Flaps Offer Aggressive Cut on Radiused and Contoured Parts
A flap wheel comes in handy when you're faced with the challenge of cleaning up burrs and parting lines on radiused or specially shaped parts where coated discs are not conformable enough or do not have the necessary reach. 3M offers the Standard Abrasives™ (PDF, 2.94 Mb) Aluminum Oxide Flap Wheel in smaller diameters for attachment to hand-held tools, and larger diameters for off-hand applications. A broad selection of grades is available to deburr edges, remove flash and parting lines, blend machine marks, apply a linear scratch pattern, or provide light blending, cleaning, or polishing.

Compared with non-woven products, flap wheels offer a more aggressive cut for cleaning or finishing. If a silicon carbide product is preferred for finishing applications, consider the Standard Abrasives™ Silicon Carbide Flap Wheel, available in 1-3" diameters (sold separately). When a job requires even more flexibility for improved finishing, or to reduce dust, use a Standard Abrasives™ Flexible Flap Wheel (sold separately), which has flaps with increased flexibility and a slight radius to the flaps.

Some tools may require an additional reducer bushing or adapter for wheel attachment.

Small Wheels Access Inner Radiuses and Maintain Maximum Control
The flap wheels with smaller diameters provide access to smaller and harder-to-access inner radiuses or contours on irregular parts. They are especially useful for cleaning or deburring the insides of tubing. For these smaller areas, flap wheels provide a softer touch than rolls or bands, which are suitable when more aggressive material removal is required.

The smaller wheels are 1-3" in diameter have a 1/4" steel mandrel or a 1/4"-20 threaded steel shank to enable fast yet secure product change outs. In each case the steel attachment runs the full width of the wheel center, reducing chatter in the rotation. As a result, you get a smoother finish and the operator maintains greater control of the tool with less pressure and increasing productivity.

Large Wheels Supply Broader Coverage
For larger hand tools or off-hand applications, 3M provide flap wheels in diameters from 3-1/2" to 8" with 1" or 2" widths. These sizes have a 5/8" or 1" center hole compatible with larger