An interesting thing to note is that the major abrasive suppliers (the multi-nationals who supply thousands of tonnes of abrasive worldwide, per annum) don't recognise any of this terminology. SMAT, DAT, Diminishing, Non-diminishing... meaningless to the experts in the abrasives industry. With various discussions, I think I know what they actually mean, in terms of an abrasive, but with such uncertainty, I have to admit to a bit of scepticism about it all.
-
DAT/SMAT...Yes: strictly a Meguiar's precept.
(Even 3M, a company that was founded upon abrasives,
doesn't use this particular terminology.)
-The abrasives used in "detailing compounds/polishes" are usually in loose or powdered form, and have these properties: Hardness, fracture and wear resistance.
-The abrasives themselves are called abrasive grains, and are graded by "size".
Grain sizing is done by the "sieve (screen)-method". Ex:
A size 10 grain will just barely go through a size 10 sieve/screen.
-The courseness or fineness of abrasives is determined by this sizing...according to the abrasive industry standards.
In comparison:
Here are two of Meguiar's abrasive products...
1.)
M85 (one of their DATs)
a. Uses aluminum-oxide abrasives (CAS# 1344-28-1)
b. @ 20-50% by weight
c. Grain size? N/A---probably a: trade secret
d. Grain size is said to start out larger, than the smaller size that's obtained at/towards the end of its buffing cycle.
e. Will experience "breaking down" phenomenon.
2.)
M105 (one of their SMATs)
a. Uses aluminum-oxide abrasives (CAS# 1344-28-1)
b. @ 10-30% by weight
c. Grain size? N/A---probably a: trade secret
d. Grain size is said to start out small, remain small for a long duration of buffing-time.
e. Won't experience much additional "breaking down".
All-in-All: It's Amazing...
What having products that
perform as marketed
will do to a company's reputation and bottom-line...
Even when not falling in lock-step with another industry's standards!!
Bob
