Lapping

Lapping is a loose abrasive machining process which combines abrasive particles within an oil or water base vehicle to form a slurry. The slurry is fed onto a rotating lap plate (usually cast iron) to form an abrasive film between the plate and the parts to be lapped, the result is a gray "matte" finish of uniform flatness. Benefits of lapping include:

• Fast stock removal
• No clamping or heat distortion
• No expensive tooling required
• Very thin and non-magnetic parts can be processed
• Irregular-shaped parts can be easily processed

Polishing

While lapping produces a gray non-reflective surface, polishing will produce a reflective or "shiny" surface. The degree of reflectivity will vary as to the type of process used. Some of the typical processes include:

• Hard and soft pad polishing
• Diamond abrasive/composite plate polishing
• Optical pitch polishing

Capabilities

Lapmaster offers products and services to match virtually any finishing requirements.

• Single and dual face lapping and polishing machines range in size from 12" tabletop models to 120" floor standing production machines.
• The most complete line of lapping and polishing consumables and accessories in the industry.
• Quick turn-around flat lapping and polishing contract services for prototype, short run, and high production requirements for customers in a wide variety of industries and materials.
• A wide variety of Metallographic sample preparation equipment and consumables.
• Established process development laboratories complete with the latest processing equipment to serve our customers.