Tumbling-Media

Vibratory Compounds Give The Finishing Touch

Cleaning, polishing, smoothing and deburring of parts are all referred to as finishing. The primary types of machines used in the finishing process are the tumbling barrel machines and the vibratory machines. Finishing media are materials that are used with the parts to aid in the process of finishing. Finishing compounds also assist in the finishing process. One or all of the finishing media, water and finishing compounds are thrown together with the parts to be finished into a finishing system. The machines cause a sliding or tumbling action to take place between the parts or between the parts and the finishing media which in turn leads to cleaning, polishing and smoothing of the part surfaces.

Finishing compounds could be wet or dry. Wet compounds are used in the form of paste or with water in wet finishing processes while dry compounds are used in the form of powder in a dry finishing process. These compounds are formulated with specific properties for use in tumbling barrels or vibratory systems. The compounds that are specifically made for vibratory machines are called vibratory compounds. A vibratory machine is typically used for thorough cleaning and deburring of delicate parts or parts with hard to reach recesses like bores. They are also used on large surfaces. Vibratory compounds along with selected finishing media are added on to the vibratory machine in which parts have been placed for mass finishing. The rubbing action causes abrasive results on the parts effectively cleaning them. The vibratory compounds have suspension properties that ensure the abrasive action happens continuously by keeping the debris that arises, from depositing back on the parts.

Plastic deburring media are synthetic contraptions that are made into pre formed shapes; they are referred to as tumbling stones sometimes. The various shapes include cones, cylinders, pins, triangles, pyramids, wedges etc. Each of these shapes comes in handy depending on the deburring requirement on hand. For instance, cylindrical plastic deburring media might be recommended for cleaning long tube parts. Cones are valuable on parts containing holes while triangles are good on flat surfaces and corners. A combination of shapes can be used too, for complex requirements. Compared to ceramic media, plastic media are less aggressive though they are able to produce better finish on surfaces. As they are lighter than ceramics, they are ideal for use on parts that are apt to break with ceramic media.

Plastic deburring media is very effective for metal removal, polishing, cutting of parts from runners and pre-painted finishing. They are used for aluminium and brass that are soft metals and are helpful in preventing the broken burrs from lodging in holes in the parts. They can be safely used on parts with threads as the threads are left untouched by them. Parts to be anodized can be finished with plastic deburring media to ensure an efficient anodizing. They are useful to provide a smooth but dull finish. To understand vibratory compounds and plastic deburring media better and to learn about the different types available in the market, please visit http://gravcollc.com/

Mass Finishing Renders High Quality Parts

Parts that are manufactured usually need removing of jagged edges, cleaning and polishing before they are fit to satisfy their functionality (the function for which they are being built). This is achieved by means of a process called finishing. Mass finishing is several parts being finished all together. It is typically carried out in finishing machines or systems like tumbling machines, vibratory machines, blasters, centrifugal machines etc. Parts are fed into these machines along with finishing media, finishing compounds and water. The parts and the finishing media scrub against each other, with the compounds aiding in removing the debris and keeping it from re-depositing on the parts. Due to this scrubbing action, mass finishing takes place - edges are smoothed, surfaces get polished, nooks get cleaned and parts get broken from runners.

Finishing media are materials that aid in the mass finishing process. There are many types of media like synthetic pre formed plastic media, ceramic media and natural media like corn cob and walnut shell media. Finishing compounds could be dry or wet and depending on the action required, their composition varies. This determines their abrasive action, alkalinity etc. Mass finishing process can take place as a batch process, as a series of steps or as continuous process. In a batch process, parts are loaded as a batch and after finishing, the batch is unloaded. The next batch now goes in and so on. In the step by step process, the parts are taken through a sequence of processes, one by one. After every step, the parts will have some degree of finishing done on them and after the final step, they will be fully ready. In a continuous process, the loading and unloading of parts happens continuously, while the finishing process is carried out.

