Today, our technical engineer from Apple Abrasives Group will train you on the safe way to use an angle grinder with a cutting wheel.
To get started, let's cover the basics of what is an angle grinder and what is the cutting room an angle grinder. It is an electrically or pneumatically powered handheld tool used by welders for grinding cutting and polishing metals.
It works by spinning an abrasive cutting or polishing wheel and it is called an angle grinder because the wheel is mounted at a right angle. The cutting process will generate dust and flying debris, so always remember to wear safety glasses and a face shield to protect your eyes.
The cutting process gives off sparks so wear fire-resistant sleeves or jacket and gloves to protect yourself from sparks, and also cutting process is noisy so wear hearing protection to minimize the noises you hear and finally when working in a shop environment, wear a hard hat on to protect your head is important. Don't forget your safety shoes are great protection.
After you put your PPE on, you can begin using the grinder but you must inspect it before using it, please make sure the grinder is not connected to an energy source before you begin. Inspecting starts by ensuring the guard on the grinding wheel is not missing on the handle and also make sure the electric cord is not frayed then check the cutting wheel and ensure it is free of cracks whenever a new cutting wheel is installed.
In addition, when you are in the cutting or grinding process, it's recommended to run the grinder while holding it away from others for five to ten seconds. This will tell you if you've installed the wheel correctly, if you notice that the grinder is stopped unplug and reinstall it again. The cutting wheel or cutting disc, the grinding disc is four and a half inches in diameter and used for cutting thin metals, at Apple abrasives, we suggest limiting the use of the cutting wheel to cutting metal at a maximum thickness of a quarter of an inch. Cutting thicker material can put too much stress on the cutting wheel which can cause the wheel to break.
Now that you learn what to do first, and now you can begin to cut material, you must start by ensuring the workpiece you will be cutting is properly clamped to the table or surface to avoid too much movement of the workpiece. Having too much movement can damage the wheel and can cause the wheel to break or injury. So now, the workpiece is clamped and secured, you can begin cutting. Please make sure the cutting wheel is not in contact with the workpiece before the switch is turned on, do not crash the cutting wheel into the workpiece, and do not apply too much pressure instead allow the wheel to do the work the weight of the angle grinder is enough to make the cut when cutting. Cut straight twisting or turning the wheel will cause it to break and disintegrate make sure you don't leave too much pressure on the same point instead cut evenly by slightly moving the wheel back and forth. This will help to avoid the wheel from jerking or getting stuck.
If you don’t follow these basic steps, it will cause an accident because the disc could break and disintegrate as you are cutting. If this happened, debris will strike you with the tremendous force which will lead to an injury. if the wheel is jammed in the middle and you are unable to release it after the power is off please make sure the grinder is not connected to an energy source and break the wheel by twisting your grinder with two hands.
So above are the basic instructions on how to use cutting or grinding discs on an angle grinder. Apple Abrasives requires you to follow those instructions while applying the process. It will protect you and increase your efficiency.
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