Remove up to 8kg of steel with just one flap disc? No problem at all for the innovative tools from LUKAS-ERZETT

At LUKAS, the experts for innovative flap geometries and all kinds of (grinding) solutions, engineers have brought their many years’ experience to bear and spent night after night tinkering away to finally present the best mounted flap disc on the market.

A day in Engelskirchen, the home of LUKAS-ERZETT, has 24 hours. A HybridPerfection Ceramic4x can grind surfaces for at least 170 minutes in continuous use. Yes, that’s right: over 2.5 hours non-stop! After which 8kg of steel have been removed. A true marathon runner on steel.

But in practice, one does not become a marathon runner alone. When working with steel, especially when grinding it using handheld tools, the combination of operator and abrasive is essential and yet often makes up 90% of the total cost. The physical working comfort can be significantly enhanced with the right tool and abrasives. The HybridPerfection Ceramic4x flap disc allows you to work much more ergonomically, efficiently and comfortably thanks to its especially good balance angle. The constant physical strain on the worker while grinding is reduced because a better performance and higher chip removal rate can be achieved with the same amount of force by using the HybridPerfection Ceramic4x from LUKAS. Less pressure exerted on the joints and less strain on the muscles allow the worker to recuperate more quickly between grinding operations. And not only that, the marathon running disc from LUKAS is actually 50% quieter than conventional rough grinding discs! This means that the worker can experience a huge increase in working quality simply by choosing the right tool.

With the right abrasive, however, not only do you improve the worker ergonomics and benefit from time advantages – you can even save money!

A sample calculation: Steel work on the Hochmosel Bridge. Europe’s biggest bridge construction project in recent years. Over 1,700m long, with a width of 28m and a breathtaking height of 160m, the bridge is an outstanding epitome of modern engineering. Almost transparent and fleeting, it appears to blend into the landscape. This airy-looking construction was built using, among other materials, 32,000 tons of steel.

With 10,000,000 ccm of weld seams and over 55,000m of construction site joints, it presented a real challenge for the grinding work. Over 78,000 conventional abrasive discs of good German quality (1kg steel removal per disc) would have been needed for this construction project! Even using the next-best model with 4kg chip removal per disc, almost 20,000 discs would still be required. A huge cost factor.

Using the HybridPerfection Ceramic4x from LUKAS could have saved up to 68,700 discs on this project! This is because the 8kg chip removal rate possible with a single disc would have meant that only 9,825 HybridPerfection Ceramic4x discs would have been required for the entire construction.

In addition there are incredible time advantages on such large-scale projects, as well as during continuous work operations in shipyards for instance, because the workers can save themselves several disc changes in each cycle. After all, the HybridPerfection Ceramic4x is capable of continuously grinding for up to 170 minutes! 100% performance down to the very last ceramic grain. This also allows the machines to run longer and more smoothly, which is generally reflected in lower machine repair costs.

Convince yourself. Finding the right abrasive for your work assignment is dependent upon various factors such as the tool life, chip removal rate, procurement costs, ergonomics and, ultimately, the worker’s technique.

Low-quality abrasives also generally have an inferior geometry, and are almost asymmetric. In practice, this can cause the disc to begin running in an out-of-true and imbalanced manner, resulting in faster wear and less material removal. Multiple tool changes, up to 50% louder noise emissions and stronger vibrations mean that working with such discs requires a feat of strength.

Apparent cost savings from buying discs of inferior quality are quickly transformed into extra costs (time and money) due to the more frequent tools changes as well as the uncomfortable work processes.

As one of the technological leaders in the manufacture of milling, grinding, polishing and cutting system solutions, LUKAS-ERZETT GmbH & Co. KG, which is based in the Cologne area in the Oberbergisch district, specialises in manufacturing, retailing and offering consulting services for grinding, milling, polishing and cutting tools, power tools, and an extensive range of accessories. The interplay between good grinding economics and the choice of the right tool is hugely important – for both the work itself and the worker.