Merit’s resin fiber discs are made with aluminum oxide grain and manufactured with specially formulated bonding resins to minimize loading, glazing, and grain stripping. Aluminum oxide discs are an economical choice for general-purpose operations, such as removing welds and imperfections.

Coated abrasives have individual abrasive grains spaced at a predetermined distance from one another. This is a closed-coat disc. A closed coat covers 100 percent of the surface with abrasive grains, for more stiffness and better surface finish than an equivalent open coat, where abrasive grit covers 50 to 70 percent of the surface. This disc features a resin bond. Resin bonds have good moisture resistance, are harder and less flexible than glue bonds, and have good heat resistance and grain retention. Resin bonds are useful for abrasive operations with high operating speeds, impact, and sudden loading, as the resin bond is strong. This disc is suitable for use with a die grinder. Use with molded-rubber backing pads. Use a hard pad for aggressive cutting, a medium pad for general-purpose applications, or a soft pad for contours and fine finishing work. Loading is where debris gets stuck between the individual abrasive grains, and reduces disc performance by blocking exit paths for the chips (also called swarf) of removed material. Glazing is when the disc becomes smooth and glassy, or shiny, and does not cut as well. Glazing is due to heat from grinding reacting with the loaded disc, and is undesirable because disc surface roughness is necessary to grind away material. Grain stripping is when the abrasive grains are pulled from the disc itself, and is undesirable because the surface finish becomes rougher due to the missing grains.

Aluminum oxide is a widely used and versatile abrasive material. It is a tough, fracture- and wear-resistant grit that works well with a broad range of materials, from metals to wood. Aluminum oxide is more durable than silicon carbide and often used for material removal and finishing.

Abrasives are used for a variety of applications from shaping a part to fine finishing, depending on the grit size. Low grit numbers like 40 are coarse and are used for removing excess material and shaping a part. High grit numbers like 400 are fine and help to create a smooth surface finish.

Merit Abrasives has been manufacturing abrasives for the deburring and finishing industries since 1945, and pride themselves on their quality and focus on service. Saint-Gobain owns Merit, and has been recognized as a Global 100 Sustainable Company. Saint-Gobain has also earned ISO 9000 and 14001 certification for quality and environmental management standards.