Finishing Compounds

Finishing compounds are used to improve surface finish or flatness. They consist of fine abrasives in slurry, bar, powder or paste form. There are many different types of finishing compounds. Examples include buffing compounds, plastic buffing compounds, and metal buffing compounds; lapping compounds, valve lapping compounds, and specialty lapping compounds; and polishing compounds, stainless steel polishing compounds, and cultured marble polishing compounds. Other types of finishing compounds are also available.

Finishing compounds may be specific to a particular machine or type of machine. For example, honing machines use specific abrasives to correct the geometry and alignment of machined holes. To create a very smooth or flat surface with an extremely fine finish, lapping and polishing machines also use finishing compounds. Parts are processed between one or two large flat plates. Typically, one plate is stationary while the other rotates. Finishing compounds for machines that use a stone or stones with very fine grit to produce surfaces with a very fine surface are also available.

Finishing compounds include extremely fine-grit slurries that are used to manufacture precision spherical shapes for ball bearings. They are used with impregnated cloths and ropes, as well as for metal polishing, concrete polishing, and even sharpening metal blades. Finishing compounds include crystalline powders for general polishing and lapping applications, synthetic and natural compounds for water-soluble or oil-soluble lapping machines, slurries and suspensions that are specially designed for providing superior finishes, and polishing fabrics or pads. Typically, polishing pads are used on hard surfaces such as ceramic and optical glass.

Finishing compounds for metal polishing are sometimes called rouges. These products come in different colors and differ in terms of abrasiveness. Metal polishing compounds are developed for use on specific ferrous, non-ferrous, or precious metals. Stainless steel finishing compounds are also available. Concrete polishing compounds are used with specialized floor sanding equipment. These concrete sanders are fitted with a series of diamond-impregnated disks that gradually sand the surface of the concrete to a smooth finish. Commercially, finishing compounds for restoring antiques or sharpening cutlery are commonly available; however, these products may not be suitable for industrial applications.

• Fluids for Tumbling Burnishing Deburring Applications
  Burnishing, deburring and tumbling are specific applications that fall under the broad term mass finishing. Mass finishing refers to a varied group of surface conditioning processes used in...
  (read more)
• ABS/SAN
  ABS resins are hard, rigid, and tough, even at low temperatures. They consist of particles of a rubberlike toughener suspended in a continuous phase of styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer. Various...
  (read more)
• High-dazzle coatings at low temperatures
  Temperature-sensitive parts that can't stand a lot of heat are now fair game for high-performance coatings. Vapor-deposition processes let designers apply finishes that are both functional and...
  (read more)

Pages: 1 - 3 of 71

Part Numbers for Finishing Compounds