Finishing Parts With Deburring Machines and Ceramic Media

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Deburring machines also known as finishing machines or mass finishing machines are used for deburring of parts and components. Deburring is the process of removing jagged ends and smoothing, polishing and cleaning of parts. Parts to be deburred are put into deburring machines along with deburring media and compounds; when the machine is started, the parts and the abrasive media rub against each other causing the deburring action to take place. 

Book edge rounding machine

There are two primary types of deburring machines - vibratory machines and tumbling machines. Vibratory machines have a processing or finishing tub that can vibrate at high speeds and with short strokes. This causes the parts to scrape against each other or if finishing media is present to scrape against the media. This scraping action is effective in removing burrs from the parts. Vibratory machines are precise in their cutting and at the same time gentle on the parts. So, it is very safe to finish even intricate parts in these machines. Because of their short stroke movement, they are also ideally suited to act on large bulky surfaces like wing spans. These deburring machines also effectively remove any unwanted materials wedged into holes in the parts. Vibratory deburring machines can be fully automated or semi automated so that the entire finishing process can happen with minimum intervention. Tumbling deburring machines are most suitable for heavy and aggressive removal of burrs. They are used on heavy loads and have optimum efficiency when they are about 50% full. Wet and dry deburring machines are there - wet for cutting extra material and to polish while dry for mass polishing of delicate and intricate parts, without the use of liquids. The finished parts that come out of dry deburring machines typically have a hand buffed look.

Ceramic media are man made finishing media that is typically used with hard metals - they can be used for fast and slow deburring as well as for heavy and light deburring. They are made of silica with other abrasive ingredients which are fired together at a high temperature to for hard shapes that feel like cement. They come in pre-formed shapes like cylinders, cones, wedges, tristars and ellipses and are available in different sizes. They last long, cost less and have multiple uses.

The ceramic media are highly effective on very heavy loads. They can be used to remove excess material that is stuck in the recesses of parts because of their varied shapes. Parts that have complex geometric formations can be deburred with ceramic media of different shapes so that corners, edges and holes can all be worked on effectively. Depending on the finishing requirements, ceramic media can be had with more abrasive composition or less. Ceramic media is used very often in the deburring process. They are available even in very small sizes; these can be used with parts having small holes that need deburring. The ceramic media reduce the cycle times of the finishing process by a considerable extent. These media are suitable to be used with all types of finishing machines.