DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLISHING AND BUFFING EXPLAINED !!

Buffing and polishing both are surface finishing process but there is a slight difference between two:

Polishing:

• Finishing processes that utilize abrasive belts are referred to as polishing.
• Polishing generates a brushed or lined finish. 

Buffing:

• Processes that use cloth wheels with compound applied is called buffing.
• Buffing removes the lines and creates a bright luster finish. The process of buffing generally requires surface refinement polishing prior to buffing.

Polishing by abrasive belts or discs is required to level surfaces, remove scratches, pits, scale and polish the surface enough so the cut buff can remove the polishing lines. The first polishing step should be done with the finest abrasive possible that efficiently removes the welds, levels, or refines the surface imperfections. From that point on, the subsequent process works to remove the first polishing scratch lines.

Buffing is a rotating cloth wheel that is impregnated with fine abrasive compounds, and it produces a bright-luster finish on metal and composites. Buff wheels are impregnated with liquid rouge or a greaseless compound-based matrix of specialized fine abrasive called compound. The compound is sprayed or pressured into the rotating buffing wheel. The buff wheel acts as the carrier of the compound, which ultimately does the surface finishing.