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3M Solutions for Your
Abrasive Safety -
Download the Abrasive Safety Assessment GuideDownload Now
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How to minimise workplace hazardsLearn More
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Learn more
Using Abrasives.
Workplace abrasive posters
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Case Studies - 3M helps deliver Safety and ProductivityLearn more
Workplace Safety Management Awareness
Are you armed with all the knowledge to protect your workers when dealing with abrasives?
Protect your employees from all the long-term workplace health and safety hazards and learn how you can take action to deliver a safer and more productive workplace environment.
Using abrasive tools and equipment can be dangerous as it involves tasks such as grinding, cutting, weld removal, polishing and finishing on different materials from metals to fibre reinforced composites. Every company should carry a risk management to understand and identify potential abrasive risks and define actions to mitigate or replace them. For example, modifying a task or work design with an alternative abrasive method, tool or product can help you lower the risks.
Our 3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasives, powered by 3M's Precision Shaped Ceramic Grain technology can help reduce some of these abrasive risks. They are designed to cut faster and last longer, reduce exposure to dust, noise and vibration whilst also improving productivity. An effective health and safety strategy often goes hand in hand with improved quality and higher productivity.
Take control of abrasive hazards
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- Best practice in health and safety management begins with a thorough risk assessment to identify equipment and activities that can potentially cause harm. It's important to understand the level of risk people may be exposed to.
- Apply each level of the hierarchy of controls to help remove, reduce and manage workplace hazards. Start with the elimination phase as this is the most effective control, and finish with the PPE stage, which is considered the last line of defence.
- Elimination: Modify the task or workplace so that the hazard is no longer present
- Substitution: Replace the hazardous material, equipment or activity with a less hazardous one
- Engineering controls: Modify the design or specification of tools or equipment to isolate or reduce the exposure to the hazard
- Administrative controls: Introduce working practices and procedures that remove or lessen the risk
- Personal Protection Equipment (PPE): Protect the worker with suitable PPE
- LEARN MORE - DOWNLOAD OUR ABRASIVE SAFETY ASSESSMENT GUIDE
Workplace Hazards
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The use of hand-held abrasive tools, or bench-mounted tools and hand-held workpieces can expose the operator to vibration and can lead to harmful conditions.
Minimise the risks by using the right abrasives that finish demanding tasks faster, with less pressure.
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Dust exposure from abrasive processes can trigger inflammation, allergic reactions and respiratory problems.
Find out how 3M™ Cubitron™ II technology can help reduce exposure to airborne dust.
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The selection of abrasive tools, products and systems have a significant impact on the noise generated when operating tools.
Switching abrasive products can be one way to help reduce abrasive noise levels.
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Working with abrasive equipment can cause injury by direct or indirect contact. Always use machine guards, use the right product for the application, ensure the abrasive is fitted correctly and wear appropriate PPE.
Faster cutting and cooler running abrasives that require less operator pressure can help towards a safer workplace.
Key resources:
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Abrasives Health and Safety eBookDec 1, 1901Download our eBook today for insights into managing workplace hazards.
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Abrasive Safety - Short Form GuideDec 1, 1901Download our abrasive safety short form guide that provides an overview of how our 3M™ Cubitron™ II Fibre Disc 982C can help mitigate risk in the workplace.
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Using Abrasives Safety PostersDec 1, 1901Keep your workers up to speed on safety with our informative posters
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Abrasive Safety Assessment GuideDec 1, 1901Download our abrasive safety assessment guide today for insights on how 3M™ Cubitron™ II hand-held abrasives could help reduce exposure to the risks from hand-arm vibration, airborne particles and noise.
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Bombardier Case StudyDec 1, 1901Learn how 3M is helping to deliver safety and productivty at Bombardier
3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasives
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- With decades of experience in ceramic, abrasive and microreplication technologies, 3M reinvented abrasives with 3M™ Cubitron™ II products. The secret lies in the revolutionary precision-shaped ceramic grain technology pioneered by 3M. As the triangular shaped grain wears, it continuously fractures to form sharp points and edges that slice through metal, wear evenly and provide super-long life and consistency at any grinding pressure. This allows 3M™ Cubitron™ II belts, discs and bonded wheels to run cooler and keep on working—long after conventional abrasives have dulled, shelled, glazed over and been thrown out.
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Introducing the 3M Precision-Shaped Ceramic Grain
The science of speed. - The precision-shaped grain found in 3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasives combines the advanced material properties of our original Cubitron grain with the precise microreplicated structures pioneered in 3M™ Trizact™ Abrasives. As the triangular shaped grain wears, it continuously fractures to form sharp points and edges.
- Conventional ceramic abrasive grain is irregular and blocky in shape. Instead of a clean, machining action, the grain tends to “plough” through the metal, causing heat to build up in the workpiece and the abrasive, resulting in a slower cut, shorter life and undesirable effects, such as burnishing.
- 3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasives:
- Cut faster
- Stay sharp longer
- Require less pressure
- Help reduce operator fatigue
- Increase productivity
- Safer operation
3M™ Personal Protective Equipment
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