Saint-Gobain Abrasives recently introduced its newly upgraded Norton BlueFire abrasives. This new line includes belts, cloth quick-change and flap discs, and mini-flap discs.

Featuring a proprietary self-sharpening zirconia alumina grain shape and chemistry and an upgraded resin bond for faster cut rates and durability, the new BlueFire R860 and R887D products provide strong performance on a wide range of materials in light to heavy-pressure applications, according to the company. An improved, heavy-duty polyester backing is designed for long life and will withstand challenging applications.

In addition to metal fabrication and welding, the new Norton BlueFire abrasive products are well-suited for key industries such as foundry, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, wind turbines, and general metalworking.

“Users have experienced over 50-percent performance improvement and faster cut rate in the newly upgraded Norton BlueFire line, compared with other zirconia alumina products,” said Patrick Carroll, senior product manager for BlueFire R860.

“For applications in stainless steel and other hard-to-grind materials, BlueFire 887D discs and belts offer long abrasives life due to a supersized grinding aid,” said John Benkoczy, senior product manager for BlueFire R887D. “Also, heavy grinding can be performed without worry of delamination, because the strong polyester quick-change disc backing stands up to extreme pressure.”

According to the company, features of each upgraded line include:

• Norton BlueFire R860 Flap Discs are over graded, acting coarser for fast and smooth metal removal. The easily trimmable, flexible plastic back discs are conformable and require less pressure at peak performance. The discs are especially well-suited for stock removal, weld blending, deburring/ deflashing, blending/finishing and edge chamfering applications.
• Norton BlueFire R860 Cloth Quick-Change Discs have an improved base adhesion, which reduces grain shedding and minimizes loading on soft metals such as aluminum, brass, and bronze, as well as stainless and carbon steels. Moderate grinding, beveling, blending, and finishing are key applications for these new discs.
• Norton BlueFire Mini Flap Discs are an ideal complement to Norton’s mini grinder, designed answer a need for smaller, ergonomically-friendly tools. These discs feature durable, Y-weight polyester flaps that improve life, grain retention, and fray resistance. The mini-flap discs wear away evenly and produce an aggressive cutting action while providing blending capabilities. Key applications include stock removal, deburring/deflashing, blending/finishing, edge chamfering, and weld blending.

Norton BlueFire R887D

• Norton BlueFire R887D Belts feature a supersized grinding aid for cooler cuts and minimized loading, resulting in longer life on stainless steel and other harder-to-grind materials. The improved base adhesion reduces grain shedding, and is described as ideal for stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, tool steel, and brass/bronze materials.
• Norton BlueFire R887D Cloth Quick-Change Discs have the same features and benefits of the R860 quick-change discs along with a supersized grinding aid for cooler cuts and minimized loading. According to the manufacturer, this results in longer life on stainless steel and other harder-to-grind materials. In addition to metal fabrication and welding, these discs are ideal for heavy grinding in challenging applications found in industries such as aerospace, wind turbines, and oil and gas.

For more information, contact: Saint-Gobain Abrasives, (518) 266-2227, www.nortonabrasives.com