Available as rotary vibrators and centrifugal disk finishing systems, Rosler’s part-on-part finishing machines can accommodate various ammunition pieces including blanks, cups, deep-drawn casings, cartridge primers, and bullets.
While the manufacturing step and finishing operation of each component varies by work piece and desired result, common mass finishing operations for ammunition based on the specific work pieces are summarized below.
Crankshafts are an integral automotive component. Utilized to convert piston movement into rotational motion, these work pieces must provide reliable stability and withstand tensile, compressive, and shear stresses.
Let’s take a closer look at mass finishing
machines offering outstanding processing for crankshafts.
Typical Machines
Built with specific work pieces in mind, Rosler designs
several machines to process crankshafts and other automotive work pieces.
Due to their considerable size and weight, the only mass finishing machines capable of handling the deburring of crankshafts after machining are mid- to large-sized tub vibrators or linear, continuous flow vibrators.
Selecting one machine type over the other largely
depends on the work piece’s size.
It’s hard to dispute that technology, on the whole, has made our lives easier and more convenient. Myriad functions have been automated – and improved – to mitigate the effects of human intervention. We make purchases more intelligently, we manage data more efficiently, we can control devices with our voices and eye movements, and we ultimately move through life with less left to chance.
In the world of manufacturing, this mitigation of human intervention promises even greater and more measurable, efficiencies. At Rosler Metal Finishing, quality improvements and cost benefits that have resulted from the mechanization and automation of mass finishing and shot blasting operations deliver dividends that transcend the manufacturing floor.
Rosler Multichannel System
Since the first microprocessor-controlled machine appeared
on the manufacturing floor in 1974, hundreds of new varieties have been shipped
across the world. With each improvement, these automated attendants encompass a
larger footprint, are able to handle heavier loads and more axes, and require
fewer controllers to do their work, according
to a McKinsey study.
Automation has revolutionized smaller tasks as well,
including simple parts bin handling, lift assists, automatic media adding
systems, or multi-step process control systems (like those where noxious
chemicals are dosed, without human risk, into the process).
So how do these automation
upgrades pay off for you? Let’s start by taking a look at where mass finishing
and shot blasting has fit into the manufacturing paradigm. Then we’ll dive
deeper into the benefits of today’s automated processes which have a lasting
impact on the finished product.
In addition to viewing work piece impingement as an asset, this type of mass finishing also eliminated the need for ceramic, plastic, and other types of media. The only additives required for such part-on-part finishing are water and the respective compounds.
Rosler Metal Finishing designs and manufacturers two machines specifically for part-on-part mass finishing known as WTA rotary vibrators and MK centrifugal disk machines.
The applications and benefits of each machine provide a range of part-on-part mass finishing uses for sturdy parts in bulk. Let’s compare their designs.
WTA Rotary Vibrators
Rosler developed special WTA rotary vibrators especially for part-on-part processing. These machines not only allow running the finishing/washing process, but also the subsequent drying stage in one single machine.
Used in heavy trucks, heavy equipment, and, even,
large ships, crankshafts enable an engine to move a vehicle by converting the
reciprocating (up/down) movement of the pistons/connecting rods into a
rotational movement that propels the vehicle forward.
Depending on their size, weight, and production volume, crankshafts can be blast-cleaned in different machines. Rosler Metal Finishing offers solutions for a wide range of crankshaft types with weights from 15 to more than 500 lbs and lengths from 10 up to 80 in and more.
Typical Machines
Built with specific work pieces in mind, the
machines designed to process crankshafts are as diverse as the work pieces they
accommodate.
Automation is changing the way mass finishing and shot blasting processes are delivered. In this five-part blog series, Rosler Metal Finishing will explain what has given rise to automation trends, the human factors of these manufacturing upgrades, and how such automated processes deliver benefits to your business.
Those of us of a certain age remember a portrayal of robotics
that, in hindsight, was rather quaint: human-looking automated machines would
be crisscrossing our landscape, delivering us food and wardrobe, pumping our
gas, collecting our garbage, or – in a more macabre rendering – leading a rise
of the machines that would eliminate the human race.
Rosler Surf Finisher with automation options
In reality, Rosie the Robot and the Terminator have not ruled the world, as predicted by Hollywood. Today, faceless, automated machines, arms, and processors are streamlining the way in which products and services are delivered.
In fact, a World Economic Forum article found that the 2020s will be the “age of automation,” with manual jobs making up only 35 percent of the manufacturing labor force by the end of this decade (a drop from 48 percent, as measured in 2016).
Mass finishing processes require pressure and constant rubbing to achieve the desired finishing results. In most cases, these applications require media specifically selected for its material, size, and shape to act upon work pieces and achieve the required effects. Some mass finishing applications also seek to eliminate or reduce part-on-part impingement or contact to protect delicate and high-value work pieces.
Conversely, part-on-part mass finishing intentionally exposes work pieces to impingement and encourages contact between work pieces and the resulting pressure to create finishing effects without the need for ceramic, plastic, and other types of media. The only additives required for such part-on-part finishing are water and the respective compounds.
Rosler Metal Finishing designs part-on-part mass finishing machines, known as WTA machines, which help reduce cost per piece through the elimination of media consumption and faster processing times.
Ideal Work Pieces
Part-on-part finishing is ideal for small, bulk parts
that are made of brass,
steel, aluminum, and even small ceramic components.
Crankshafts are a key component of internal combustion engines, be it mass-produced engines for motorcycles and automobiles, engines for heavy trucks, off-high highway equipment, and even large ships.
Crankshafts convert the reciprocating (up/down)
movement of the pistons/connecting rods into a rotational movement that drives
the wheels and allows a vehicle to move forward.
Considering that automotive crankshafts weigh around
40-60 pounds and rotate approximately 100 times per second, these parts are
exposed to tremendous tensile, compressive, and shear stresses. In addition,
combustion forces and piston acceleration in an engine can also cause
significant vibration.
Therefore, crankshafts must be made from tough,
wear-resistant materials, usually high alloy carbon steel. Typical alloying
elements are manganese, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, or vanadium.
With
worldwide sales at nearly $10 billion annually, there is a high demand for
spinal implants. These implants are subject to very specific and strict surface
finishing requirements to ensure longevity and fixation to bone.
Mass finishing and shot blasting play key roles in creating the right finish for spinal implants, not only for intermediate surface treatment after forging, casting, machining, additive manufacturing, etc., but also for placing the final surface finish before implantation.
At Rosler Metal Finishing, we believe in helping our clients in many industries find a better way to finish and process their products. Part of our success comes from understanding their industry, their process requirements, and market drivers.
Leaders are overwhelmingly positive about their business growth prospects. Nine out of 10 expect revenues to increase and more than half (58%) anticipate strong growth of 5% or higher per year over the next five years. More than two thirds (70%) of manufacturers expect to increase the number of people that they employ over the next five years.
