The Customer's Challenge

This company has been using multiple products and steps in their final prep of firetruck ladders before being mounted. Their operators must use wire brushes, fiber and non-woven discs, and a hammer and chisel to clean all welded areas. The incumbent non-woven discs were leaving smear on the ladders, creating secondary steps in removing the smear marks. And the competitive discs were not lasting due to edge wear. The Norton product engineer was asked for a solution to remove steps in the process and reduce or remove the smearing.

The Solution

5" and 7" Rapid Prep XHD Light Grinding Coarse with Hook & Loop backing and Medium Back-up Pad

Norton Disc Achievements 

Operators were impressed with the life and cut rate of the Rapid Prep XHD Coarse disc. Operators commented the Norton discs had a smoother flow, cuts were faster than the incumbent discs, and the Rapid Prep XHD discs last longer with good edge fray resistance. The ladders have large welds at the end that required the operator to use a fiber disc. The incumbent non-woven disc was not able to remove the weld without destroying the entire disc. They were able to remove the weld in less than 10 seconds with a used XHD and still had additional life on the disc. Performance overall was 2 to 1 in life and 26% faster cut versus the incumbent discs without smearing.

Experience for yourself, shop Norton's Rapid Prep XHD Discs on MSCdirect.com.

To view the complete Case Study, click here or visit the Norton website.