Collection: Fiber Disc

The fibre disc is the heavy-duty disc of the angle grinder. Its thick, rigid vulcanised fibre backing withstands pressure that neither paper nor cloth could take, which makes it the tool for fettling, levelling weld beads and roughing on steel.

The 8 references in the catalogue

• Precision-shaped ceramic grain: 3M Cubitron 3 1182C and 1187C, 3M Cubitron II 982C and 987C, VSM ACTIROX AF799.
• Ceramic and zirconia grain: 3M 782C and 787C, VSM XF870.

See also our flap discs and our bonded abrasive discs.

Why shaped grain changes the calculation

A conventional grain is a randomly shaped fragment. It attacks with its edges, dulls, then rubs instead of cutting. The operator presses harder, the part heats up and the disc ends its life polishing.

A precision-shaped ceramic grain is formed into identical micro-triangles. It enters the material with a point, fractures predictably and presents a new point. The disc therefore cuts from start to finish, at constant pressure.

Two measurable consequences in the workshop. The part heats less, which matters on stainless steel where heat discolours and distorts. And operator time falls, because fewer passes and fewer disc changes are needed. It is this item, not the price of the disc, that decides profitability.

The backing pad is not an accessory

A fibre disc must be mounted on a backing pad, never directly on the guard. The pad gives the disc its working rigidity and spreads the load.

A worn, warped pad, or one smaller in diameter than the disc, leaves the disc edge working without support. It then tears in use. Check that the pad extends a few millimetres to the useful edge and replace it as soon as it becomes hollow.

The angle of attack

A fibre disc works at about fifteen to twenty-five degrees to the part. Flat, it sands with its whole surface, heats up and clogs. Tilted too far, it attacks with its edge, digs a groove and wears out in seconds.