A technological product, essential for metal and stone cutting industries

Steel Abrasives is a product of the specialist iron-and-steel industry. Made of quenched steel beads, of various shapes and of different calibres, it has a wide range of industrial applications for metal treatment and stone cutting. Complying with the most stringent international standards, the products are manufactured in order to provide the optimum solution to our customers' needs. They are monitored at all manufacturing stages to ensure that they have a high wear resistance. The steel abrasive is produced in two forms to meet the requirements of different uses.

Round steel shot is made from high-carbon steel and was developed specifically to be used in applications requiring a rebound effect and the maximum possible energy transfer.	Angular steel grit is obtained by crushing spherical beads. It is used for intensive cleaning, special surface treatment processes or stone cutting.

Abrasive inside

"Invisible" to the final consumer, steel abrasive is an integral part of the added value of the products it treats. It plays a determining role in the production processes of numerous activities, including construction, transport, capital goods, iron-and-steel and energy industries.   

In all these different sectors, steel abrasives are used mainly in four types of application:    

Metal industries, which represent a world market of more than 1 million tons of abrasives:

- Surface cleaning : in the foundry (sand removal and cleaning of parts), in the forge and stainless steel industry (descaling).     
- Surface preparation : cleaning, surface roughening to ensure optimum adherence of paint and coatings.
- Surface enhancement : shot peening treatment against deformation, wear and corrosion.  

Stone industry which consumes a little over 155 000 tons of abrasives per year: granite cutting by abrasive in a liquid suspension, the abrasive circulates inside gangsaws and is used for cutting stone blocks into thin slabs.  

Other applications have been of use in the mining industry (with Millpebs) and in the building and civil engineering sector (production of WearGrit, a new ultra-high performance concrete based on steel abrasives). Finally, the physical properties of the steel abrasives make it a very interesting material for precision ballasting.   

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