From glass paper to Naxos emery to synthetic ceramic grain!

Under the heading “the history of abrasives”, we will take you on a journey through the history of grinding. Starting with the first use of glass paper and continuing through to the use of emery and today’s high-tech abrasives.

During this year’s International Abrasive Days, you will be able to learn many exciting facts about grinding and its history. VSM has been practising and shaping the production of abrasives since its foundation – 160 years ago. One thing has always been in focus at VSM: Abrasives Thanks to our history and our long-standing partnership with you – our customers and partners – we can boldly claim that everyone has come into contact with our products at some stage.

Our motto WE KNOW ABRASIVES covers all of this. No one understands abrasives better than we do.

International Abrasives Day 2023 | Imagine a world without abrasives

The history of abrasives – an overview in milestones

In April and May, 2024, we will guide you through the history of abrasives by highlighting various milestones. This is the history that VSM has influenced and helped to shape.

The first industrially produced abrasives were sandpaper, glass paper and flint paper

The first records of the use of sandpaper in England date back to the 18th century. Its use as a tool began as industrialisation progressed in Europe and America. The first industrially produced abrasives were sandpaper, glass paper and flint paper. These all use paper as a backing. The abrasive material, i.e. sand, glass or flint, is fixed to the paper backing with adhesive. The performance of these abrasive grains was still quite low. The abrasive papers were primarily used for wood and other soft materials.
In Germany in 1863, the first mention was made of a company that was manufacturing abrasives. Shortly afterwards, in May 1864, the company that now bears the name VSM was founded in Hanover. At this time, the founders Siegmund Oppenheim and Siegmund Seeligmann still had no idea what kind of a success story they were embarking on with their new company.

The raw material emery is mined on the Greek island of Naxos.

Industrialisation required the machining of increasingly hard materials, such as metal. Metal processing plants cannot work efficiently with abrasives such as glass paper and flint. A new material for the production of abrasives was needed.  
At the end of the 19th century, a solution was found that was also suitable for the industrial mass market. The emery mined on the Greek island of Naxos has high hardness and excellent abrasion resistance. Emery is therefore very suitable for metalworking.  
Although the grinding properties of emery have been known since ancient times, the raw material was previously very difficult to crush due to its hardness. Thanks to the steam engine, however, this was now no longer a challenge. Even today, terms such as “emery paper” and the activity of “emerising” are still mentioned, even though emery no longer plays a role in modern abrasives.

Design of the first VSM grinding machine

In 1880, the design of our first in-house grinding machine marked a new milestone. Until this point, the use of grinding discs tended to be uneconomic. Competition from the traditional file was very strong. Thanks to the new grinding machine, the grinding performance of discs increased significantly and lead to a significant reduction in labour costs.  
This increase in efficiency quickly generated great interest in the new type of emery grinding wheels. The product range grew rapidly: The “Vulkan” disc for dry grinding applications, the “Neptun” for wet grinding, the “Atlas” for dry and wet applications, and later a performance-enhanced variant called “Helios” were introduced. Thanks to its excellent stock removal capability, the “Helios” was particularly appreciated in foundries.  
This part of the story also explains our company name “VSM”, Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken (United Emery and Machine Factories). The emery used as an abrasive material for our products and the corresponding machines were made by VSM.  

Investment in the first VSM cloth finishing plant

Backing the right horse: In 1932, we were already aware of the importance of the backing material for high-quality flexible abrasives and invested in our first cloth finishing plant. This allowed us to produce cloths specifically for use as backings for flexible abrasives. At this time, these were referred to in Germany as Schleifleinen (abrasive linens). Today, backings made of cotton or polyester fabric are commonly used for high-quality abrasives.
Thanks to our own cloth finishing plant, we can still significantly influence the performance of our abrasives today. The production of our own backing materials is a crucial part of our vertically integrated production.
Since 1930, we have focused entirely on abrasives on flexible backings, and we continue to do so today. With 94 years of experience, we are specialists in this field and have a unique understanding of abrasives.

