around the rolls. Or a more flexible binder.
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
From my limited experience with abrasives I've seen three basic failure modes: The grit fills up with ground material, The abrasive bonding breaks down, or the abrasive loses it's cutting edges. From your description, it sounds like it is the bond breaking down and allowing the particles to come off the belt.
Each of the failure modes has its' own causes and remedies so it pays to know which one is active.
When you say "pulley" do you mean the drum around which the belt moves or do you mean the pulley that drives the drum around which the belt turns?
Speed in surface feet per minute, pressure of the work against the belt, orientation of the work all play a significant role in performance of any abrasive. Anything that generates excess heat is undesirable and reduces life.
To answer your question, yes there are a lot of things you can do.
Griffy
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
Alan L. Bass, toolmaker
RE: Belt sander grinding belt wears off quickly
I've machined gray iron castings removing .060 stock per pass with an abrasive belt machine and I've deslagged plasma cut parts and hand ground welds and prepped for paint.