Mass Finishing

Part 1 – Surface Finishing Requirements for Medical Instruments

Leave a comment

Rosler Metal Finishing understands that medical instruments are subject to stringent quality standards. Whether during an office visit or a complicated surgery, material defects or malfunctions may create dangerous and even fatal consequences for patients and healthcare workers alike. Providing precise and durable surface finishes  for work pieces used in the medical industry is one of our passions.

In a series of blog posts, we’ll discuss the various technologies used for finishing the surface of medical instruments and how mass finishing and shot blasting play a key role, not only as intermediate steps but also for placing the final, finishing touch on these work pieces.

We begin with a basic question: What are the surface finishing requirements associated with medical instruments?

Materials Matter

Medical instruments are exposed to frequent use and subject to highly corrosive atmospheres caused by frequent sterilization in a steam pressure chamber, exposure to chlorine wipes, and ultrasonic cleaning. They must never fail. To minimize wear and prevent corrosion most medical instruments, especially surgical tools, are made from tough, slow wearing, corrosion-resistant, high-performance metal alloys including austenitic stainless steel, titanium, or cobalt chrome.

Continue reading Part 1 – Surface Finishing Requirements for Medical Instruments →
Mass Finishing

Achieving Specific Finishes for Trauma Implants

Leave a comment

In our last trauma implant blog, Rosler Metal Finishing discussed the materials used in trauma implants. From hip replacements to cranial plates, there are numerous uses for trauma implants; each with its own unique surface finishing needs and requirements.

Trauma implant manufacturers must achieve the necessary surface finish to ensure patient safety and best results. These finishing requirements can range from simple cleaning or deburring to surface smoothing and high-gloss polishing.

  • Cranial plate being processed in a mass finishing bowl.
    Cranial plate being processed in a mass finishing bowl.

This blog will answer the question: What techniques are used to finish off trauma implants?

What types of finishes are used?

Trauma implants are subject to multiple finishing operations throughout the manufacturing process. After manufacturing steps including forging, blanking, machining, and thread cutting for screws, the workpieces usually undergo a surface cleaning (descaling, de-oiling), deburring, edge radiusing, or surface grinding operation, before they receive their final finish.

Continue reading Achieving Specific Finishes for Trauma Implants →
Shot Blasting

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 9 – Removing Residual Blast Media and Dust

Leave a comment

After shot blasting, structural steel components often require some cleaning. The degree of cleaning depends on the work piece’s condition prior to processing as well as machine set-up.

This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer How are residual blast media and dust removed from shot blasted steel components?

Why Remove Residue

Ancillary machine attachments and processes may be required to remove blast media and dust resting on structural steel components to ensure surfaces are properly prepared for painting and coating.

The need for a clean and well-prepared surface after shot blasting mirrors that of the pieces surfacing in the first place as discussed in Part 1 of this series.

Methods of Removal

Practically all plate and profile roller conveyor shot blast machines are equipped with a media brush-off system at the machine exit. By adding a rotary brush at the end of the process, residue is removed as the work piece exits the machine.

Continue reading Structural Steel FAQ, Part 9 – Removing Residual Blast Media and Dust →
Mass Finishing

The Importance of Material Selection in Trauma Implants

Leave a comment

Rosler Metal Finishing understands that trauma implants and medical devices are subject to stringent quality standards. Any material defect or malfunction can have catastrophic consequences for a patient. That’s why we take our work in the trauma implant field very seriously.

Also known as osteosynthetic implants, trauma implants include pins, screws, and plates used to surgically fix a bone defect. Implant manufacturers must select the right material and attain the required surface finish to ensure patient safety and best results.

Spinal Rods & Screws

In a series of blog posts, we’ll answer the most common questions about trauma implant materials and finishes.

We begin with a basic question: What materials are used in trauma implants?

The answer, in short, is usually stainless steel or titanium.

Does the material performance affect the selection?

In order to select the best material, trauma implant manufacturers must understand the specific performance attributes of the implant they are creating. Implants are subject to very strict performance and reliability standards. Selected materials must act as bone stabilizers and healing support while meeting the following guidelines.

Continue reading The Importance of Material Selection in Trauma Implants →
Shot Blasting

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 8 – Are All Turbines Created Equal?

Leave a comment

Shot blasting machines are widely used for surface preparation and finishing structural steel components for a variety of industries. In addition to specifically designing machines able to accommodate large, heavy, and bulky structural steel workpieces,  Rosler Metal Finishing also expertly designs the turbines within these machines for precise results.

Blast turbines accelerate and throw the blast media against the workpieces. They are for shot blast machines what the engines are for cars and trucks. Both determine the performance of the respective machine or vehicle including the speed of a sports car and the torque of a heavy-duty truck.

Like vehicle engines, the specifications of different turbines directly influence the performance of a shot blasting operation. This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer How do different blast turbines affect the quality of shot blasting results?

Blast Patterns

Blast patterns are the size and shape of the area where blast media strikes a workpiece as it progresses through the machine. The area of impact is also referred to as a “hot spot.” Long blast patterns are required to accommodate the large size of structural workpieces.

