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Which synthetic materials are used as industrial abrasives?

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Angle grinder — abrasive Worker using an angle grinder to smooth a piece of metal.

Synthetic materials have largely replaced natural abrasives in industrial applications because they offer more consistent properties, which are essential for precision manufacturing. The primary synthetic materials used as industrial abrasives include:1

Synthetic diamond: Produced by subjecting graphite to extreme heat and pressure, this material retains the extreme hardness of natural diamond and is used in grinding wheels, machine tools, and mining drills.12
Cubic boron nitride: An exceptionally hard synthetic material that performs well in demanding industrial grinding applications.1
Boron carbide: Known for its high hardness, it was the hardest synthetic material available until the development of other advanced abrasives.13
Silicon carbide: A hard crystalline compound of silicon and carbon used extensively in sandpaper, grinding wheels, and cutting tools.13
Alumina (synthetic corundum): A versatile material used in various forms, such as calcined alumina, for grinding wheels, sandpaper grits, and other abrasive products.145

These materials are engineered to provide specific levels of hardness and toughness, allowing them to be tailored to the requirements of different industrial tasks.1