VSM International Abrasives Day | 29 March 2023 | Imagine a world without abrasives

A world without abrasives would be pretty rough!

Bacteria in your milk, small cuts from your smartphone or crushed tomatoes. This is what our everyday life would be like without abrasives. That doesn't sound too pleasant, does it? Containers in the food industry are ground, just like smartphone surfaces or knife blades. The list is endless. Abrasives not only make our everyday lives smoother, but also safer.

Celebrating abrasives and grinding professionals

VSM AG launched the first International Abrasives Day on 29 March 2023 to draw attention to precisely these processes. Without modern abrasives, a world away from sandpaper from DIY stores, and the right professionals in the companies, many industrial processes would not even be possible. So on International Abrasives Day, we are celebrating abrasives and grinding professionals alike, and their significant contribution to so many industrial production processes.

Ridged, rough and dull

True to this year’s motto “Imagine a world without abrasives”, we will show you what a world like this would look like in March. - Ridged, rough and dull would be the nicest adjectives. Stay tuned and check out our LinkedIn channel.

International Abrasives Day 2023 | Imagine a world without abrasives

Abrasives in use: Making everyday life smoother and safer

Cutting instead of pressing: Sharp-edged scissors and knives

Knives and scissors are utensils that lose their sharpness due to their use. However, if they have become blunt, you needn't throw them away. With backstand grinding, for example, they are processed with ceramic grain abrasives and quickly regain their sharpness. Wooden or plastic handles are also shaped with abrasives on a flexible surface.

Product recommendations for grinding knives

XK870X – VSM CERAMICS
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS
CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN
KK841F – VSM ALUMINUM OXIDE

Grinding of motor housings, gear boxes and suspension parts

The car: Means of transport, luxury item, work tool

Everyone has their own relationship with the car and chooses their motorised companion on the basis of different criteria. Size, colour, engine, equipment, fuel consumption – there are many possibilities. But all cars have one thing in common: Fundamentally, they are made of sheet metal and cast components that have been ground. The engine housing, gearbox and suspension parts are cast from aluminum materials and then machined with ceramic abrasives. Without them, no car would ever roll out of the factory.

Product recommendations for grinding cast components

XF733 – VSM STEARATE Plus
XK733X – VSM STEARATE Plus
XF760X – VSM CERAMICS

Grinding of stainless steel containers, tanks and silos

Savour your food

The food industry uses stainless steel containers, tanks and silos for the manufacture, transport and storage of products. There are good reasons for this, as stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, hygienic and food-friendly, depending on its treatment and maintenance. If these containers were not processed by hand or with special container grinding machines, the foodstuffs would become inedible in them. On rough or even rusty surfaces, germs and bacteria develop very quickly, which attack and spoil the contents.

Ceramic and compact grain abrasives can be used to achieve defined surface values that are indispensable for food. This means that products can be transported safely over longer distances, whilst preserving their quality.

Product recommendations for grinding stainless steel containers

XK870X – VSM CERAMICS
ZF713 – VSM ZIRCONIA ALUMINA
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS

Grinding turbine blades for engines, gas turbines and water turbines

A fascinating Megaliner: The Airbus A-380

The A-380 is the world’s largest passenger aircraft and its engine is an impressive piece of art: 20,000 individual parts, 6.5 tonnes in weight, and at full throttle, the temperatures in the combustion chambers rise to over 2,000 degrees Celsius. The turbine blades in this engine are ground both during manufacture and repair. 100% flawless work must be carried out here, with exceptional surface quality, maximum precision and dimensional accuracy. The industry for grinding engine components is therefore one of the most demanding industries of all.

This is because structural changes or microcracks caused by heat input are inexcusable in turbine grinding. VSM CERAMICS abrasives in combination with the TOP SIZE additional grinding-active layer guarantee maximum stock removal in a short time – with reduced heat input.

Turbine blades made of stainless steel and Inconel are also required for industrial gas turbines. The smallest available turbine can be found in water turbines, which are used in leisure areas (pools, swimming pools) or for smaller hydropower plants, for example.

Product recommendations for grinding turbine blades

AK890Y – VSM ACTIROX
XK885Y – VSM CERAMICS Plus
XK870T – VSM CERAMICS
XK760X – VSM CERAMICS

High-gloss or matt brushed surfaces in the kitchen

Stainless steel surfaces: Easy on the eye and soft to the touch

High-gloss or matt brushed surfaces are indispensable in our everyday lives. In the kitchen alone: The refrigerator, the kettle, the food processor, the microwave, the thermos flask, the saucepan set... Everything comes in a stainless steel look. And these objects also receive their “look and feel” by means of abrasives. After all, the surfaces should not only look beautiful, but also feel good. While glossy surfaces are more likely to be achieved with silicon carbide abrasives, surfaces with a matt finish are more likely to use aluminum oxide abrasives.

Abrasives also play their part in the area of hygiene: Ground surface finishes are smooth and therefore easier to clean. In addition, fewer bacteria and germs form on them. Ideal for use in the kitchen.

Product recommendations for the production of fine surfaces

CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN
KV710X – VSM NON-WOVEN

As precise as clockwork

Although smartphones and smartwatches can tell us the exact time, watches with mechanical movements are still in great demand. Wearing a watch like this would be quite unpleasant without abrasives: A rough surface and sharp edges would leave small abrasions and cuts on the skin. Abrasives on highly flexible backings can be used to smooth surfaces and edges, making them pleasant to wear. VSM fine abrasives are also used to grind the highly complex movement, which consists of several hundred parts – so that the small gear wheels can function reliably and precisely.

Product recommendations for grinding watches

KK511J – VSM ALUMINUM OXIDE
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS
CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN