Flap wheel

    Flap discs are used to conform and shape metal. They have densely layered abrasive cloth flaps that can shape certain metals while leaving a finished look. They are most commonly used in welding, machining, heavy-duty equipment, industrial maintenance, agriculture and food production.

    Flap wheels are similar to flap discs in that they shape metal, but flap wheels are designed to allow you to grind and finish hard-to-access areas such as the inside of pipes or tubes. Like discs, they come in a variety of sizes, grits, diameters and widths depending on the application.

    The advantages of a flapwheel over a traditional disk are twofold:

• The separate flaps each attack the workpiece surface at a slightly different angle, and this varies slightly with tool angle. This avoids the common problem with flat sheets, where they produce repeated identical scratches.

• Abrasive wear is distributed more evenly across the flaps, and through the length of each flap. Flaps wear from their outer ends and the sheet carrier cuts back as the abrasive coating is worn away. The wheel remains useful even as the flaps erode. Compared to flat sheets, that are discarded after only a small area of the abrasive is truly worn-out, this is a much more efficient use of the abrasive material.