The grains are electrostatically charged

The flying abrasive grain: Until the early 1960s, gravity dispersion was used in abrasive production. The abrasive grit was dropped onto the backing from above. The abrasive grain then lay wildly distributed on the backing.
Abrasives only become really effective and powerful, however, if the abrasive grains are placed upright. Then the sharp tip of each grain protrudes upwards.  
With the introduction of electrostatic coating in 1962, our abrasives became even more powerful. In this process, the abrasive grains are electrostatically charged so that they fly from bottom to top, against the force of gravity, onto the base bond of the backing.  
The higher the proportion of vertical abrasive grains, the higher the stock removal rate of the abrasive. Today, electrostatic coating is a standard procedure in the production of abrasives. At VSM, we have been letting abrasive grains fly for more than 60 years

More than 30 different COMPACTGRAIN series are available in the VSM range

They are used in many kitchens and are a real eye-catcher: Kitchen furniture with stainless steel fronts. A specific scratch pattern is what lends these stainless steel fronts their high-quality look. Since 1978, long-term abrasives called VSM COMPACTGRAIN have been used for this purpose.
With the market launch of VSM COMPACTGRAIN, we changed metalworking yet again. VSM COMPACTGRAIN long-term abrasives are made up of a granulate that contains numerous abrasive grains. Used abrasive grains are broken out of this grain reserve during grinding to expose unused, sharp grain tips. This makes it possible to achieve consistent, reproducible surface values.  
The resulting uniform scratch pattern with consistent surface roughness and gloss levels is the most important sales criterion for many manufacturers of stainless steel fronts. Today we offer more than 30 different COMPACTGRAIN series with countless grit sizes.

Experience abrasives at the VSM Training Center

Giving grinding professionals a home: In 1991 we opened the Technical Center (TC). Here, we have gathered all our expertise on grinding in one place. Since then, the TC has been making sparks fly, with grinding taking place every day.
From this point onwards, our customers no longer have to interrupt their production processes to test new abrasives. The modern machine park is used for flat surface grinding, external cylindrical grinding, long belt sanding, slack of belt grinding and many other applications.  
Customised abrasives testing is carried out, and the centre has already been used to pass on grinding expertise to tens of thousands of grinding professionals from all over the world. Our seminars focus on practical experience, right from the start. Many can convey the theory, but only VSM can make abrasives tangible. And this has been the case for over thirty years in the training centre, which now known as the Competence Center.  

We have been manufacturing ceramic grains at VSM in Hanover since 2004

Hard and tough: Production of our ceramic grain started in 2004. The world of abrasives is always on the lookout for the best abrasive grain for specific applications. When it comes to high stock removal, ceramic abrasive grains are the first choice.  
Ceramic abrasive grains are hard and tough. Imagine this: During grinding, each individual grain is subjected to cutting forces that act like hammer blows. When machining hard metals such as titanium, the abrasive grain needs to withstand these loads. Another important aspect is the so-called self-sharpening action. Our ceramic grain breaks off very finely during grinding and thus keeps on exposing new, sharp cutting edges.  
VSM ceramic grain can do all this. Since 2004, we have been working tirelessly to become the Ceramic Grain World Champion. For this reason, our ceramic grain is produced only at our Hanover plant, to the highest quality standards.

In 2005, a new dimension of stock removal began, with VSM CERAMICS

In 2005, a new dimension of stock removal began: The market launch of VSM CERAMICS. The ceramic grain, produced in Hanover since the previous year, began its success story in countless customer applications.  
The exceptional properties of the new VSM ceramic grain are particularly striking when grinding unalloyed steels and stainless steels. Its fine, microcrystalline grain structure ensures regular resharpening of the abrasive grain. Our CERAMICS maintain a high level of stock removal over their entire service life. Our customers achieved up to a 40% increase in service life compared to other ceramic grain abrasives. A new era of material removal had begun.
However, the performance of an abrasive is not only influenced by the abrasive grain. Preliminary products such as the backing cloth and the synthetic resin bonding also make a decisive contribution. VSM produces all these components at its Hanover location, ensuring consistently high quality.

Diamond and CBN abrasives for machining extremely hard materials

In 2007, we launched our VSM Diamond and CBN abrasives. These were specially developed for machining extremely hard materials such as tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, chromium oxide, glass, ceramic, GRP, Kevlar and natural stone.  
They therefore offer many new possibilities in material processing. Particularly customers with automated and robotic grinding applications continued to rely on VSM’s CBN and Diamond expertise. The diamond abrasives impress customers with their high stock removal rate and long service life. They are also resistant to high temperatures.  
This innovation represented a milestone for the industry, which then benefited from improved machining capabilities. Thanks to shorter processing times per workpiece and fewer belt changes, our customers’ operating costs were significantly reduced.
Diamond abrasives serve only one niche in industrial cutting, but they complete VSM AG’s extensive range of possible solutions.

VSM CERAMICS Plus achieves even more stock removal.

2015 saw a further innovation in ceramic abrasives: VSM CERAMICS Plus achieves even more stock removal. The improved, unique microcrystalline grain structure enables significantly finer and sharper breaking of the grain in its structure.  
This leads to low working temperatures and thus to less scrap and less reworking of the workpiece. The TOP SIZE grinding-active additional layer improves the cutting performance whilst reducing the temperature in the contact zone. This significantly increases the service life of the abrasive.  
It means that difficult-to-cut high-alloy steels and superalloys such as Hastelloy or Inconel can be ground using CERAMICS Plus without difficulty. Even with high contact pressure, our CERAMICS Plus works reliably and ensures a high stock removal rate.