Walnut shell media are made from treated and crushed walnuts. As they are natural, they are bio degradable and safe for the environment. They are dry finishing media whose grain size is determined by the weight and composition of the parts being finished. They are very good cleaners too apart from being good polishers. They are suited for use with tumble machines and useful in finishing of parts made from soft metals like brass, aluminium and bronze. Mixed with paints, they act as anti skid agents and are typically used in paints used around swimming pools and pathways. Oil well drilling is another area where they are used, to prevent the oil from stagnating.

Walnut shells have the properties of hardness and fibre. They are also naturally angular and multi faceted, which makes the walnut shell media ideal for deburring. They last long and can be reused many times over. Used in tumbling and in some vibrating systems, they help to reduce cycle times. They can be used on delicate surfaces because they do not have a rough abrasive action. So, they do not damage micro finishes. There are companies who have been in the finishing business for a long time; they can find finishing solutions for any needs. To learn more visit http://gravcollc.com/

Go For A Smooth Finish With Finishing Compounds

Finishing is a term used to define the process of cleaning, polishing, deburring, coloring, separating and smoothing of parts or components, generally metals. Finishing compounds are compounds used in the process of finishing - they are defined as substances or materials that are used to give surface properties like softness, smoothness, flexibility, resistance to fire, resistance to corrosion, resistance to rusting and so on - to metal parts, wood, textile, leather etc. It is possible to impart a high quality to a finished product with finishing compounds so that the product comes out with the correct functionality, fit and aesthetics.

Mass finishing compounds are used to finish several parts together using machines like tumbling barrels or vibratory systems. The compounds are used to aid in deburring, descaling, polishing of ferrous and non ferrous materials etc. The typical mass finishing process involves putting the parts together with finishing media, water and finishing compounds into a barrel or vibratory machine and allowing them to vibrate or tumble together. As a result, the parts rub against each other or with the finishing media; the rough edges are smoothed out, debris and deposits are cleaned out and specific surface properties are imparted to the parts.

The finishing compounds can be used in closed loop and open loop finishing processes, which involves automatic or manual feeding of finishing media and compounds respectively. There are compounds that are made for wet use and those made for dry use. Compounds are also available for specific use with tumbling systems and those that work well with vibratory systems. There are some special properties given to the finishing compounds when they are manufactured. For example, deburring compounds are made to keep the deburring debris suspended during the finishing process to ensure that there is no re depositing. This way the surfaces are continuously kept ready to accept the abrasive action. Descaling compounds have properties needed to remove scales and assist the finishing media in descaling. Compounds used for polishing are made to provide conditioning to water, detergency, impart rinseability and brightening plus suspension properties to make sure that the debris is kept at bay.

Finishing media are used in the finishing process to clean, polish and deburr. Corn cob media comes under the head of dry finishing media. It is made from treating and powdering of corn cobs to provide abrasive action on parts being finished. As they are made from natural products, corn cob media is bio degradable and environment friendly. It is long lasting and reusable; it is also cost effective. It can be used in both vibratory and tumbling systems. The grit size of the corn cob media is determined by the finishing requirement – it varies depending on whether the finishing process needs to be gentle or rough, the nature of the surface being deburred etc. The corn cob media has very good absorbing properties and can absorb both water and oily substances with ease; proves very effective in degreasing and cleaning parts. To gain further insights into finishing products, log on to http://gravcollc.com/

Tumbling Barrels Provide The Needed Finish

Deburring machines are better known as finishing machines. Their purpose is to finish parts – by facilitating polishing, cleaning, separating and deburring actions. There are two important types of mass finishing deburring machines – tumbling barrel machines and the vibratory machines. In all the deburring machines, the parts are loaded along with finishing deburring media, finishing compounds and/ or water. Deburring media include ceramic media and plastic media that are man made and corn cob media and walnut shell media that are natural. Finishing compounds come as wet or dry compounds. Their composition varies depending on the abrasive action that is needed, inhibition action (like anti corrosion, anti rust) and the suspension properties needed. The compounds help to suspend the debris that comes out during the finishing process in deburring machines. This prevents the debris from getting deposited or lodged back into the parts.

