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Good Vibrations

in Vol. 8 - May Issue - Year 2007

Vibratory Finishing Job Shop Centres And Their Manifold Ways To Make Customers Happy… (Part 1)

Author: Dirk Gather

Vibratory Finishing Job Shop Centre in Oranienburg - Easy to identify

If today interested companies ask for the technical performance of a metal finishing job shop centre, they may expect a bride range of functional and decorative surface finishing applications. From simple burr removal processes to high end multi step polishing operations there is a multitude of different possibilities. We want to give an insight into the experiences to interested MFN readers.
Vibratory finishing especially has developed to a high technology with thousands of different treatment and automation possibilities. Sometimes it is quite difficult to be clear what kind of machine or system is suitable for a surface finishing task: Standard Rotary Vibrators, High Energy disk systems, Continuous flow installations, Plunge or Drag finishing systems. The decision depends mainly on material, required surface quality and production volume. For that reason job shop centres have to fit out their production area with a number of varying surface finishing systems.
In many cases the vibratory finishing process is an intermediate stage between the mechanical production of a part and the final plating or coating operation. The quality of the vibratory finishing process has a big influence on the final quality of the treated part. For this reason job shop centres in their function as qualified subcontractors have to secure an optimum and stable treatment of every part. To achieve that, the application (introduction and improvement) of a suitable quality management system is instrumental in realizing the necessary steps at the production side.
In the MFN September 2006 issue we reported about strategies for meeting quality requirements, but now we will start giving an overview to the multiple choice of vibratory finishing technologies…
In the following table the reader will find the connection of mechanical manufacturing process, vibratory finishing or shot blasting operation and the final plating or coating process.
This first part will give a general idea of some standard vibratory finishing applications. The second part (MFN September issue) will go into detail about more innovative vibratory finishing operations.
What the reader will find is only an extract of many options how to treat the surface of a metal part. For questions or points of discussion everybody is invited to write to: vibfinshotblastforum@gleitschliffzentrum.de.

Manufacturing method, parts and material	Surface finishing task	Finishing process	Suitable equipment	Subsequent treatment (possible)	Comment
Pressed components: plates, leaf spring, coins, ferrous alloys, stainless steel, sheet metal parts	deburring, cleaning, degreasing, surface improvement	vibratory or centrifugal finishing process	rotary vibrators or flow through systems (e.g. Rösler Rotomatic) or high energy disk systems	electroplating or alternative corrosion protection treatment, electropolishing painting	Cost effective for small series as well as for mass production. Full automation possible
Turning / Milling: machine components, ferrous alloys, stainless steel, brass	deburring, surface improvement, polishing	vibratory or centrifugal finishing process	rotary vibrators, flow through systems or high energy disk systems (e.g. Rösler FKS range)	electroplating, electropolishing assembling	Increase in value, especially for decorative or medical parts
Castings: door furniture, light metal wheels, housings, gear and hydraulic parts, aluminium, zinc, ferrous alloys	deburring, grinding, smoothing, surface improvement	vibratory or centrifugal finishing process, shot blasting	rotary vibrators, flow through systems or high energy disk systems, various shot blasting systems as tumble belt batch or overhead rail machines	coating, painting, electroplating, anodizing	Combination with shot blasting operation possible
Forged components: automotive parts, fittings, cutlery, tools, aluminium, magnesium, titanium	cleaning, smoothing	vibratory or centrifugal finishing process, shot blasting	rotary vibrators, flow through systems, plunge grinding, drag finishing systems, various shot blasting systems as tumble belt batch or overhead rail machines	mechanical operation (turning / milling), anodizing	Combination with shot blasting operation possible
Laser cutting: sheet metal parts, plates, ferrous alloys, stainless steel	deburring, edge rounding, cleaning	vibratory or centrifugal finishing process	rotary vibrators or high energy disk systems	electroplating, electropolishing, assembling	Decorative surfaces in combination with shot blasting

Good Vibrations
by Dirk Gather,
Contributing Editor MFN
and Plant Manager
Gleitschliffzentrum Oranienburg
Tel. +49.3301.5232.0
Fax +49.3301.5232.29