Foam Pad Selection:
The abrasion or cutting ability of a foam pad is relative to its composition; foam composition density, compression, pressure applied and/or speed of rotation or oscillation. The work is approximately distributed, 60% product, 30% foam composition density, compression and 10% pressure applied and/or speed of rotation or oscillation.
Types of foam, compression, tensile strength and density, are some of the factors that affect a foams abrasive (cutting) ability. These factors all affect the flexibility of the foam under pressure and torque;
1.Types of foam - reticulated foam is less dense than polymerized foam; due to this density the polish provides the abrasive ability as opposed to the foams composition.
2.Compression / Rebound - a foam pads should be compressed to no more than approx 50% of its thickness
3.Tensile strength – the strength of a material refers to the material's ability to resist an applied force
4.Density - provides a protective cushion allowing foam compression to maintain constant surface pressure and it also lessens machine vibration. It also affects the amount of polish the pad will hold; foams that hold a high volume of product allows the polish to do the cutting, as opposed to the abrasiveness of the foam.
Engineered foams imported from Europe are specifically designed for compounding, polishing and buffing and are used at an OEM level worldwide (Ford, GM, BMW, Daimler-Chrysler, Porsche, Audi, VW, 3M, etc.) European foam specifications rate foam based on compression and rebound "Engineered" refers to the fact that these foams are built to various levels of "cut" or abrasiveness.
The vast majority of domestically (US) produced foam is designed for air filtration, and they ‘rate’ their foam by the number of pores per inch (PPI) generally, the higher the number of pores, the ‘softer’ the foam
Abrasive Cutting Foam (40 pores per inch)
Medium Cutting Foam (50 pores per inch)
Light Cutting Foam (60 pores per inch)
Finishing Foam (70 pores per inch)
Fine Application (80 pores per inch)
Ultra-Fine Finishing (100 pores per inch)
The general rules for foam pads;
•The bigger the pad the faster the cut (more surface area)
•The coarser the abrasive, the faster the cut
•The more aggressive the pad, the faster the cut
•Wool cuts faster than lamb’s wool, foamed wools are next, then foam.
•Foam pads generate more friction induced heat than wool pads
[Edit 27.03.08 15:22 PM]
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