Flap Wheels are available as mounted or un-mounted products. Mounted wheels are generally 3” or less in diameter and are used on portable tools. Unmounted wheels are 4” and larger in diameter and the larger wheels are used on stationary tools. A flap disc is used for more cutting applications.
Flap Wheels are designed for light finishing, deburring and flash removal. The flap design allows the wheel to contour around the work piece and smooth the surface. As the flap wears away new abrasive grain is exposed and the wheel continues to cut.
Flap Wheel Performance
Mounted wheels are available with a ⅛” or ¼” straight shank or a ¼-20 male threaded shank. The ⅛” shank is used in the mold and die industry for precision work with MFW in the diameter range 3/8” to 1 3/16”. ¼” straight shank and a ¼-20 threaded shanks are the most common shanks for general usage
Unmounted Flap Wheels
Unmounted wheels have the same arrangement of flaps radiating outwards from a central core. UMFW have an arbor hole and are mounted onto a spindle with flanges. UNFW can be as wide as 16” diameter with a face width of 4”.
Abrasive Material
The pressure used in grinding and finishing with a flap wheel does not justify ceramic or zirconia grain as no increase in performance would be seen. As such nearly all Flap wheels are X-weight aluminum oxide cotton cloth. Exceptions to this would be J weight cloth for increased flexibility and silicon carbide for special applications such as aerospace. Aeronautical engineers do not use recommend AO products due the high iron content in the mineral. If used on aero part the iron could contaminate the metal and become the source for crack to propagate under high stress conditions.
Non-wovens are typically used in flap wheel form to impart a brushed or satin finish. Combination wheels of coated abrasive and non-woven are also used as a slightly more aggressive version than a 100% nonwoven wheel.
Our product is made of 100% X-Flexed Egyptian cotton, as well giving a balanced construction which brings the wheels resilience to pressure at a high RPM. Flap wheels are very effective at blending, finishing, cleaning and deburring on very tight areas and threads.
