Page 25 - MetalForming May 2012

B
and Tim Dyer, owners of Advanced Fin- ishing Technologies.
For light deburring, which removes the small, brittle burrs resulting from grinding operations, ceramic or plastic
Finishing (edge break- ing) the parts labeled
A occurred in a 10-min. continuous-
flow process with steel media. Rust
removal and edge
breaking of the parts lableled B
occurred in a 30- min. batch process
that included use of an acidic compound.
media get the call; steel media also can provide parts free from sharp edges, for subsequent handling operations. For heavy burr removal or heavy cleaning, metalformers should opt for a fast-cut- ting media to remove heavy burrs caused by sawing, milling, drilling, turning and other similar operations. For radiusing, which rounds sharp edges or corners, shops can select from a variety of media, depending on part
requirements.
A Means to an End
Mass-finishing equipment can be divided into these major categories: various types of vibratory finishers, high-energy centrifugal disc/barrel fin- ishers, drag-finishing machines and barrel tumblers. During drag finishing, parts are fixtured and dragged through a stationary media bed at a high rate of speed. The process proves ideal for fin- ishing parts with numerous contours that may be difficult to finish in manual operations or that are adverse to part- on-part contact.
Tumbling barrels—seldom used in manufacturing environments (due to ergonomic issues, say the Dyers)— impart the least amount of finishing action and typically produce longer cycle times than any of the other equip- ment types.
Vibratory finishers—circular bowls or tub-style—are the most common type of mass-finishing equipment. Bowl- style machines prove ideal for finishing large numbers of small parts, and can
A
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