3M™ 266X Lapping Film Disc

3M Lapping Film 266X is a lapping abrasive film for high-precision finishing. It comes in five grades, from 30 µm to 0.3 µm, taking a surface from roughing to mirror polish with a single product family.

Specifications

• Backing: polyester film.
• Grades: 30, 12, 9, 3 and 0.3 µm.
• Formats: 203 mm disc, and standard format depending on the grade.

Why a grade in microns

Common abrasives are graded in P grits, from P40 to P2500. Beyond that, we no longer speak of grit but of particle size, expressed in microns. A 30 µm film already corresponds to fine sanding; a 0.3 µm film gives a surface that reflects like a mirror.

At these sizes, consistency is everything. A single out-of-size grain is enough to scratch an optical surface. That is the very purpose of lapping films: precisely sorted grains, evenly spread on a perfectly flat film.

A typical sequence

30 µm to shape and remove machining defects. 12 and 9 µm to refine. 3 µm to prepare for polishing. 0.3 µm for the final finish. Only move to the next grade once the scratch of the previous one has been completely removed.

Applications

Fibre optics, technical glass and ceramics, seal faces, cutting tools, metrology parts, metallographic preparation. The film is laid on a flat platen and work is usually done with a lubricant.

Cleanliness

Between two grades, clean the part, the platen and your hands. A 30 µm grain carried onto a 3 µm film ruins the finish in a single pass.

See also the 3M 265X lapping film, our micro-abrasive sheets and our 3M products.