Intuitive Post Processing Preserves Intricate 3D-Printed Details

AM Solutions, a brand of The Rosler Group, provides post-processing solutions for a number of customers worldwide.

For leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and high-precision cutting plotters, Mimaki, Rosler and AM Solutions collaborated with the Japanese printer manufacturer to develop a fully automated surface finishing system for a Full-Color Inkjet 3D Printer.

Through collaboration, a fully automatic machine capable of safely removing support structures for work pieces with the finest detail was developed.

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ITAR Compliance Protects Surface Finishing Customer Data, National Security

Protecting sensitive customer information is a priority at Rosler whether in the form of intellectual property, proprietary manufacturing designs, or non-disclosure agreements. When it comes to matters of security and safety, we’ve gone a step further to create International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) Compliance Programs.

In addition to delivering industry-leading mass finishing and shot blasting equipment, consumables, and service, Rosler’s expertise includes discrete handling of customer information in all industries, including aerospace and defense.

What is ITAR?

Administered by the U.S. Department of State, the legislation that created ITAR regulates the import and export of defense and military-related technologies. Its intent is to prevent foreign access to technologies included in the United States Munitions List (USML) by controlling access to the technology itself and associated data.

All companies and organizations involved with manufacturing, exporting, or furnishing defense articles and services – including second- and third-tier suppliers – are required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and comply with ITAR regulations.

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A Holistic Look at Automated Blasting in the Modern Metal Fabrication Shop

Written by Rosler CEO Bernhard Kerschbaum, this article was originally published in The Fabricator.


Modern metal fabrication operations aren’t like the fab shops of old. Many are clean, well lit, with employees working in fresh, filtered air. Yes, some operations in fabrication are, well, just plain dirty—and manual blasting is a prime example. The work isn’t pleasant, requires protective gear, and if the booths aren’t maintained or set up properly, they can constrain workflow in a serious way.

Options in blasting automation abound, but before diving into all that technological wizardry, try laying some groundwork by answering a fundamental question: What must the blasting operation accomplish?

Shot Blasting Versus Shot Peening

Shot blasting (or just “blasting” if using a different media other than shot) prepares a metal surface while shot peening aims to change the metal’s properties (see Figure 1). Certain aerospace applications require precise levels of stress relief (or other changes to material properties), and they use specialized shot-peening technologies to achieve it. Precision shot peening of landing gears is a prime example, with the process optimizing surface stresses, eliminating microcracks and the stress risers around them.

Most metal fabricators employ blast cleaning for the vast majority of their applications, cleaning and preparing a metal surface for the next manufacturing step, usually painting. If a beam or plate isn’t blasted correctly, paint won’t adhere properly. However, some fabrication operations do employ a kind of peening—not as precise as high-end peening applications, but it’s peening nonetheless, with the media impacting the surface and causing compressive stresses that aim to change the material’s properties.

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Partnership Provides Excellent Finish for Deep-Drawn Medical Components

Deep-drawn functional components are increasingly being utilized in the production of medical and pharmaceutical products. To meet the strict standards for manufacturing and quality management in the field of surface finishing, Hubert Stüken GmbH & Co. KG has relied on mass finishing solutions and consumables from Rosler for more than 30 years.

Founded in 1931, Hubert Stüken GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned business with manufacturing operations at five locations in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Its product range includes stamped and bent parts, plastic-coated components, and complex assemblies.

Rosler works with Stüken Medical, the company’s medical business division which focuses on medical and pharmaceutical engineering, to meet the increasing demand for deep-drawn metal components.

Andreas Hellman, Manager of the ISO 13485-certified business division, explained, “Components used in the field of medical and pharmaceutical engineering must meet strict quality standards. The same strict standards apply also to the actual production operations. For this reason, we have pooled the required know-how for the development and production of such precision components at Stüken Medical.”

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Single-Source Supplier Helps Job Shop Operation Expand into New Markets

As a supplier of mass finishing and shot blasting equipment as well as consumables and service, Rosler understands the need for multi-faceted operations and the corresponding flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and innovation required to be successful.

