Whether it be a process for polishing, surface cut down, grinding, deburring, cosmetic finishing, or just cleaning, an appropriate media is available. Choosing the media can seem daunting at first, with over 1700 various media and compounds available. Therefore, sample trials are of significant importance. Here are three considerations to think about when choosing the right media: Continue reading 3 Things To Consider When Purchasing Mass Finishing Media
Rösler Turnkey Vibratory Finishing, Washing And Degreasing In Continuous Feed Mode
“No Contaminants < 30 µm” – A Demand Perfectly Met
Vibratory finishing with subsequent part washing represents a process combination that meets ever-increasing cleanliness specifications. By matching the right equipment these requirements can be easily fulfilled in linked, fully automatic processes as well as in stand-alone systems.
Continue reading Rösler Turnkey Vibratory Finishing, Washing And Degreasing In Continuous Feed Mode
Every Day From Start To Finish
Mass finishing isn’t a term that everyone would necessarily know. Mention it to most
people and you’re likely to be met with a blank stare or a look of bewilderment. Interestingly though we all come in to contact with the things it does on a daily basis. So to explain this we thought we’d take you through a day in the life of Rösler mass finishing:
How Big Is 1μm?
When designers and manufacturing companies specify surface finishes more often than not we’re talking in micrometres (µm), but what exactly is a µm?
1 µm is 0.001mm or one thousandth of one millimetre. In other words it is a very fine measurement and as such it can be hard to comprehend. So the best way to understand it for many of us is to compare it to everyday things we’d know, such as a cigarette paper, human hair, paperclip wire or needle.
This image from our partners Haas illustrates how these items measure up and what a µm equates to in comparison. For more details on their range of machining centres please visit their website at: http://www.haas-schleifmaschinen.de/en/
In comparison to microinches (written as µin or µ”) 1 µm = approximately 40 µ”. 1 µ” being equal to one millionth of an inch (0.000001”). (So a 15µm surface finish = 600µ” and a 320µ” surface finish = 8µm as examples of conversions).
To understand more about surface reading types and how they are calculated, please see our post on A Guide to Understanding Surface Roughness Measurement Types
Post written by
Stephen Lewis-Brammer
General Manager
The Reasons Why Super Finishing Enhances Component Performance
Super Finishing removes the asperities that are inherent in the manufacturing process. By safely removing these microscopic peaks, the Super Finishing process leaves a much more uniform surface that reduces friction and allows for increased lubrication capability. While the dimensional integrity of the part remains intact, the result is an improved component that will operate at lower temperatures, have increased durability, quieter operation and increased time between maintenance.
Better surface properties on gear teeth and other functional surfaces are responsible for:
- reducing friction and wear;
- reducing operating temperature, even at high speeds;
- eliminating any need for ‘run in’ time and reducing the risk of component failure at the initial stages of its life;
- reduction of vibration and noise within the unit, again increasing its marketability and improving its performance;
- cleaner lubricant as a result of reduced component wear producing ‘debris’ to pollute the component’s working environment (resulting again in shortening the component life span);
Continue reading The Reasons Why Super Finishing Enhances Component Performance
PureFinish® Stainless Steel Treatment For Optimum Hygiene
PureFinish® is a post-processing technique. This technique allows stainless steel to be finished to a smoother surface with a low and reproducible SRI value below 0.010. In practice, this produces a surface with a very low degree of adhesion characteristics. The PureFinish® treatment has been extensively tested by TNO. TNO, a Dutch organisation is the leading institute for Applied Scientific Research. The SRI value (Soil Retention Index) was investigated because this parameter most accurately describes the relationship between surface structure, contamination and cleanliness.
Within the food and pharmaceutical industries hygiene is a top priority, not only for safety but also to prevent contamination and to ensure the quality of the product in terms of taste, aroma and appearance. The occurrence of contamination through bacteria, proteins or other elements must therefore be prevented. Process plants require a defined, homogeneous and reproducible surface for all parts that come in contact with food, beverage and pharmaceutical products.
Continue reading PureFinish® Stainless Steel Treatment For Optimum Hygiene
Blast Cleaning Of Welded Constructions
These machines are capable of cleaning and descaling complex welded fabricated components and constructions. They are designed specifically to clean wide head and base plates, ribs, re-enforcements along with the welded seams after construction.
All round blasting is achieved after 3D simulation and actual placement of the blast wheels in the optimum locations of the blast chamber. The chamber can be designed with 2 blast zones, each zone designed to blast clean the surface of the infeed side and the second, the outfeed side and end. As the fabrication passes through the chamber, all gussets, re-enforcements, ribs, angles are descaled and cleaned to Sa Swedish standards and with the desired profile to optimise the adhesion of the coating to be applied.
The equipment requires to easily meet the most stringent customer specifications regarding surface cleanliness and cost, for steel traders, steel fabricators, equipment manufacturers, shipyards and manufacturers of wind power stations. In wind power applications roller conveyor systems are utilised for shot blasting of the steel sheets or plate required for the fabrication of the towers for off-shore and land based windmills.
Typical applications fall into these fabricating industries:
- Steel traders/ distributors
- Steel fabricators
- Equipment manufacturers
- Gas and oil
- Aerospace
- Power generation – including wind turbine columns
- Transport – rail, bus, lorry, earthmoving, agricultural
- Steel portal frame, tower block, stadium and steel construction
- Bridge , crane, access, scaffolding and lifting gear
Partners for Steel
There are distinct benefits to be offered by the cooperation between the manufacturers of both shotblast equipment and multispindle drill/saw lines. The objective of cooperation (as partners for steel) is to support customers in resolving the interface problems between the various technologies, integrating shotblasting, measuring, marking, drilling and sawing or punching and shearing or coping and profiling thereby offering customers added value and profit from the processing of steel.
Click here for information on cleanliness standards
Click here for information on surface profile
For further information on roller conveyor shot blast machines please click here
Post written by
Haydn Kitchen
Shot Blasting Technical Manager
