Focus on the best possible finish

At family-owned Metaaltechniek Handelonderneming B.V., they want to help manufacturing companies optimize productivity and accuracy and reduce costs. After all, this knowledge-driven wholesaler from Amersfoort has more than fifty years of experience in abrasives. Under the motto "Together towards the perfect finish," they consciously choose strong brands and on-time delivery from ample stock. Today the range is being expanded with Cubitron 3 from 3M, the latest revolution in the world of deflashing, cutting and Cut&Grind discs.

The trend in the manufacturing industry is clear: customers want high quality and accuracy, but also faster and faster. It also remains difficult to find technically skilled personnel. This is why companies are investing in automation on the one hand and in the right machines and tools to be able to work faster manually as well. This is where Metaaltechniek Handelsonderneming can help them. 

"We are always talking to our customers, gathering information about how they work and what their specific needs and wants are. Based on that hard data, we advise them on the right materials. At the end of the day, the customer is all about delivering quality and saving on time and money," says Ingrid Bronsema, responsible for marketing & communications. "We can fall back on extensive knowledge that we have built up over a period of more than fifty years, but also call on the specialists at our A-brands, most of whom we have worked with for years. In addition to this knowledge, we also offer our customers a total package in the field of milling, sanding, grinding and polishing, which we keep in stock and can deliver within 24 hours. So our customers can reduce their inventory sensitively, without increased risk of downtime in their production."

3M Cubitron 3

3M has been cooperating with Metaaltechniek Handelsonderneming for many years. This innovative manufacturer for all sanding needs offers an extremely comprehensive product range, but still continues to work daily to expand and optimize it. Thus, at the Schweissen & Schneiden fair in September, they introduced their revolutionary 3M Cubitron 3, an improved version of the Cubitron 2. For the deburring, cut-off and combination wheels, a grain with a new shape is used, specifically the well-known triangle but with a concave in the sides. Thus, the tip is sharper and the grain breaks out optimally. For other products, such as sanding belts and fiber discs, the bond on the backing has been improved. The grains are much less likely to be lost prematurely, allowing the abrasive to be used longer. The new-generation fiber and flap wheels will be available in the first quarter of 2024, but the deflashing and cut-off wheels are already available now.

"When 3M successfully brings innovative solutions to the market, we as a partner have our share in it. After all, we are their eyes and ears in the market and we also promote their products. I remember when they launched the CubitronII deflashing discs in 2016, everyone was very skeptical. After all, they were expensive. However, we convinced our customers that they should not look at the purchase price, but mainly at what it would give them in the long run. Thus, this technology quickly became a success in the Netherlands," concludes Ingrid Bronsema. "We also notice, for example, that manufacturing companies in the Netherlands now more often prefer fiber wheels to deflashing wheels. After all, the fiber discs with 3M's Cubitron technology have a higher removal rate, operate with little vibration and are less noisy. And the purchase price is lower. Just goes to show that our experience and market position allow us to keep our finger on the pulse and follow trends closely, enabling us to work with our suppliers/partners and customers on the road to the perfect finish."