Vibratory deburring machines involve a tub or a bowl that is shaken at high speeds which causes the parts and the finishing media to scrape against each other in a filing kind of motion. In a vibratory machine, the sliding action happens on all of the load with a single vibration; there fore cycle times are very less compared to tumbling barrels. They are high speed, short stroke machines and hence are good for delicate parts as well as large surfaces. They are very useful as separators of parts. The loading and unloading of vibratory machines is very simple. There are also other types of deburring machines like centrifugal machines, blasting machines and spinning machines that are used in special cases. In the blasting deburring machines, some media are blasted on to parts to deburr them.

In a tumbling machine, tumbling barrels are present to hold the parts and the finishing media and compounds. They are available as floor (large) and bench (small) models. The parts and the finishing media are lifted from the barrel’s corners by the movement of the machine and they bump and slide against each other. The media that is used in barrel tumbling depends on the roughness of the finishing that is required, the nature of the parts being tumbled and whether polishing or deburring is the prime requirement.

In barrel tumbling, parts can be used without using any media too in special cases. Usually, barrel tumbling is used for wet processing but in some cases where there is a need, dry finishing can also be done using them. Wet barrel finishing is intended for processing metals. They can be used for removing burrs, polishing and improving surface appearance. A dry barrel system gives a finish that is smoother and more uniform than a wet finishing barrel. In factories where there is not much water, dry barrelling is the ideal option. Tumbling barrels are ideal for heavy loads; they function optimally when they are 50 % loaded. Screen doors can be added to barrels for use in separating parts. For more details on the different kinds of deburring machines available from finishing industry experts, go to http://gravcollc.com/

Using Walnut Shells For A Bright Finish

Finishing media is a term used to describe material or materials that alters the appearance of a part by cutting off rough edges or deburring them. Finishing media is also used in cleaning, burnishing and polishing of parts and their surfaces. Further, they are used in anti rusting and coloring also. There are many types of finishing media like plastic finishing media, ceramic finishing media, Dry finishing media and wet and dry finishing compounds. There are machines like vibratory system, tumblers and spinning systems in which the finishing is carried out – by putting the finishing media and the parts together. The media rubs against the parts, effectively deburring them. The degree of finish can be manipulated by increasing or decreasing the speed of these machines. It can also be controlled by the type, size and shape of the media being used.

Walnut shells come under the category of dry finishing media; they are nothing but treated walnut shells. The shells are grounded to grit of varying dimensions to suit different needs (depending on the nature and weight of the part being finished). The walnut shell media can be used in cleaning and finishing applications. They are ideal for tumble finishing of metals like brass, bronze and aluminium. Walnut shell grit finds use in oil well drilling, to keep the circulation going. It is also mixed with abrasive paints used typically around swimming pools, in walkways etc where they act as anti skid agents.

Walnut shell media is made by crushing the walnut – it is hard and fibrous in nature. They are long lasting, angular and have many faces. They are mildly abrasive. The main advantage of walnut shell media is bio degradability. It is there fore environment friendly and non toxic. It can be reused many times over. It suits both tumbling and vibratory systems and reduces finishing operations time substantially. Because it is only mildly abrasive, it retains micro finishes; while removing the top layer of paints, it protects the base coating of paints.

Deburring can be defined as a finishing method typically used in manufacturing and industrial units. Metals are made into parts of different shapes and sizes by welding, molding or casting etc. The resulting pieces have jagged edges called burrs. The process of removing the burrs is called deburring. It is essential to make high quality parts that are smooth and functional while being aesthetically appealing too. Abrasive materials are normally used as deburring media. The process of deburring is applied in the wood industry, for wood pieces too. Deburring media varies in composition, shape and size depending on the part being deburred. Ceramic deburring media is used for heavy metals, synthetic or plastic media is most suited for less aggressive needs, precision media that come as small pins and spheres are used on surfaces and parts that need precise and delicate handling, natural media like corn cob and walnut shells for non abrasive deburring and finishing compounds for deburring with a good polishing effect. For further details, log on to http://gravcollc.com/

Tumbling Barrels For That Great Polish

Finishing is a term to describe the process of burnishing, cleaning, deburring and separation of parts using machines and materials called media to assist in the process. It is an important process to ensure that the parts come out with high quality in terms of a smooth fit and proper functionality apart from becoming aesthetically sound. There are primarily two types of machines used in mass finishing of parts – that is finishing of several parts together. These are tumbling or barrelling machines and vibratory machines.

