Flap Wheels may be made with coated or nonwoven abrasives. The product category also encompasses convolute, laminated cotton, and unified wheels. Suitable for long-term use, flap wheels may wear down but new grains on the flaps would also be exposed.
Interleaf Flap Wheels consist of alternating flaps and may alternatively be called interleaved flap wheels. Such a product may have flaps of abrasive cloth coated with aluminum oxide alternating with medium-grit Bear-Tex material. This interleaf product would be less conformable than a standard Bear-Tex Flap Wheel but will remove more material.
As a highly conformable nonwoven surface-finishing product, Bear-Tex interleaf flap wheels have a cushioning action that makes them ideal for use on irregular or uneven surfaces, not to mention flat areas. Typical applications for these flap wheels include cleaning threaded parts, removing oxide from printed circuit boards, and de-glossing plastic parts. They can also give uniform finishes on aluminum, brass, and stainless steel.
Because interleaf flap wheels are used as finishing products, they are sometimes marketed as interleaf finishing flap brushes. A mandrel-mounted interleaved flap brush can produce consistently high-quality matte or satin finishes, whether on ferrous or nonferrous metals. Its nonwoven material is long-lasting and impregnated with abrasive grain throughout, to create a consistent finish in a wide variety of applications. Finishing flap brushes are fabricated from alternating strips of nonwoven and coated abrasive material that are closely packed and bonded radially to the core. The spindle allows for time-saving setup. Its applications are stain finishing, cleaning, blending, micro de-burring, and surface preparation.
A nonwoven interleaved cloth flap brush is perfect for use on steel, cast iron, stainless steel high alloys, aluminum, and nonferrous metal. It performs well on applications that require very light stock removal and finishing and is ideal for removing scratches, for light de-burring, and for blending. It is supposed to give a consistent finish all through its long life.
Convolute wheels and interleaf flap wheels should always run in the direction indicated by the arrow printed on the side of each of these wheels. This is to take advantage of the cloth flaps coated with abrasive. On the other hand, conventional flap wheels and unified wheels may be run in either direction.
Bear-Tex is used for interleaf flap wheels because it is a nonmetallic substance so it will not rust or contaminate your workpiece. It is considered an ideal replacement for steel wool.
The interleaf type of flap wheel is also available in spindle-mounted format. The design for interleaf flap wheels may have come about because of a need to cushion the abrasive flaps and allow for even smoother flap wheel operation.