Compact grain for consistent and reproducible surfaces

In 2017, our new COMPACTGRAIN Plus came into use for the first time. At this time, our well-established long-term abrasive had already been in use in countless applications worldwide. Our customers love the consistent and reproducible surface quality that the abrasive achieves, and the uniform surface roughness and gloss levels.
One more reason for us to become even better. With COMPACTGRAIN Plus, we effectively extended the service life many times over. A longer service life means more productivity, fewer tool changes and, last but not least, less waste. This reduces costs and protects the environment. In addition, the upgrade achieves an even more uniform surface quality with an even more uniform scratch pattern.  
For over four decades, our customers have relied on our long-term abrasives. With more than 30 compact grain series, VSM has the widest range on the market. This means that we can meet almost every customer requirement.

Grinding and polishing – in a single step: VSM ILUMERON
Grinding and polishing – in a single step With ILUMERON, we experienced the next innovation in surface processing, in 2018. In doing so, we went one step further than with our previous long-term abrasives: ILUMERON is characterised by the particularly high gloss level that it achieves. The extremely tight tolerances in the ground surfaces are immediately convincing.  
The specially developed production process ensures that the abrasive grains are evenly distributed across the coated abrasive and are broken out in a controlled manner over its entire surface. This results in significantly finer surface finishes. You can also measure these results, of course. The gloss unit (GU) is used for this purpose. And a gloss meter is used to measure the gloss of a surface in gloss units. A perfectly matt surface has a gloss level equal to 0 GU (gloss units). High-gloss surfaces with a mirror finish achieve values of more than 70 GU. ILUMERON achieves a GU of 153 with grit size 1200. This is an impressive value, which the abrasive can easily achieve in machine grinding.

Geometrically shaped ceramic abrasive grain for maximum stock removal

Our next innovation: Maximum stock removal, and faster grinding. With this promise, we launched VSM ACTIROX in 2018. Thanks to its geometrically shaped ceramic grain, ACTIROX achieves maximum stock removal per unit of time.  
The user benefits from very short processing times thanks to aggressive, faster grinding compared to conventional ceramic grain abrasives. The shorter contact time also ensures a cool cut. This prevents tarnishing on the workpiece and avoids rework and even scrapping.  
In practice, it has been shown that ACTIROX abrasives provide a higher grinding performance than comparable, conventional abrasives – while still achieving the same surface quality. Users achieve more stock removal than they would expect with the indicated grit size, and the surface is no rougher. A real plus for every grinding process.

Grinding non-ferrous metals with VSM ALU-X

2023 was all about aluminium grinding. ALU-X is the new series of abrasives developed by VSM to meet the specific requirements of grinding non-ferrous metals. Here, the proven VSM CERAMICS grain technology with continuous self-sharpening is complemented by the additional grinding-active layer VSM ALU-X. The result: Improved chip removal, resulting in fewer tool changes, more workpieces per shift, more stock removal, and a grease-free work centre.
Non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, bronze and copper are demanding materials that can easily clog the abrasive. This means that, instead of being removed, the chips stick to the tips of the abrasive grain: A built-up cutting edge is created. This prevents the abrasive grain from functioning and the abrasive becomes unusable. Our new VSM ALU-X additional layer reduces chip adhesion and thus reduces clogging of the abrasive. The service life is significantly extended and assured so that excellent stock removal is achieved even after longer periods of use.

A world without abrasives would be pretty rough!

Bacteria in your milk, small cuts from your smartphone or crushed tomatoes. This is what our everyday life would be like without abrasives. That doesn't sound too pleasant, does it? Containers in the food industry are ground, just like smartphone surfaces or knife blades. The list is endless. Abrasives not only make our everyday lives smoother, but also safer.

Celebrating abrasives and grinding professionals

VSM AG launched the first International Abrasives Day on 29 March 2023 to draw attention to precisely these processes. Without modern abrasives, a world away from sandpaper from DIY stores, and the right professionals in the companies, many industrial processes would not even be possible. So on International Abrasives Day, we are celebrating abrasives and grinding professionals alike, and their significant contribution to so many industrial production processes.

Ridged, rough and dull

True to this year’s motto “Imagine a world without abrasives”, we will show you what a world like this would look like in March. - Ridged, rough and dull would be the nicest adjectives. Stay tuned and check out our LinkedIn channel.

