Belt grinding removes metal using an electric belt grinder, while belt sanding is for wood and lighter materials. Wide-belt grinding is common and uses a conveyor system, while backstand belt sanders work well for small pieces. Bench grinders use circular wheels for abrasive or wire finishing.
Belt grinding is the process of removing material from a piece of metal using a belt grinder, an electric machine that rotates a belt around two or more pulleys. Belt sanding is similar to the belt sanding process, and the machines often look very similar. The crucial difference is that belt sanding is done on metal, while belt sanding is done on wood and other lighter materials. This process can be done in several ways and each way will have its advantages and disadvantages. The amount of material removed from a piece will depend on the method used.
Wide-belt grinding is one of the most common grinding methods available. This process often involves the use of a conveyor system that pulls the piece of metal to be ground past two or more sanding belts. The amount of material removed from the workpiece can be dictated by many factors, including the type of belt, belt speed, distance between the belt and the workpiece, and the metal being ground. The first tape in the system is usually the coarsest and is designed to remove the most material. Belts placed after the first will become increasingly less rough to remove less material and provide a smoother finish.
A backstand belt sander is another common tool used for belt sanding and works especially well for small pieces of metal. The belt itself is positioned behind a platform upon which the metal piece can be secured or stabilized, and a pulley, the top pulley, is mounted at a 45-degree angle from the bottom, largest pulley. The larger pulley rotates very close to the stabilizing platform so the user can press the metal against the belt that rotates around the large pulley. Such grinders are often equipped with plexiglass shields that can be lowered over the workpiece during the belt grinding process to prevent debris and sparks from contacting the eyes and face.
A tool very similar to a belt sander is a bench grinder, which is a much smaller unit mounted on a bench or other solid surface. A bench grinder uses circular wheels instead of belts; the wheels are interchangeable, and the two most commonly used wheels are abrasive wheels and wire wheels. The abrasive wheel removes a significant amount of material when a workpiece is pressed against it, while a wire wheel will remove less material and provide a better finish.
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