Concentrated blast patterns are often used in shot peening, but would not offer enough finishing coverage for structural steel applications. Similarly, the normal blast patterns used for casting and forgings are also not effective for structural steel.

Continue reading Structural Steel FAQ, Part 8 – Are All Turbines Created Equal? →
Shot Blasting

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines

Leave a comment

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines

Steel construction and steel trade, shipyards and ship building, and heavy equipment and machinery building rely heavily on specially designed shot blasting machines to prepare their components.

Rosler Metal Finishing expertly designs shot blasting machines for these industries and others to descale, clean, and prepare structural steel for surfaces for end-use. The particulars of each machine largely depend on the size and shape of the specific components in need of preparation.

This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer What are the most commonly used blast machines for structural steel surface preparation and how do they compare?

Machine Types by Workpiece

Whether surface preparation is needed for steel beams and plates, round bars, pipes and weldments, ship building, pipeline construction, or heavy equipment and machinery, there are machines tailored to produce consistent surface finishing results for each component.

The most common machine types by component include:

  • Roller Conveyor Machines for Plates and Beams
  • Round Bar and Pipe Machines
  • Roller Conveyor Machines for Large, Extra Heavy Components
  • Spinner Hanger and Monorail Hanger Machines for Large Components

Continue reading Structural Steel FAQ, Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines →

Mass Finishing

Optimal Media Mix, Part 2 – Understanding Media Consumption

Leave a comment

As we established in Part 1 of this series, identifying and maintaining an optimal media mix is essential to realizing optimal mass finishing results. Rosler Metal Finishing  understands that our equipment must work in tandem with media to provide you with the desired finishing results.

Understanding how your machine, the work pieces it is finishing, and the selected media will interact is key to delivering an optimal finish each cycle. Doing so requires understanding media consumption factors in order to maintain an optimal media mix.

What are the Factors of Media Consumption?

Media consumption and wear rates depend on ten key parameters. These rates change if even one of the parameters below change. Therefore, quoted wear rates and cut rates are relative values only.

Media usage can only be estimated, the actual consumption can only be determined by the end user under exact process conditions.

Parameters affecting media consumption include:

Continue reading Optimal Media Mix, Part 2 – Understanding Media Consumption →

Shot Blasting

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 6 – Blast Media’s Influence on the Steel Surface Profile

Leave a comment

The surface profile created by shot blasting depends entirely on the blast media and the way it is handled. The right media selection and equipment operating parameters are critical for the surface quality of structural steel components being prepared for paint coating. While mineral abrasives play a role for certain air blast applications, the lion’s share of industrial surface preparation is done in highly mechanized turbine blast machines utilizing steel media.

turbine screenshot
Media being thrown by a blast turbine.

Rosler Metal Finishing has decades of experience in the turbine blasting field. Through the years, we’ve used and evaluated all kinds of media and resulting roughness or lack thereof. This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer:

What influence does metallic blast media have on the surface profile
of structural steel?

Continue reading Structural Steel FAQ, Part 6 – Blast Media’s Influence on the Steel Surface Profile →

Mass Finishing

Optimal Media Mix, Part 1 – Identifying and Maintaining Proper Levels

Leave a comment

The best mass finishing equipment is useless without the proper media. That’s why the experienced engineers at Rosler Metal Finishing pair their quality equipment with the right type and amount of media to achieve consistent results.

Understanding how your machine, the work pieces it is finishing, and the selected media will interact is key to delivering an optimal finish each cycle. Doing so requires understanding why media levels are important, determining and tracking levels, and evaluating media consumption to avoid issues.

How do Media Levels Effect Processing?

Without a proper media level, a machine won’t work properly. Levels that are too high and too low can cause issues that result in poor processing results and unnecessary workpiece and machine damage.

Continue reading Optimal Media Mix, Part 1 – Identifying and Maintaining Proper Levels →

Shot Blasting

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 5 – Assessing Surface Profile

Leave a comment

Besides the degree of cleanliness – the removal of oil and grease, rust and mill scale, dust, and other contaminants – surface preparation specifications must also consider the surface profile and roughness relative to the coating to be applied.  Rosler Metal Finishing builds shot blasting equipment to create the right surface profile on structural steel components as well as cleaning them in preparation for coating and painting.

dscf0063
Painted steel exiting a preservation line

This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer What is the optimum the surface profile for a structural steel component prior to painting and how is profile evaluated?

Optimizing for Painting

Shot blasting makes a surface rougher to increase the total contact area between paint and a work piece substrate and generally improves paint adhesion. A surface that is too smooth poses the risk of inadequate paint adhesion, while a surface that is too rough may not cover the peaks. The degree of surface profile required depends entirely on the coating to be applied.

Continue reading Structural Steel FAQ, Part 5 – Assessing Surface Profile →

Shot Blasting and Mass Finishing Surface Finishing Experts

%d bloggers like this: