Tumbling-Media

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/

Finishing Parts Becomes Easy With Tumbling Media And Compounds

Tumbling media are materials that are used in the finishing process. They are loaded with parts to be finished into finishing machines, with or without tumbling compounds. They help in cleaning, smoothing and deburring of parts. Tumbling media can be man made or natural. Man made media include plastic media, synthetic media and ceramic media which come in preformed shapes. Natural media include walnut shell media and corn cob media. Tumbling media are used in finishing machines like tumbling barrels, vibratory machines and centrifugal machines.

Plastic media are otherwise known as tumbling stones. They come in shapes like cones, pyramids and triangles and have varying abrasive properties. They create smooth but dull finishes on surfaces and because of their light weight are suited for use on parts that might get damaged easily. They are safe on threaded parts and can be used on parts as a pre cursor to anodizing. The cone shaped plastic media act well on parts with holes and triangle shape acts well on edges and flat surfaces. Multiple shapes can be used on parts with complex designs.

Ceramic tumbling media are made of silica, minerals and abrasives mixed in different proportions and processed at high temperatures to produce hardened shapes. They are good for aggressive finishing needs and work well with hard metal parts. They suit usage with heavy loads that cannot be handled by plastics; they also come in smaller sizes and hence are suited for smaller parts. Synthetic tumbling media also come in different shapes; they weigh lesser compared to ceramic media. They are cost effective and are good to provide ultra smooth finishes. Compared to plastic media, they take more wear and tear and residue left from processing is lesser. They are ideal for use in high energy machines like centrifugal barrels.

Tumbling compounds are chemicals used to increase the effectiveness of media by ensuring that glaze is not formed on the parts during the finishing process. They act as abrasive agents and help in maintaining a nice color to the metal parts. They impart anti rust and anti corrosion properties to the parts when the right agents are added to them; they are effective cleaning agents and help in deburring by suspending debris and preventing them from getting re-deposited on the parts. The compounds are either alkaline or acidic in nature depending on the media they are used with.

The flow rate of the tumbling compounds should be matched with the volume of media being used for a good finish. Tumbling compounds are known to help in degreasing, descaling and removing grime. They help in lubrication of parts to protect them. They help in grinding, polishing and brightening of surfaces. They help to finish delicate parts by providing a cushioning effect and preventing damage to the parts. Acidic tumbling compounds enhance cutting speeds and bleaching efficiency. When used in proper combination with finishing media, tumbling compounds help to reduce cycle times substantially. To learn about the advantages of tumbling media and tumbling compounds, go to http://gravcollc.com/