|
Particle Size Range
Micron |
Particle Shape |
Hardness
(Mohs’) |
|
Aluminum Oxide is the most commonly used cutting abrasive. The shape and hardness of the particle make it an excellent choice when working with metals or hard, brittle parts. Common uses for aluminum oxide include cutting, deburring and the preparation of surfaces. |
10-150 |
Blocky & Sharp |
9 |
|
Crushed Glass is manufactured by crushing glass beads. The result is a mild abrasive media that’s used where only a light degree of abrading is desired. |
50 |
Blocky & Sharp |
Between 5 and 6 |
|
Glass Bead is commonly used where the preservation of tight tolerances is critical combined with the need to relieve stresses. It is also used to perform light deburring or to apply a satin-like finish on the part. The spherical shape of the glass bead keep it from cutting into the surface of the part so it’s commonly used t relieve stresses by “pounding” the part’s surface. |
35 - 50 |
Spherical |
6 |
|
Plastic Media is obtained by grinding and carefully sizing recycled plastic. It has assize similar to that of walnut shell. Its size makes it an effective tool to deburr machined parts without causing dimensional changes. Plastic can also be used to remove conformal coatings |
200 |
Blocky |
Between 2 and 4 |
|
Silicon Carbide is one of the most aggressive media used for micro-abrasive blasting. Its hardness is nearly that of diamond. This media is typically used only where very fast material removal is a requirement. Silicon carbide is an excellent abrasive for deburring stainless steel and titanium parts. |
20 - 50 |
Blocky & Sharp |
9+ |
|
Sodium Bicarbonate is one of the softest abrasives available, but the particles’ needle-like or “monoclinic” shape makes it an excellent choice for abrading more pliable materials. The particles cut through soft surfaces where a blockier particle would tend to bounce off. It is commonly used to selectively remove coatings on circuit boards without damaging components. |
50 |
Monoclinic |
Between 3 and 4 |
|
Walnut Shell is manufactured by grinding nut shells. It has a much larger size than sodium bicarbonate, but is also used to remove (polymer) coatings from circuit boards. It’s also used to deflash plastic parts. |
250 |
Blocky |
Between 3 and 4 |
