Magnetic Pick Up Tool

Magnet tools are standard in many shops The tools range from magnet boards used to hold workpieces in place during various machining processes to lifting magnets that move heavy metal materials easily and safely. There is also the magnetic pickup tool. You can tell by the name, this type of magnet tool is used for picking up small metal parts. It can be very handy when working on components with limited access and tight spaces. Nuts, bolts, washers, bushings, and even other tools can fall through very tight spaces that cannot be reached by hand. With this tool, you don't have to disassemble an entire case to recover the dropped items.

The amount of weight the tool can pick up varies depending on the product. Some magnetic pickup tools have very high weight capacity and can carry over 7 kilograms. You should not always opt for the high-capacity tools. The reason for this is obvious.

When you are working with metal components all around, the high-capacity magnet will be very hard to control as it will attach to any metal surfaces nearby and becomes very hard to pull off due to the magnetic strength. It can pull off other metal components from their positions. It is better to use the magnetic pickup tool with just the right capacity.

Only Use Nylon Brush For Cleaning Diamond Grinding Wheels

Even fairly new diamond grinding wheels can suffer blunting due to glazing or grime buildup. Glazing is the result of using incorrect speed settings or incompatible work piece material that leads to over-generation of heat. The heat causes the metal binder to soften and move, covering the diamond abrasives. With the diamond abrasives unexposed, the grinding wheel loses its bite.  Grime buildup is caused by dust and filings grinded off from the work pieces that attaches to the surface of the grinding wheel. It has the same effect as glazing in which the diamond abrasives become covered. Unlike glazing, grime buildup is easier to fix. All you have to do is clean the grinding wheel which is a very straightforward task.

In cleaning, what you need is a mineral spirit, cloth, and brush. Soak the cloth with mineral spirit and wipe it on the grinding wheel. The mineral spirit will loosen up the grime. Just wiping with the cloth will remove 90 percent of the grime. For the remaining grime, you will need to use a brush.

In cleaning diamond grinding wheels, many make the mistake of using brass or steel brush. Either of the two does remove grime very quickly. However, the metal bristles of these brushes are too hard and can damage the grinding wheel. These brushes can cause premature wear of the grinding wheel. Use a nylon brush instead. It may not remove the grime as quick, but it helps protect the diamond grinding wheel. If the grime is hard to come out, you can just re-soak with the mineral spirit then brush it again.

Remember, only use a nylon brush for cleaning diamond grinding wheels.

Keeping Diamond Grinders On Point

Diamond grinding wheels and points are expensive pieces of equipment. Premature replacement can be quite costly. Keeping these tools in good condition is very important to minimize expenses and ensure that the tools can be depended on when needed.

Handling. Avoid having the diamond wheels or points from coming in contact with hard objects and surfaces, especially after use. The abrasive surface of the grinders get hot when in use. The heat can weaken the bonding material that holds the diamond grains together. This makes the grinding wheels or points more prone to breaking or deformation when in contact with hard surfaces. This is especially true for diamond grinding points that have narrow tips.

Storage. The tools must be stored in a location with humidity and temperature recommended by the manufacturer. Exposure to humidity and heat can cause the bonding material to deteriorate, causing the grinding wheels or points to wear faster when being used.

Cleaning. Particles from the work piece will cling onto the grinding surfaces. These particles can attract moisture or set off chemical reactions that can damage the diamond grains and the bonding material. Make sure to clean these particles off after using the grinder and once it cooled off.

Settings. Correct RPM settings help prevent overheating which can cause glazing which then renders the grinding surface inefficient or completely unable to cut.

Cleaning Up Aluminum Weld

Aluminum has low weight, high strength, excellent malleability, and great corrosion resistance. It makes great material for various applications. Aluminum components can be joined through welding. The weld beads can be cleaned up to tidy up the joints, improve or fix fitment issues, remove surface flaws that can weaken the bead, or prepare it for finishing.

There are various tools for cleaning aluminum weld. An already neat weld would only require a wire brush to remove surface bumps. Weld beads that are protruding too much can be fixed with diamond grinding wheels or grinding points.

