Vacuum Brazed Cup Grinders

Sandstone Contracts are specialists in the restoration, new work and cleaning of natural stone in facades. Roel Jansen, Director of Sandstone Contracts, has been directly involved in the construction industry, specializing in the conservation and restoration of historical monuments, structures and buildings.

Sandstone Contracts were commissioned to supply 50mm thick granite couplings for elliptical shaped planters at a new office building. The four planters had circumferences of more than 25meters each and the couplings were to be divided into 1 meter curved segments. Each segment had its own unique inner or outer radius which was roughly cut by hand and thereafter cup grinders were needed to grind the edges to precision. In total 250linear meters of coupling edges need to be completed in 10 days.

 Conventional carborundum abrasive cups and diamond segmented cup grinders were originally used for this application but the process was taking too long. Armand Du Preez, a key accounts manager at Diamond Products, suggested using an alternative product to overcome the challenges of this project. “Armand introduced us to a new product which we were able to use on a trial basis” explains Jansen, “Armand delivered a 180mm Vacuum Brazed Cup wheel that didn’t only operate 5 times faster than that of a conventional abrasive cup, but it proved to be more durable and affordable too”.

 Jansen is impressed with the tool and now uses it on various other surfaces. “We now use both the 115mm and 230mm cups on sandstone, marble, granite and quartzite. The brazed cup grinder has surpassed all our expectations. Not only is the performance of the cup wheel amazing, but it should also make our power tools last longer. We believe that the ease of grinding equals the longevity of the power tool.”

 Vacuum Brazed Cup Wheels are available in a 115mm and 180mm diameter. They are suitable for standard 115mm and 230mm grinders and can be used on steel, sandstone, marble, granite and quartzite.