Tumbling-Media

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/

Good Finish For Parts With Deburring Machines And Media

Deburring is the process of removing jagged edges or protrusions from parts, mostly wooden and metal parts. Deburring machines are used to accomplish the process of deburring. Primarily two types of deburring machines are used – tumbling or barrel machines and vibratory machines. Tumblers are used for mass finishing of parts. They can be used for wet as well as dry finishing. These systems are well suited for fast and efficient deburring of plastic and metal parts or components. There are models that are available in different sizes from compact bench models to big barrels that can be fixed on floors. Tumbling systems are very important deburring systems in use. They are typically used where heavy deburring is required. Barrels are ideal for heavy loads. Dry tumbling is used when delicate deburring is called for and produces a smooth finish. Wet barrelling is used for metal processing to remove excess material as well as to provide a polish.

Vibratory deburring machines are also used for mass finishing. They function by shaking or vibrating the processing vessel, which causes the finishing media and parts to scrape against each other thus accomplishing a deburr and producing a polish. These deburing machines are precise and can deburr even recesses in the parts and hence they are very well adapted for delicate and intricate components. They can also be used on large surfaces because they have very short strokes and high speeds. These machines can be automated quite easily compared to tumblers.

Blasting machines are another type of deburring machines in which media is blasted on to parts under high pressure thus creating a finishing action. Blasting machines are used to deburr hard to reach parts and also to clean parts of dust, grime, rust etc. There are also other deburring machines like gyra machines, centrifugal disks and spin finishing machines for specialized usage.

Finishing media are used in finishing systems to aid in the deburring process. Ceramic media is ideal for use with hard metals that need heavy cutting action. They are generally used for polishing and deburring – light, heavy, fast or super fast deburring. For applications that need small sized media, ceramic media is highly recommended. They come in pre formed shapes to suit different purposes. Cones, stars, triangles, cylinders etc are some of the shapes in ceramic media. These shapes ensure easy separation of parts and deburring of hard to reach areas. Ceramic media are long lasting and inexpensive. As they can be used for multiple requirements, they are the most commonly used in the mass finishing industry.

Ceramic media are made as a combination of silica, minerals and abrasive materials and are manufactured at very high temperatures thus producing hard ceramic media which are then cut to the desired length. The rougher deburring applications call for a ceramic media that has more density. By using more abrasive in the manufacturing, high density can be achieved. But high density means faster wear and tear; so they are used only rarely. Go to http://gravcollc.com/ for more information on deburring machines and media.