Tag Archives: Forge & Foundry

Forge & Foundry, Shot Blasting

Forge & Foundry, Part 1 – Shot Blasting Systems

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Preparing castings and forgings ready for the subsequent processing steps presents some of the toughest surface finishing challenges. Shot blasting machines can handle all of these tasks from removing residual sand, casting shells, flashing, die marks, or scale.

Whether cast iron, steel, stainless steel, super alloys, titanium, aluminum, zinc, or magnesium, the comprehensive portfolio of Rosler blasting systems for the forge and foundry industries can develop the optimal process for any requirement.

Principle & Popularity

Shot blasting is an essential part of most forge and foundry operations and has been used since the late 1800s. This specialized surface finishing process throws small metal (or mineral) pellets, called blast media, onto the surface of a work piece at incredibly high speeds, ranging from 200-800 feet per second.

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Shot Blasting

Foundry-Specific Shot Blasting Achieves Increased Efficiency

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Replacing a shot blasting machine for a long-time customer requires finding a better way to deliver efficient finishing in a faster, smaller, and more maintenance-friendly way. That’s exactly what Rosler delivered when Linde Material Handling (Linde) returned to us for a shot blasting upgrade.

Linde is a supplier of forklift trucks and warehouse equipment and also provides technical intralogistics solutions and services. With a sales and service network spanning more than 100 countries, the company has a global footprint.

For this particular partnership, Linde’s foundry in Weilbach, Germany, challenged Rosler to supply a new shot blasting system capable of finishing and maneuvering the counterweights it manufactures for forklifts. Our solution was a sturdy foundry version of a continuous hanger shot blast machine known as the RHBD 22/27-F.

The Situation

Linde continuously strives to improve its manufacturing operations. As such, the new machines had to accomplish several goals, including faster processing, more flexible material flow, optimized utilization of available space, improved access to all critical maintenance areas, and increased overall efficiency.

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Forge & Foundry

Forge & Foundry, Part 12 – Media and Compound Selection, Effluent Handling Drive Success

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Regardless of the industry, the selection of media and compounds utilized in mass finishing can elevate or hinder finishing results. The handling of effluents – used process water – also factors into a process’ efficiency and end results.

With more than 80 years of experience, Rosler understands the demands of the forge and foundry industries specifically and how to achieve precise and consistent finishing results by combining the latest technology, well-designed machines, and consumables.

This installment of the Forge & Foundry Blog Series highlights how careful media and compound selection along with proactive handling of effluents assist in producing mass finishing efficiencies.

Ingredients for Success

Media and compounds are more than just “rocks” and “soap” thrown into a mass finishing machine. Instead, these consumables are sophisticated tools that can make a mass finishing process a success or a failure.  

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Forge & Foundry

Forge & Foundry, Part 11 – Top Mass Finishing Machines for Cleaning Die Castings

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Rosler Metal Finishing has decades of experience in the forge and foundry industries, especially when it comes to mass finishing for die-casted work pieces.

Our Forge & Foundry Blog Series continues with an overview of our top five mass finishing machines for precise cleaning of die castings.

Standard Rotary Vibrators

Media and parts are placed into a circular processing bowl in standard rotary vibrators. The energy from a vibratory motor causes the media and parts to freely tumble over each other. Some models are equipped with an internal separation device for separating the finished work pieces from the media.

Rotary vibrators can be used for batch and continuous feed processing.

The R620 Euro is one of Rosler's standard rotary vibrator models
The R620 Euro is one of Rosler’s standard rotary vibrator models

Rosler’s standard rotary vibrator models include the models EC, Euro, A, and R.

Ideal Work Pieces — Small to fist-sized die-castings such as shoe buckles, furniture fittings, gear shifter forks, electrical components

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Forge & Foundry

Forge & Foundry, Part 9 – Frequently Used Shot Blasting Machines for Forgings, Non-Sand Castings, and Powdered Metal Components

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Rosler Metal Finishing has worked in the forge and foundry industries for decades. With more than 80 years of experience, we have developed sophisticated shot blasting systems for countless work pieces including forgings, non-sand castings, and powdered metal components.

Our Forge & Foundry Blog Series continues with an overview of our shot blasting machines most frequently used on these specific types of work pieces.

It is important to understand your work piece and process requirements including whether components will be processed continuously or in batches. When it comes to finishing forgings, non-sand castings, and powdered metal components, our shot blasting machines are divided into three categories based on how the work pieces are fed into the machine: continuous, batch, and specially engineered shot blasting machines.