Tumbling barrels are typically used for rough and tough jobs on hard metals. They are very good for deburring of heavy burrs. They are also recommended for burnishing, radius-ing of jagged edges plus breaking parts from runners. They can unction with or without using finishing media. Tumbling barrels are ideal when the loads are heavy; such loads cannot go on vibratory systems. These barrels run at optimum level when they are half filled. Barrels that have screens can be used as a plastic deflashing machine. Parts can be separated when screen doors are installed in these barrels.

There are wet and dry tumbling barrels. Wet barrel involves batch processing which means the parts are processed as batches. They are used for deburring and polishing, radius-ing, cleaning and improving the surface appearance and smoothness. Processing metals is best done in wet tumbling barrels. This equipment can be used in dry processing too, when needed. Dry barrelling is also a batch processor which is normally used to polish and deburr without liquids. Dry barrels can deflash, grind and form radii too. Compared to a wet system, these produce smoother and more uniform finish. Predominantly, wet tumbling is used in tumbling barrels. But specific cases like lack of readily available water make the dry process a more viable option.

Centrifugal barrel machines are also used in mass finishing of parts. They have gained a lot of popularity because they are the fastest finishing machines available today – about 20 times faster than a vibratory sytem’s cycle times. They are high energy machines in which the parts are placed in closed barrels. Finishing media, water and finishing compounds are added on. The barrels rotate to provide a sliding action inside which gives a uniform finish to the parts. The barrels are made of steel or a composite material and have urethane lining. They can be removed for loading and unloading purposes. Composite barrels can be used where cycle times are expected to be under an hour. For longer durations and larger machine, steel barrels are advisable.

The centrifugal barrel machines come with electronic controls that make them very simple to use. These controls include a process timer that controls the rotation times. There is an emergency stop for crisis situations. Indicator lights help in process tracking. Safety features are there to ensure that these machines cant run without covers and other locks in place. They are also typically wired for different voltage needs. For gaining more insights, http://gravcollc.com/ can be referred.

Getting a Smooth Finish Using Corn Cob Media and Vibratory Compounds

Finishing media and finishing compounds can be defined as material that are used to remove sharp edges and burrs from parts to make them smooth and provide a good finish and polish effect. There are vibrators, tumblers and spinning machines among others that are used to produce the finish. The finishing media and compounds are used in these machines for varying periods of time to give the desired finish or polish.

Corn cob media come under the dry finishing media type. It is treated corn cob that is powdered to different dimensions depending on the finish requirements. They can be used to achieve very fine finishes in the 1 Ra range and meet any requirements for a decorative finish. Corn cob media is environment friendly as it is made from the hardened cob ring and is organic in nature. It has the advantage of being capable of use as tumbling and vibratory media and can absorb oils, grease and dirt. It can be used to dry parts while keeping their surface safe. Corn cob media also finds use as a burnishing grit for soft metals like brass and bronze. The weight and type of the part to be finished determine the size of the corn grit in the corn cob media.

The corn cob media are re-usable and long lasting as they do not break down easily. They are bio degradable and organic in nature; they can be burned. They are very clean and pose no environmental threats. They can be used effectively on plastics as well as metal surfaces for giving a good finish. They are capable of absorbing water and oils and are effective cleaners. They can be used even on parts with micro finishes as the corn cob media does not harm the surfaces. They are very cost effective too.