International Abrasives Day 2023 | Imagine a world without abrasives

Abrasives in use: Making everyday life smoother and safer

Cutting instead of pressing: Sharp-edged scissors and knives

Knives and scissors are utensils that lose their sharpness due to their use. However, if they have become blunt, you needn't throw them away. With backstand grinding, for example, they are processed with ceramic grain abrasives and quickly regain their sharpness. Wooden or plastic handles are also shaped with abrasives on a flexible surface.

Product recommendations for grinding knives

XK870X – VSM CERAMICS
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS
CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN
KK841F – VSM ALUMINIUM OXIDE

Grinding of motor housings, gear boxes and suspension parts

The car: Means of transport, luxury item, work tool

Everyone has their own relationship with the car and chooses their motorised companion on the basis of different criteria. Size, colour, engine, equipment, fuel consumption – there are many possibilities. But all cars have one thing in common: Fundamentally, they are made of sheet metal and cast components that have been ground. The engine housing, gearbox and suspension parts are cast from aluminium materials and then machined with ceramic abrasives. Without them, no car would ever roll out of the factory.

Product recommendations for grinding cast components

XF733 – VSM CERAMICS
XK733X – VSM CERAMICS
XF760 – VSM CERAMICS
XF760X – VSM CERAMICS

Grinding of stainless steel containers, tanks and silos

Savour your food

The food industry uses stainless steel containers, tanks and silos for the manufacture, transport and storage of products. There are good reasons for this, as stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, hygienic and food-friendly, depending on its treatment and maintenance. If these containers were not processed by hand or with special container grinding machines, the foodstuffs would become inedible in them. On rough or even rusty surfaces, germs and bacteria develop very quickly, which attack and spoil the contents.

Ceramic and compact grain abrasives can be used to achieve defined surface values that are indispensable for food. This means that products can be transported safely over longer distances, whilst preserving their quality.

Product recommendations for grinding stainless steel containers

XK870X – VSM CERAMICS
ZF713 – VSM ZIRCONIA ALUMINA
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS
KV701K – VSM NON-WOVEN

Grinding turbine blades for engines, gas turbines and water turbines

A fascinating Megaliner: The Airbus A-380

The A-380 is the world’s largest passenger aircraft and its engine is an impressive piece of art: 20,000 individual parts, 6.5 tonnes in weight, and at full throttle, the temperatures in the combustion chambers rise to over 2,000 degrees Celsius. The turbine blades in this engine are ground both during manufacture and repair. 100% flawless work must be carried out here, with exceptional surface quality, maximum precision and dimensional accuracy. The industry for grinding engine components is therefore one of the most demanding industries of all.

This is because structural changes or microcracks caused by heat input are inexcusable in turbine grinding. VSM CERAMICS abrasives in combination with the TOP SIZE additional grinding-active layer guarantee maximum stock removal in a short time – with reduced heat input.

Turbine blades made of stainless steel and Inconel are also required for industrial gas turbines. The smallest available turbine can be found in water turbines, which are used in leisure areas (pools, swimming pools) or for smaller hydropower plants, for example.

Product recommendations for grinding turbine blades

AK890Y – VSM ACTIROX
XK885Y – VSM CERAMICS Plus
XK870T – VSM CERAMICS
XK760X – VSM CERAMICS

High-gloss or matt brushed surfaces in the kitchen

Stainless steel surfaces: Easy on the eye and soft to the touch

High-gloss or matt brushed surfaces are indispensable in our everyday lives. In the kitchen alone: The refrigerator, the kettle, the food processor, the microwave, the thermos flask, the saucepan set... Everything comes in a stainless steel look. And these objects also receive their “look and feel” by means of abrasives. After all, the surfaces should not only look beautiful, but also feel good. While glossy surfaces are more likely to be achieved with silicon carbide abrasives, surfaces with a matt finish are more likely to use aluminium oxide abrasives.  

Abrasives also play their part in the area of hygiene: Ground surface finishes are smooth and therefore easier to clean. In addition, fewer bacteria and germs form on them. Ideal for use in the kitchen.

Product recommendations for the production of fine surfaces

CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN
KV710X – VSM NON-WOVEN

As precise as clockwork

Although smartphones and smartwatches can tell us the exact time, watches with mechanical movements are still in great demand. Wearing a watch like this would be quite unpleasant without abrasives: A rough surface and sharp edges would leave small abrasions and cuts on the skin. Abrasives on highly flexible backings can be used to smooth surfaces and edges, making them pleasant to wear. VSM fine abrasives are also used to grind the highly complex movement, which consists of several hundred parts – so that the small gear wheels can function reliably and precisely.  

Product recommendations for grinding watches

KK511J – VSM ALUMINIUM OXIDE
XK870F – VSM CERAMICS
CK772T – VSM COMPACTGRAIN

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