Abstract

The term “abrasives” applies to articles and processes that are involved in removal or refinement of a workpiece surface. Abrasive articles are used in a plethora of different processes including: metal de-gating, grinding, shaping, cutting, deburring, finishing, sanding, cleaning, polishing and planarizing. Today abrasive articles are employed in some aspect in most manufactured goods sold. There are four major forms of abrasive articles. Bonded abrasives are three dimensional composite of abrasive grains dispersed in a bond system; one popular form is a grinding wheel. Coated abrasives are described as a plurality of abrasive grains bonded to a backing. Non-woven abrasives comprise a plurality of abrasive grains bonded into and onto a porous non-woven substrate. Loose abrasive slurries comprise a plurality of abrasive grains dispersed in a liquid medium (e.g. water) and are employed in polishing applications to achieve a very fine surface finish. These abrasive articles rely on a broad range of technologies including ceramics, inorganic chemistry, paper, textiles, organic chemistry, polymer science, surface chemistry and related process technologies. As these technologies have grown, so has the advancement of abrasive technologies to create abrasive articles with even higher efficiencies.