Standard Abrasives™ Aluminum Oxide Flap Wheel, 681410, 180, 8 in x 1 in x 1 in, 5 ea/Case

A flap wheel is a useful tool for cleaning up burrs and parting lines on radiused or specially shaped parts where coated discs are not conformable enough or do not have the necessary reach. 3M offers the Standard Abrasives™ Aluminum Oxide Flap Wheel in smaller diameters for attachment to hand-held tools, and larger diameters for off-hand applications. A broad selection of grades is available to deburr edges, remove flash and parting lines, blend machine marks, apply a linear scratch pattern, or provide light blending, cleaning, or polishing.

Compared with non-woven products, flap wheels offer a more aggressive cut for cleaning or finishing. If a silicon carbide product is preferred for finishing applications, consider our Standard Abrasives™ Silicon Carbide Flap Wheel, available in 1-3˝ diameters (sold separately). When a job requires even more flexibility for improved finishing, or to reduce dust, use a Standard Abrasives™ Flexible Flap Wheel (sold separately), which has flaps with increased flexibility and a slight radius to the flaps.

Some tools may require an additional reducer bushing or adapter for wheel attachment.

The flap wheels with smaller diameters provide access to smaller and harder-to-access inner radiuses or contours on irregular parts. These flap wheels are especially useful for cleaning or deburring the insides of tubing. For these smaller areas, flap wheels provide a softer touch than rolls or bands, which are suitable when more aggressive material removal is required.

The smaller wheels are 1-3˝ in diameter have a 1/4˝ steel mandrel or a 1/4˝-20 threaded steel shank to enable fast yet secure product change outs. In each case, the steel attachment runs the full width of the wheel center, reducing chatter in the rotation. As a result, a smoother finish can be achieved, and the operator maintains greater control of the tool with less pressure, increasing productivity.

For larger hand tools or off-hand applications, 3M provides flap wheels in diameters from 3-1/2˝ to 8˝ with 1˝ or 2˝ widths. These sizes have a 5/8˝ or 1˝ center hole compatible with larger tool arbors. The larger wheels contain more flaps per wheel for faster cutting, increased productivity, and longer life.

Aluminum oxide is a popular choice among industrial professionals because of its versatility on different surfaces, fast cut-rate, and long life. It is a tough, durable abrasive that self-fractures to expose fresh cutting edges in use, whereas traditional abrasives such as garnet quickly wear down with use. Aluminum oxide mineral is suitable for a wide variety of materials, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

The Standard Abrasives brand has supplied quality abrasives to the metalworking industry for over 50 years. Customers rely on 3M's broad offering of high-performance products, including coated, bonded, and non-woven abrasive lines.