If a cutting disc is especially thin, the cut simply becomes easier. The same naturally applies when cutting stainless steel. And it’s true whether you’re cutting solid material, sections, threaded rods or thin-walled metal sheets.
Less material loss, less burr formation, less thermal stress, less deformation, less tarnish colour: five factors that speak in favour of extra-thin cutting discs when cutting stainless steel – whether you’re working in container or pipeline construction, handrail machining or special-purpose vehicle engineering.
Cutting discs are much safer to handle and cut more accurately when they are not pushed hard into the material: instead, the angle grinder should oscillate in the direction of the cut in a smooth, pendulum-like back-and-forth motion. During cutting, the pressure used to hold the machine against the workpiece should be applied so that machine rpm barely drops (you’ll hear when it does).
Pressing too hard causes higher disc wear (which is loud enough to be measured) as well as a reduction in cutting speed. With a pendulum-style cut, however, you can increase your overall cutting speed while substantially increasing the lifetime of your cutting disc for stainless steel at the same time.
To avoid rust build-up, the special cutting discs for stainless steel contain no iron, sulphur or chlorine, and therefore also labelled with an FE/S/CL <0.1% symbol. This means that if you need to process separate workpieces, you should never change back to stainless steel from normal steel. Particles of normal steel could be introduced into the stainless steel material by the disc. The stainless steel is likely to rust in these places.
You should also take care when clamping the workpiece. A good rule of thumb here is no more than 10 cm projecting out of the bench vice.
This will help to avoid the workpiece ‘flapping about’. Making the first cut with a brand-new disc is not always so simple. As a general point, keeping vibration to a minimum ensures the cut is uniform, aggressive and clean.
Where possible, use products that display the oSa® logo. Tools with the oSa® logo are manufactured according to stringent standards that apply worldwide. This offers you optimum protection against accidents caused by unsafe grinding tools.
All RHODIUS cutting discs for stainless steel have the oSa® logo, which means they meet the stringent safety standards set by the Organisation for the Safety of Abrasives.
The new RHODIUS XT10 – the ultra-high-performance, thin cutting disc for steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals – gets truly outstanding cutting results on stainless steel, and with both high-performance and less powerful angle grinders. On stainless steel, the disc offers a fast, light and precise action that protects the material being cut. Even in solid material, the RHODIUS XT10 simply makes the job in hand quicker and easier. The key advantage with the RHODIUS XT10 is its lifetime, which has now been improved even further.
Alongside extra-thin cutting discs, freehand cutting discs are also ideal for cutting stainless steel with an angle grinder. Freehand cutting discs from RHODIUS are a particularly good choice for price-conscious users looking for a long disc service life when used for especially demanding applications.
At RHODIUS, cutting discs with a disc thickness of over 1.9 mm are labelled with the freehand cutting symbol.