Continuous Shot Blasting Machines

RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine

Rosler RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine
Rosler RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine

The high-capacity, continuous feed RMBD is available in a heavy-duty version for large forgings and castings, which is equipped with 6 x 40 HP turbines, a steel-slatted work piece transport belt, and a magnetic separator.

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Forge & Foundry

Forge & Foundry, Part 8 – Frequently Used Shot Blasting Machines for Sand Castings

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With extensive experience in the forge and foundry industries, Rosler Metal Finishing understands that no two shot blasting processes and work pieces are alike. With that in mind, we continue our Forge & Foundry Blog Series with an overview of our machines offering excellent finishing for sand castings.

If you demand precise, repeatable results when shot blasting sand castings, consider the following machines. As always, the experts at Rosler are also available to develop a customized machine to accommodate your unique work pieces and challenges.

RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine

Rosler RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine
Rosler RMBD Continuous Tumble Belt Machine

The high-capacity, continuous feed RMBD is available in a heavy-duty version for foundry applications equipped with 6 x 40 HP turbines, a steel-slatted work piece transport belt, and a magnetic separator.

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Forge & Foundry, Shot Blasting

Forge & Foundry, Part 7 – Selecting a Shot Blasting Machine for Forgings, Non-Sand Castings, and Powdered Metal Components

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This installment of Rosler Metal Finishing’s Forge and Foundry Series continues with shot blasting machine selection considerations for forgings, non-sand castings, and powdered metal components.

While none of these work pieces contain sand, their surfaces may show oxidization or – in the case of ferrous metals – heavy scale/rust caused by iron oxide.

All forms of oxidization must be removed to ensure that subsequent manufacturing operations such as machining, coating, and painting are economical and efficient. Poorly cleaned work pieces may cause additional processing, premature wear on milling tools and drill bits, excessive pollution within coolant systems, and inefficient adhesion of coatings and paint.

Traces of oxidation may also impact the work piece’s functionality.

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Forge & Foundry, Shot Blasting

Forge & Foundry, Part 6 – Selecting a Shot Blasting Machine for Die Castings

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Our Forge and Foundry Series continues with tips for selecting a shot blasting machine for die castings.

Considerations for machine selection include:

  • Are the work pieces sturdy enough to allow for somewhat more aggressive processing or must they be handled gently without any part-on-part contact?
  • Is batch processing possible or must it be continuous?
  • Which work piece handling system is best: rotary drum, troughed belt, wire mesh belt, or overhead monorail system?
  • Can the work pieces be handled by robot, etc.?

Rosler Metal Finishing builds shot blasting machines that are designed to expertly prepare the surface of delicate and sturdy die castings and everything in between. We can design a machine that is perfectly matched to your work piece and process.

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Forge & Foundry, Shot Blasting

Forge & Foundry, Part 5 – Cleaning Features & Dust Precautions for Sand Castings

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Our Forge and Foundry Series continues with a look at the cleaning required for sand castings and the collection of removed contaminants.  

Rosler Metal Finishing builds shot blasting machines that are equipped to prepare the surface of sand castings as well as collect removed contaminants for a consistent workpiece finish and the health of the utilized machine and personnel.

What design features must be considered in blast turbines used for the cleaning of sand castings?

Baked-on molding sand, sand cores, and scale/rust on the sand castings are difficult to remove and require turbines with a lot of fire power. Turbines with curved throwing blades, such as Rosler’s Gamma G series, have proven to be exceptionally effective since, compared to straight-bladed turbines, the curvature of the blades generates up to 25 percent higher throwing speeds!

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Forge & Foundry, Shot Blasting

Forge & Foundry, Part 4 – Selecting a Shot Blast Machine for Sand Castings

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Building upon the information shared in our last Forge and Foundry Series post about sand casting, we now turn to the process of selecting and designing machines to specific sand casting operations.

Selecting the right shot blasting machine for your process and work piece means understanding how the work pieces and machine will interact. Here are common questions Rosler Metal Finishing receives when developing perfectly specified solutions for sand casting.

How do work piece delicacy, size, and weight influence the machine choice?

Before choosing a machine, the following questions must be asked:

  • Are the parts sturdy, allowing for aggressive processing, or must they be handled gently, without any part-on-part contact?
  • Is batch processing possible or must it be continuous?
  • Which work piece handling system is best: rotary drum, troughed belt, wire mesh belt, overhead monorail system, or heavy-duty crane or trolley on rails for extremely heavy work pieces weighing several tons?
  • Can the work pieces be handled by robot or is a custom-engineered shot blast system the best solution?

It is extremely important to find a supplier that can offer a machine that is perfectly matched to the work piece characteristics.

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