What is the life expectancy of the Rapid Z™-Drums?

The life expectancy for any diamond tooling varies considerably based on the hardness of the stone being ground.  The following numbers should give you a rough idea of the life expectancy of the Rapid Z™-DRUMs based on our testing and real world use in our own fabrication shop:

 

DRUM GRIT/SIZE USE LIFE
3” COARSE Rapid Z™-DRUM Used to clean up after Rapid Z™-CUT Approx. 24 Large Sinks

or

Approx. 46 Vanity Sinks
3” FINE Rapid Z™-DRUM Used to clean up after COARSE drum Approx. 40 Large Sinks

or

Approx. 78 Vanity Sinks
1” Rapid Z™-DRUM Set Used to clean out corners on rectangular sinks Approx. 12 Sinks

(48 corners)

Can the Rapid Z™ series of bits be used with center water feed?

The Rapid Z™-CUT and all Rapid Z™-DRUMs are designed to be used with center water feed if desired even though we do not use center water feed on the Sink BULL™.

How do you get the most life from the 3” Rapid Z™-Drums?

The 3” Rapid Z™-Drums are the only vacuum brazed drums designed with a reversible and replaceable diamond abrasive. Once cutting becomes slow on side 1 flip the drum to side 2 and continue cutting with the back side of the diamonds.  This will yield approximately 30% more drum life.  Don’t push the drum on side 1 until cutting becomes impossible or you won’t get much use from side 2.  Only use side 1 until cutting becomes noticeably harder before flipping.  This will yield maximum drum life.  When side 2 no longer cuts replace the drum.  Replacement drums are available from our distributors.

What is the difference between the Rapid Z™-CUT with template bearing and the Rapid Z™-CUT no template bearing?

The Rapid Z™- CUT with template bearing is designed to be used with the Sink BULL™.  The bearing follows the edge of a template and is used to shape items such as a sink cutout or fancy corners on an island.  The version with no bearing is designed for freehand shaping and carving with a grinder.  We use it to create a freeform edge detail, we call Glacier, which you can see by scrolling down here: (https://nsisolutions.com/rapid-z-cut/)

Why are the Rapid Z™-CUT and COARSE Rapid Z™-Drums not flush to the template bearing?

The Rapid Z™-CUT and Rapid Z™-DRUMS are a set designed to be used in sequence.  The Rapid Z™‑CUT removes material quickly but leaves a very rough surface.  The COARSE Rapid Z™-DRUM will clean up this surface but leaves a small amount of material to be cleaned up by the FINE drum.  The FINE Rapid Z™-DRUM will remove the final bit of material, flush to the edge of the template, and leave an easy to polish surface.  This is true for both the 3” and 1” Rapid Z™-DRUMs and all the drums and Rapid Z™-CUT are the same height so adjusting the height on the Sink BULL™ is not required.

How do you get the most life from the Rapid Z™-CUT blades?

To get the most life from the Rapid Z™-CUT blades you should rearrange them often.  During the grinding process the Rapid Z™-CUT stack of blades will wear into an uneven “apple core” shape.  The blades on the top and bottom of the stack get less use and will be the largest diameter.  By rearranging the largest blades to the center of the stack, after every few sinks, you will get the most life from the entire stack. Also, maintain the correct blade rotation when you rearrange the blades.  If you inadvertently flip blades after you start using them they will wear much faster.  You can watch a video on how to remove and replace the blades here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=bt8sPuSheQo)