What are the main uses of white corundum micropowder?

White corundum micropowder is a very important and versatile high-performance abrasive. Its main uses are categorized into several categories:

1. Core Application: Precision Grinding and Polishing This is the most traditional and primary application of white corundum micropowder. Due to its high hardness, uniform particle size, and excellent wear resistance, it enables precise dimensional control and smooth surface finishes.

Metalworking:

Mold Industry: Used for polishing high-precision molds (such as glass molds, injection molds, and die-casting molds), removing the white layer (degraded layer) after EDM machining to achieve a mirror finish.

Aerospace and Automotive: Polishing critical precision components such as engine blades, turbine disks, and fuel nozzles to ensure surface quality and fatigue resistance.

Medical Devices: Polishing surgical instruments, orthopedic implants (such as artificial joints), and dental instruments, which require extremely high surface finish and biocompatibility.

Optical Component Processing:

Used for fine grinding and polishing of glass or crystal optical components such as lenses, prisms, and mirrors, effectively controlling surface accuracy and reducing surface defects.

Semiconductor and Electronics Industry:

Wafer Manufacturing: Used for backside thinning and edge polishing of silicon wafers.

Chip Packaging: Used for grinding oxide and metal layers to flatten chip surfaces (although the more mainstream CMP process currently uses silica and cerium oxide slurry, white corundum still has applications).

Used for polishing magnetic materials, ceramic substrates, piezoelectric crystals, and other electronic components.

Jewelry Processing:

Used for polishing and repairing precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) and gemstones, achieving exceptionally high gloss.

2. As a Functional Filler

Utilizing its high hardness, wear resistance, heat resistance, and chemical stability, white corundum powder is added to various materials to enhance their properties.

Wear-Resistant Coatings and Flooring:

Added to epoxy resins, polyurethane, and other flooring materials, it creates ultra-wear-resistant industrial flooring for use in warehouses, workshops, parking lots, and other locations subject to heavy loads and frequent friction.

Used as an aggregate in spray or cladding coatings to enhance the wear and corrosion resistance of workpiece surfaces.

Advanced Refractory Materials:

As a key additive, it is used in the manufacture of ladle castables, iron channel materials, refractory ceramics, and more. It significantly improves the strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability of refractory materials.

Ceramic Products:

Added to structural ceramics (such as alumina ceramics and silicon carbide ceramics) as a reinforcing phase, it enhances the toughness, hardness, and wear resistance of the ceramics.

Grinding and Cutting Tools:

Manufacturing bonded abrasives such as resin-bonded grinding wheels, abrasive belts, sandpaper, and oilstones.

In the manufacture of tools such as diamond saw blades and grinding wheels, it is added as a non-primary abrasive to the cutter head to aid chip removal and improve cutting efficiency.

Other Composite Materials:

Added to plastics and rubber, it can improve the thermal conductivity, wear resistance, and rigidity of the products. For example, it is used in the manufacture of high-performance brake pads and friction materials.

3. Sandblasting and Surface Treatment: Wet Sandblasting:

White corundum micropowder is mixed with water to form a slurry used for surface cleaning, deburring, and matte finishing of precision parts. Compared to dry sandblasting, wet sandblasting provides better control of surface roughness, reduces dust, and exerts less impact on the workpiece, preventing deformation.

Dry Sandblasting:

While coarser white corundum particles are more commonly used, micronized powders can also be used for surface treatments requiring extremely fine detail, such as cleaning and preparing sensitive metal parts.

4. Other Special ApplicationsPrecision Instrument Bearings:

Used for polishing and finishing jewel bearings (such as agate bearings) in high-end watches.

Research and Experimental:

In materials science laboratories, wet sandblasting is used to prepare metallographic specimens, clearly revealing the microstructure of metal materials through grinding and polishing.

Summary of Characteristics (Why Widely Used in These Fields):

High Hardness: With a Mohs hardness of 9, second only to diamond and silicon carbide, wet sandblasting allows for efficient grinding of most materials.

Uniform Particle Size: Precision grading results in a concentrated particle size distribution, ensuring consistent and controllable processing results.

Excellent Wear Resistance: Low wear and tear during use, resulting in a long service life.

High Chemical Stability: Does not chemically react with the workpiece, making it particularly suitable for machining reactive metals such as stainless steel and titanium alloys.

High Temperature Resistance: Maintains excellent performance even in high-temperature environments.

High Purity: Low impurity content, ensuring no contamination of the workpiece surface during machining.

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