Vibratory systems impart a cutting and finishing action by vibrating the processing tub at certain speeds which causes the media or vibratory compounds to scrub against the parts. The scrubbing action in turn removes or cuts sharp edges and provides a smooth finish on the parts. The vibratory compounds can be used in places where precise finishing is required. For instance, to remove excess material embedded in the recesses of a bore, they can be used effectively. They can also be used on large surfaces without worrying about the surface safety as they are gentle even on delicate parts. By controlling the speed of the vibratory system, it can be used on smaller or larger surfaces. BC-300X is one of the wet vibratory compounds and is used for burnishing of parts. It is acidic in nature and can be used on all metals. It is very effective with steel media. It is super effective in cleaning and imparts a corrosion inhibitor for all metals. BC-320 is a wet burnishing compound that works well in vibratory machines. It is specifically for use on aluminium metal and produces a very bright finish. For more information on finishing media, go to http://gravcollc.com/

Obtaining A Great Finish With Finishing Compounds and Plastic Media

Finishing compounds come in 2 main varieties – wet compounds and dry compounds. There products for different purposes including cleaning, rust proofing, burnishing, colouring and ferrous cutting. These compounds also come in standard packaging sizes of 5 gallons and 55 gallons. Among the wet compounds, AQUA-2000 and A-400 are used for cleaning jobs; AR-614-L and AR-620 are ear marked for anti rust jobs; the BC series like BC-300 and BC-351 are used for burnishing parts; CLC series is used in cleaning; U-620 is used as all metal cleaner and inhibitor while U-2339 is used for acidic burnishing.

Dry finishing compounds (which are in powder form) are typically used in burnishing, colouring, cleaning and cutting. BC-311 produces heavy lather and is used in tumbling barrels for burnishing all kinds of equipment. CC series is used for colouring of high energy equipment to create a bright part; they can be set on zinc and aluminium. The D series is meant for cleaning purposes - D4 is an abrasive cleaner while D7 is an alkaline metal cleaner. The FGC series is used specifically for ferrous cutting. FGC-100 is a paste mixture with soap. It acts abrasive in suspension mode and is meant to be used where dust is a concern. FGC-131 is non-abrasive and is used in removing oil and grease from oily parts. The NFC series is used in non-ferrous cutting; they are mildly abrasive and alkaline in nature and can be used with any media type.

Plastic deburring media for use in finishing metals are available. The plastic media are used for faster cutting and fine finishing. The media are of high quality and are long lasting too. With a vast experience in the metal finishing industry a company can boast of being able to find a solution for any type of finishing requirements. Plastic media come in different shapes and varying sizes. Shapes include cones, TET – 3 sides, pyramids, stars, triangles, wedges and diamond shaped pyramids. Sizes range from tiny to more than 2 inches in height. The main types are standard plastic media and speciality synthetic plastic deburring media. They come in packaging sizes having 50 numbers each.

The Lusterwhite series are good for very low Ra finishes and provide excellent wearing. For good wear and pre plate finish on all metals, Superbrite series is used. Gravilon series provides excellent wear and pre plate finish; they have variants and come with and without zircon. Gravilite is used for fast cutting needs. Gravilox is used for fast cutting and matt finishing. For very fine, fast cutting and fine finishes on exclusive metals, the speciality synthetic plastic media is used. For further information on finishing media and compounds, log on to http://gravcollc.com/

Manufacturer of Tumbling Media

David Scheetz is principal owner and CEO and Robert Summey is Sales manager. These two together bring over fifty years of metal finishing experience to Grav Co LLC.

Grav Co LLC manufactures the finest mass finishing equipment and supplies in the marketplace. We build Torex vibratory finishing machines, deburring machines, Grav-i-Flo disc finishing, high speed and low speed barrel finishing, tumbling barrels, centrifugal barrel machines and spin finishing equipment in our Sturgis, Michigan plant. We also manufacture vibratory finishing media, corn cob media, plastic deburring media, walnut shell media, and various liquid and tumbling compounds, and have a very good line of ceramic finishing media.

The trade name Grav-i-Flo has been synonymous with quality finishing equipment and supplies for over sixty years.  We are able to provide you a quote on standard equipment, and supplies in one day or less. We ship most supply orders in one to two days. We are a world class supplier of finishing equipment and supplies.

New Products

A new product line currently on the drawing board is standard parts washers. We are building a cellular style belt and rotary drum washers. If you have a parts washer project currently that you think a simple belt or drum washer will suffice, we build a very good washer at a very competitive price. Try us, I think you will like the products and our team. Let us help you resolve your finishing needs.