Shops have long faced a tradeoff in their efforts to improve efficiency. Dust extraction can help reduce cleanup time and help prevent errors – but the abrasives that best enable dust capture, net abrasives, come with a price: they typically don't remove material as well as traditional abrasives. Shops have either sacrificed speed to tame the dust or reduced dust capture to get top abrasive performance.
3M engineers and scientists found a way to end that tradeoff. 3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives combine a net backing with patented 3M Precision-Shaped Grain to create a family of dust-extraction abrasives that outperforms all the other net abrasive families in the industry. In fact, the 3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives family delivers at least double the life and double the cut rate of other brands' net abrasive families.
The 3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives family captures over 95 percent of dust created during sanding.
Dust and your bottom line
Some of the costs related to dust in your shop are obvious. This includes labor spent wiping surfaces and sweeping, and dust in a paint job leading to rework.
Some of the costs related to dust are less obvious. Dust on the sanding surface could lead to the reduction of the abrasive's performance and shorten its life.
There are also potential hidden costs. Dust settling into machinery can accelerate wear and breakdown. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and ventilators can help protect employees but keeping the dust out of the air in the first place can help more.
There’s also the value of employee time. Sanding discs that wear more quickly mean more interruptions and more time spent changing discs, and more money spent on abrasives.
Investing in the right dust extraction tools and abrasives can help reduce the amount of time spent sanding, the amount of rework and cleanup time – driving process efficiency, increased technician mobility, and bringing quality and consistency to every job.
Matched to the job
3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives are available in grades from 80 to 320 in both discs and sheet rolls to handle a wide range of jobs. Discs are available in 3-, 5-, 6- and 8-inch diameters, and sheet rolls are available in 2.75-,3-, and 4.5-inch widths.
3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives are compatible with the Total Automotive Sanding System and other modern dust extraction systems that support hook-and-loop disc attachment. 3M Cubitron II Net Abrasives help any dust extraction tool reach its full potential, whether you're using a self-generating-vacuum sander, a central vacuum system or a portable dust extractor.
