Polishing Compounds & Slurries for Industrial Finishing
There is no such thing as a universal abrasive for industrial finishing applications. Process engineers must pay holistic attention to the finest details when selecting the right polishing compound or slurry for a given application. Finding appropriate off-the-shelf solutions can subsequently be challenging.
Finding the Right Industrial Finishing Solution
Hard-wearing workpieces may demand a certain class of particle that is incompatible with your toolset, resulting in rapid degradation and high maintenance requirements. Others may demand corrosion-inhibiting lubricants to prevent chemical reactions that would be detrimental to end-product performance. Most manufacturers subsequently market their industrial finishing compounds and slurries on an application-first basis, e.g., Slurries for hard disk drives (HDDs), electronic substrates, and so on.
At Saint-Gobain Surface Conditioning, we base all our industrial finishing products on a foundation of materials expertise. Our primary focus is how to deliver polishing and finishing solutions that provide a superior finish in the shortest possible timeframe.
Although all industrial finishing processes vary, quality and efficiency are two key metrics that span the entire spectrum of industrial polishing applications. This empowers us to supply precision abrasive particles that are compatible with a choice of value-added chemistry formula base.
Here we will outline a selection of diamond-based compounds geared towards complex industrial finishing applications for molds, tools and dies.
Amplex® Compounds for Industrial Finishing
The Amplex® Superabrasives line covers a range of precision-graded diamond compounds designed with unerring control of the powder’s particle size distribution (PSD), yielding an exceptional surface finish with minimal scratching. This is ideal for polishing a wide range of materials including exotic alloys, hard metals, technical ceramics, glass, and more. As mentioned, however, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for industrial finishing.
Our Amplex® range has been developed and expanded based on extensive research and development (R&D). We can now offer diamond-based finishing compounds in three main formats: water based paste, oil based paste, and flowable compounds.
Water Soluble Compounds
Our water based compounds is WS. It comprises precision PSD diamond powders that are completely dispersed in formulation of synthetic lubricants and surfactants that enhance water solubility. This makes it ideal for high-precision wire die and mold polishing.
Oil Soluble Compounds
Based on the same repeatable and reproducible quality as our water soluble compounds, oil soluble Amplex® provide rapid rates of material removal with a high quality surface finish. Available as OS these homogenous dispersions are highly effective at planarizing metallic surfaces and hard ceramic workpieces.
Flowable Compounds
Our new product, Crsytal compounds are designed based on the needs on ease of handling and application on the part surface. We keep this mission in mind and develop a less viscous and flowable formula. It is pre-thinned and flowable to enable even film coverage to create the perfect surfaces. This is specially useful for mold or tool surface finishing when the profile of the parts is complex with certain areas hard to reach with conventional diamond paste compounds.
By leveraging our experience in materials science and particle engineering with a customer-first approach to product engineering, the team at Saint-Gobain Surface Conditioning has developed a suite of polishing compounds that simplify the buying process for prospective customers. Want to learn more about our industrial finishing compounds? Contact a member of the Saint-Gobain team today.