B+S Metallbearbeitung GmbH (B+S), a job shop based in Southern Germany, also provides various surface finishing services. Its multi-faceted mass finishing operations include deburring and polishing as well as shot blasting, part cleaning, and packaging.

B+S handles a broad range of work pieces with different shapes, made of different materials, requiring different finishes, and coming from all kinds of industries. To create a streamlined and one-stop supplier, B+S chose to work with Rosler for its surface finishing equipment and consumables.

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Shot Blasting 101

Shot blasting is a specialized surface finishing process where small metal (or mineral) pellets, called blast media, are thrown onto the surface of a work piece at incredibly high speeds. With rates of speed ranging from 200-800 feet per second, the impact on the work pieces from this process is what produces the desired surface finishing effect.

Shot blasting can help achieve surface cleaning, surface preparation, descaling, deburring, deflashing, and shot peening.

The process components of a shot blasting system include a shot blast machine, raw and finished work pieces, blast media, dust, and other byproducts. Rosler has more than 80 years of experience in developing comprehensive shot blasting systems.

The two most common types of shot blast machines are turbine blasting and air blasting.

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Interlinked Mass Finishing and Cleaning Systems Half Processing Time

Because of a positive experience with four continuous flow washing machines operating at its headquarters, VIA Oberflächentechnik (VIA) decided to work with Rosler for a comprehensive mass finishing and cleaning operation.

The resulting interlinked system meets the most demanding cleanliness specifications while achieving significant cycle time reductions and cost savings and providing a high degree of operational flexibility.

The Situation

Headquartered in Lennestadt, Germany, VIA sought an integrated solution for de-oiling, mass finishing, and deep cleaning of stamped and formed parts. 

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Mass Finishing Work Piece Handling Series, Part 3 – Maintaining Wear Linings

Adequate wear linings are an important factor in ensuring work pieces are efficiently handled in a mass finishing machine. Along with the method speed of transfer as well as the media selection and separation, the condition of a machine’s wear lining factors into the quality of process results.

Thick linings assist with work piece handling by providing a cushioning effect, yet thin or damaged wear linings allow unwanted knicks, scratches, and dings.

With more than 80 years of expertise in surface finishing, Rosler can assist with all aspects of your mass finishing process including proactively eliminating potential work piece handling issues.

Observing Machine Conditions

Regularly checking the lining of your work bowl(s) and trough(s) for wear is one way to ensure parts don’t get accidentally damaged during processing. Inspecting linings consistently will help identify repairable issues before permanent damage to the machine occurs.

To effectively finish work pieces, media must be matched to the specific finishing task and the initial state of a work piece.

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Testing & Expertise Overcome Shot Blasting Challenges

For nearly a decade, Sales Representative and Interim Product Manager of Turbine Blast Equipment Zack Murray has been one of Rosler’s top shot blasting experts. 

Working with customers and our global Customer Experience Centers, he helps develop and test surface finishing machines and media in addition to dialing in specific process parameters.

At times, adhering to the Rosler motto and guiding principle of “finding a better way…” can be difficult and complicated. Luckily, Murray and the entire Rosler team are committed to delivering world-class surface finishing equipment, consumables, and service in a variety of industries.

In this post, Murray shares the most challenging issue he has tackled at Rosler and how the team developed a solution.

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Blade Technology: Straight vs. Curved Blades Explained

As an expert in the shot blasting industry, Rosler knows about blade technology. All shot blasting machines require blades to propel media towards workpieces. While both straight and curved blades are used, each type offers advantages and disadvantages.

What are the Differences?

Straight blades are, as the name suggests, blades that do not have curvature when viewed from the side and do not possess tangential curvature with respect to the turbine. Curved blades are blades that have some degree of curvature when viewed from the side.

As the newer design, curved blades are generally better than straight blades, but they also have some drawbacks related to longevity, maintenance, and cost of ownership.

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Shot Blasting and Mass Finishing Surface Finishing Experts

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