Most industrial abrasives used today are made from hard minerals and will used in order to shape or finish off a piece of work by rubbing. When the abrasive is rubbed against the item it causes part of its surface to wear away and this will then result in a reflective smooth appearance to it. However, there are some industrial abrasives around which can result in a much more roughened surface to the item being worked on instead providing it with a matte, beaded or satin finish.

There are a number of different industries which will use abrasives in their manufacturing processes and the chemical and physical makeup of them will vary from one to the next. As well as many industries using abrasives to polish items others use them for grinding, honing, buffing, sanding, cutting, drilling and sharpening.

The majority of abrasives as we have mentioned are made from hard minerals which will have a rating of 7 or above on the Mohs scale. It is this scale which is a quick way of seeing just how hard a mineral is. Along with abrasives made from minerals there are some now being made using synthetic stones.

These synthetic stones often have both the physical and chemical characteristics that you would find in minerals which occur naturally. However, they are not able to be classified as minerals as they have not actually been constructed naturally.

Of all the types of abrasives used for industrial purposes today diamond is the most commonly used. As well as being made naturally this particular abrasive material can also be produced synthetically as well. Most of the diamonds that will be dug from the ground have been made from corundum, whilst those that have been produced by man will have been made using bauxite.

The diamond is one of the hardest substances known to man and yet there are plenty of minerals which are far softer than this and which can also are used for abrasive materials. One of the softest minerals being used today is calcium carbonate and this is frequently used as a polishing agent in toothpastes. It is this mineral in the toothpaste which will actually help to improve the whiteness of a person’s teeth overtime.

But just how effective the industrial abrasive is, is dependent on a number of different factors. One of these is the actual sizes of each grain or grit that makes up the abrasive material. The sizes from ones that are only 40 micrometers in size to those which are 2mm in size and these are the largest. But in order to get the right size pieces of grit for use in abrasive materials the mineral or synthetic stone needs to be crushed first. As it is crushed each piece of grit has rough edges to them that will end in points. This actually reduces the amount of surface which the abrasive comes into contact with but it does allow the user to localize the amount of pressure that they place on an item they are using the abrasive on.

Glass packaging is not as popular as plastic food packaging, but it is still relied on a great deal. Most Australians have at least a few forms of glass packaging in their homes at any given time. These days, plastic and aluminium are the most popular forms of packaging for food. In fact, plastic food packaging has exploded in popularity since plastic debuted. As a result of plastic’s soaring popularity, glass isn’t used nearly as much. After all, glass shatters; it can be dangerous when it gets chipped or cracked. Many companies find plastics to be much more convenient, and consumers tend to agree. Despite all of that, glass is still used for a number of different products.

Glass is most commonly used to make bottles and jars. You may not realise it, but that jar of spaghetti sauce can be recycled. In 2002, approximately 320,000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars were recycled in Australia. That translates into around 1.2 billion bottles. If they hadn’t been recycled, they’d have ended up in landfills and added to the environmental woes of the country and world. Recycling glass is very beneficial to the planet, and it’s one of the biggest selling points for this type of packaging.

Energy conservation is another important component of saving the planet. Glass products manufactured out of recycled materials save up to 74% energy when compared to products made from raw materials. The energy savings associated with using recycled glass are significant. On top of that, up to 100% of a glass product can be made out of recycled components. The average glass product is made out of 40% to 80% of recycled components, depending on the quantity and quality of the recycled glass that is available for use.

Companies producing glass packaging have over the years been refining their manufacturing process in an attempt to produce a more lightweight product. In turn, fewer materials are used and less waste occurs. In 1986, the average “stubby” beer bottle weight 260g. In 1997, a stubby bottle of the same size weighed just 180g. This represents a reduction of about 31%. When combined with recycling efforts, a lot less waste is going into Australian landfills nowadays – and a lot of that phenomenon has to do with the efforts of packaging suppliers around the country. As more consumers do their own part, this phenomenon will only increase.