Method of making a coated abrasive

Abstract

An abrasive article includes an array of protruding abrasive units. Each unit has a base and a distal apex that is off-center from the base when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with the base. The abrasive article includes a backing bonded to an abrasive coating formed to include the aforementioned abrasive units. Methods for making the abrasive article include nipping a production tool, an abrasive slurry, and the backing. A binder within the slurry is cured during fabrication. The abrasive article may be used to abrade a workpiece.

1 . A method of making a coated abrasive article comprising the steps of: 
 (a) introducing a slurry containing a mixture of a binder and a plurality of abrasive grains onto a production tool, wherein the production tool is shaped to include 
 a plurality of protruding units distributed in two dimensions,  
 wherein each protruding unit has a base that has a periphery, wherein, for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base, and defines an offset vector between the projection of the distal region and a center point of the base; and  
 wherein the offset vectors for the plurality of protruding units do not exhibit a sum that approaches a limit of zero;  
   (b) introducing a backing to the outer surface of the production tool such that the slurry wets one side of the backing to form an intermediate article;    (c) at least partially curing the binder before the intermediate article departs from the outer surface of the production tool to form a coated abrasive article; and    (d) removing the coated abrasive article from the production tool.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each distal region is linear.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each distal region is rectilinear.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each distal region is curvilinear.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each base is a parallelogram.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein none of the sides of the parallelogram is parallel to an edge of an article upon which the abrasive array is disposed.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein consecutive bases do not abut.  
     
     
         9 . A method of abrading a surface of a workpiece comprising steps of: 
 (a) providing a coated abrasive article comprising a backing having attached to at least one major surface thereof a plurality of abrasive composites, wherein the abrasive composites include a plurality of protruding units distributed in two dimensions, 
 wherein each protruding unit has a base that has a periphery,  
 wherein, for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base, and defines an offset vector between the projection of the distal region and a center point of the base; and  
 wherein the offset vectors for the plurality of protruding units do not exhibit a sum that approaches a limit of zero;  
   (b) placing the surface of said article having abrasive composites attached thereto in contact with the surface of said workpiece; and    (c) moving at least one of the surface of said article or the surface of said workpiece with respect to the other so as to abrade the surface of said workpiece.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein each distal region is linear.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein each distal linear region is rectilinear.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein each distal linear region is curvilinear.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein each base is a parallelogram.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein none of the sides of the parallelogram is parallel to an edge of an article upon which the abrasive array is disposed.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein consecutive bases do not abut.  
     
     
         17 . A method of making a coated abrasive article comprising the steps of: 
 (a) introducing a slurry containing a mixture of a binder and a plurality of abrasive grains onto a surface of a backing;    (b) introducing a production tool to the surface of the backing on which the slurry has been introduced to form an intermediate article, wherein the production tool is shaped to include a plurality of protruding units distributed in two dimensions, 
 wherein each protruding unit has a base that has a periphery,  
 wherein, for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base, and defines an offset vector between the projection of the distal region and a center point of the base; and  
 wherein the offset vectors for the plurality of protruding units do not exhibit a sum that approaches a limit of zero;  
   (c) at least partially curing the binder before the intermediate article departs from the production tool to form a coated abrasive article; and    (d) removing the coated abrasive article from the production tool.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein each distal region is linear.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein each distal linear region is rectilinear.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein each distal linear region is curvilinear.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein each base is a parallelogram.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein none of the sides of the parallelogram is parallel to an edge of an article upon which the abrasive array is disposed.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein consecutive bases do not abut.  
     
     
         25 . A method of making a coated abrasive article comprising the steps of: 
 (a) introducing a slurry containing a mixture of a binder and a plurality of abrasive grains onto a production tool, wherein the production tool is shaped to include a plurality of protruding units distributed in two dimensions, 
 wherein each protruding unit has a base that has a periphery,  
 wherein, for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base, and defines an offset vector between the projection of the distal region and a center point of the base; and  
 wherein the offset vectors for the plurality of protruding units do not exhibit a sum that approaches a limit of zero;  
   (b) introducing a backing to the outer surface of the production tool such that the slurry wets one side of the backing to form an intermediate article;    (c) removing the intermediate article from the production tool; and    (d) curing the binder to form a coated abrasive article.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein each distal region is linear.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein each distal region is rectilinear.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein each distal region is curvilinear.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein each base is a parallelogram.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein none of the sides of the parallelogram is parallel to an edge of an article upon which the abrasive array is disposed.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein consecutive bases do not abut.  
     
     
         33 . A method of making a coated abrasive article comprising the steps of: 
 (a) introducing a slurry containing a mixture of a binder and a plurality of abrasive grains onto a surface of a backing;    (b) introducing a production tool to the surface of the backing on which the slurry has been introduced to form an intermediate article, wherein the production tool is shaped to include a plurality of protruding units distributed in two dimensions, 
 wherein each protruding unit has a base that has a periphery,  
 wherein, for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base, and defines an offset vector between the projection of the distal region and a center point of the base; and  
 wherein the offset vectors for the plurality of protruding units do not exhibit a sum that approaches a limit of zero;  
   (c) removing the intermediate article from the production tool; and    (d) curing the binder to form a coated abrasive article.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein each distal region is linear.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein each distal region is rectilinear.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein each distal region is curvilinear.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein each base is a parallelogram.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein none of the sides of the parallelogram is parallel to an edge of an article upon which the abrasive array is disposed.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein for each unit, its respective distal region, when projected on to a plane that is coplanar with its respective base, falls within the periphery of the base.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein consecutive bases do not abut.