Brushing of Inox steel
Brushing of Inox steel, also called „polishing“ or „finishing“ is a surface treatment having spread during the last years, mainly caused by the increased use of Inox steel in various fields of the building industry (cladding panels, decorations, stairs, hand rails etc.).
Two main kinds of surfaces are to be found: the so called “mirror-bright”-polishing – not being subject of this essay – and a kind of brushing, also called “dimming” or “finishing”.
The meaning is a line finishing, which is achieved by use of abrasive tools made of non-woven material (“abrasive fleece”) in various versions, differing from each other by shape, dimension etc., e.g. as shaft mounted tools of smaller sizes or as finishing wheels with diameters between 100mm and 400mm in various widths.
In most cases the surface will be “prepared” by finishing tools consisting of combined flaps made of cloth and abrasive fleece. Such tools allow a rougher abrasive process and have the ability of a sort of light deburring, before tools consisting of abrasive fleece only – available in various hardness – are used to create the final surface desired.
The customer is the one deciding on the kind of surface required and depending on this the said tools made of fleece of various hardness (“coarse” up to “very fine”) are applicable. In any case: as long as Inox steel is concerned, abrasive fleece containing Aluminiumoxyde is required. Abrasive fleece containing Silicon carbide is much less applicable due to small ferrous particles very often being included. Such ferrous particles can be transported into the surface during the abrasive process and suddenly rust will be found on the surface of the Inox steel……
