Grinding and Polishing

- Sharp abrasive particles released from the material being used to grind or polish.
- Contamination of the previous steps in grinding or polishing.

- Repeat step until all scratch lines are uniform.
- Increase the preparation time for the current step. (Not the pressure)
- Verify the cutting edge of the abrasive being used is effective. If necessary change.
- Change polishing cloth. Use a more thorough technique in cleaning between steps.
- Clean samples thoroughly in between each step.

- Surface of specimen not being cut.
- pH of alumina suspension is too high.

- Increase quantity of applied lubricant. 
- Use a less napped cloth.
- Use a coarser grain particle.
- Decrease the pH of alumina suspension.

- pH of alumina suspension is alkaline

- Neutralize pH of alumina suspension.

- Insufficient steps between grain sizes.
- Type of polishing cloth used.
- Polishing time is too long or to short.
- Excessive use of lubricant.

- Increase grain size steps.
- Use a napless polishing cloth.
- Decrease the polishing time. 
- Possibly depending on the application, may have to increase the polishing time.
- Reduce quantity of lubricant used.
- Moisten cloth with lubricant prior to applying diamond abrasive.

- Samples were not mounted.
 - Incorrect mounting medium was used.
- Polishing times were too long.
- Excess pressure applied to specimen.
- Type of polishing cloth used.

- Mount the samples.
- Use mounting medium that has good adhesion.
- Keep polishing time to minimum.
- Use shorter and tighter weaved 
polishing cloth.

-Too much speed.
-Mixing different hardness of materials while polishing.

-Reduce speed.
-Use a lower fiber napped cloth.

- From cutting the specimen.
- Clamping of the sample.
- Wrong mounting medium used.
- Shrinkage.

- Use appropriate cut-off wheel.
- Use protective layer between sample and clamp from cut-off equipment.
- Use cold mounting system with the aid of a vacuum system or pressure vessel.
- Use mounting medium that has the 
least shrinkage properties.

- Worn out abrasive.
- Type of polishing cloth used.
- Type of mounting medium.

- Change abrasive discs more often.
-Alternative, use diamond discs.
- Use a shorter nap polishing cloth.
- With cold resin, use vacuum or pressure vessel systems.

- Excess pressure applied to specimen.
- Type of polishing cloth used.
- Excessive use of polishing abrasive.
- Lubricant has low viscosity.

- Reduce pressure applied to specimen.
- Use a shorter nap cloth.
- Decrease the amount of polishing abrasive, especially for soft metals.
- Use a higher viscosity lubricant.

- Too much pressure.
- Too much speed.
- Over polishing on worn abrasive cloths.
- Use of same orientation during all polishing steps.

- Reduce pressure applied.
- Reduce speed.
- Change abrasive cloth more frequently.
- Change orientation of the sample for every step.

- Sharp abrasive particles from the material being used to grind or polish.
- Contamination of the previous steps in grinding or polishing.

- Repeat step until all scratch lines are uniform.
- Increase the preparation time for the current step. (Not the pressure)
- Verify the cutting edge of the abrasive being used is effective. If necessary change.
- Change polishing cloth. Use a more thorough cleaning technique between steps.
- Clean samples thoroughly in between each step.

-Too much pressure.
-Speed is too low.

-Reduce pressure applied.
-Increase grinding speed.

-Mounting does not adhere to the specimen.

-Clean sample.
-Select resin with little or no shrinkage.