Lapping

Lapping is a simple process which can provide excellent quality surface finish and achieve a high accuracy flatness. It improves upon a surface which has previously been ground or fine turned.

The process is a controlled mechanical polishing process, where an abrasive is placed between two surfaces which are rubbed together to create a finish on a component. Lapping generally provides a flatness uniformity of less than 2.5µm, however with specialised lapping machines, the flat surface uniformity can be improved to 30 nanometres (0.030µm).

Lapping is suited to most materials, both metallic and non-metallic. Depending on the component, either Single Sided Flat Lapping or Double Sided Flat Lapping can be used.