The grinding wheels are used for smoothing flat and accessible joints like butt joints, edge joints, and even corner joints. The diamond grinding points are used for angled joints like lap joints and tee joints, or joints in tight spots that are impossible to reach with grinding wheels.

Why used diamond grinders? Diamond grinders provide the fastest and easiest way of cleaning up aluminum welds. The diamond abrasives used in grinders cuts into the aluminum weld material rather effortlessly. This allows the user to use the grinders without using so much strength for adding pressure, resulting to better control which ultimately leads to more precise work. Also, some aluminum welders use weld materials that are much stronger and harder than aluminum to produce very strong joints. In such cases, other grinder materials are unable or struggle with the cleaning up the beads.

Diamond Grinders

Grinding is a type of machining process that uses abrasive grains to remove material from the work piece. Abrasive grains are made into discs, wheels, or points mounted on a machine with a rotating motor. Together with the motor, the entire machine is called a grinding machine or grinder. The grinder can be a power tool or machine tool. A power grinder is operated by hand and portable. A machine grinder is a fixed structure with constraining mechanism that holds the work piece in place and guiding mechanism that moves the grinding discs, wheels, or points about. Grinders are used for various applications such as forming, sharpening, surface finishing, and deburring.

Between grinding discs, wheels, and points, the latter two are more similar to each other and makes use of actual grinding action in which material is grinded off from the work piece whereas grinding discs are primarily used for cutting apart work pieces.

The main difference between grinding wheels and grinding points is that grinding wheels are operated as machine tools while grinding points are operated with power tools.

Diamond is one of the hardest materials available. It can be grounded into tiny fragments that can be used as abrasives. Diamond grinding tools are excellent for working with raw materials that are too hard for traditional grinding tools.

Diamond grinding wheels and diamond grinding points provide faster processing. However, diamond is not an all-in-one solution for grinding. The tools cannot be used on steel and certain carbon-rich materials. Minerals on steel and steel alloys can react with the diamond particles. So does the carbon from the carbon-rich materials.

Diamond Grinding Wheels And Points

Grinding tools are essential to any work shop. Grinding wheels are used for producing pieces that have precise outer geometry and high quality finish. Grinding points are used for removing surface imperfections of interior surfaces. Both grinding wheels and points have functional surfaces covered with abrasive particles that removes materials off the work piece. As the grinding tools spin, these abrasive cut into the work piece and removes materials bit by bit to achieve the desired shape or finish. The type of abrasive material used on the grinding tools vary.

The hardness of diamond makes it an excellent choice for abrasives on grinding tools. Its hardness allows it to cut materials more efficiently than conventional tools. Diamond grinding wheels and points are used for working on materials like carbide alloys, hard and abrasive non-metallic materials, and non-ferrous metals.

Diamond tools are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Using them properly is essential to keeping them in good working conditions. The right speed, pressure, and suitable work piece materials are required to prevent the tools from getting damaged. Take diamond grinding points for example, using too much pressure can cause the pointed tip to break. Using the wrong speed setting can cause the functional surface to overheat and cause glazing which renders the tool useless or inefficient at cutting. Diamond tools are not ideal to be used for steel as carbon from the diamond can react with the elements found in most steels and steel alloys.

Disc Brakes On Trucks

The use of disc brakes on trucks is fairly new. Do not get me wrong. The technology has been around for a quite some time. Despite the high expectations when the technology was first introduced, it has not been received well by truck operators. It is unlike the air suspension truck which, despite early skepticism, has continued to grown in number.

Due to the amount of energy involved in stopping or slowing a large vehicles, the brakes are exposed to some very damaging forces. This is the reason why despite new regulations regarding stopping distances that should have propelled disc brakes as the preferred braking system, many truck operators still use drum brakes due to their ability to withstand braking forces.

Due to the few number of trucks using discs brakes, there are also fewer resources that operators can rely on for important information regarding maintenance practices. The upkeep for disc brakes for smaller vehicles like cars and for large trucks is very different. Truck parts tend to require more frequent replacements. As already mentioned, the amount of forces that truck brakes are exposed to are vastly greater than that of the cars. There is also the fact that trucks tend to travel longer distances. In cars, it would be possible to remanufacture worn components while truck brakes tend to require replacement.