Tag Archives: Media

Consumables, Mass Finishing

Avoid Media Glazing to Prevent Process Inefficiencies, Breakdown

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Media plays an essential role within a mass finishing process. Whether ceramic, plastic, or polishing and drying, optimal media mix and conditions must be maintained to produce precise finishing results.

“Glazing” occurs when the surface of the media becomes contaminated with metal fines and other debris from the work pieces. As a result, the media becomes very shiny and frequently looks like a piece of aluminum, brass, steel, zinc, etc.

Because glazed media completely loses its original surface properties, it no longer has any grinding effect. Instead, glazed media creates a sort of uncontrolled burnishing. It also retains dirt and other particles which are then deposited on the work pieces.

The image above depicts (from left) media states include clean, heavily glazed, partially cleaned, and fully cleaned.

Rosler has more than 60 years of media production experience. In that time we’ve seen—and corrected—countless examples of ineffective surface finishing as a result of media glazing.

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Consumables, Mass Finishing

Mass Finishing Media, Part 3 – Why Discharging Undersized Media, Maintaining Media Levels Are Crucial

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Mass finishing processes are effective because the motion of media against work pieces transforms the surface of the work pieces. The deflashing, descaling, edge rounding, polishing/smoothing, cleaning/oil removal/degreasing, and/or grinding effects change the surface of the media itself along with the work pieces.

As a result, media wears down over time, losing its shape, size, and effectiveness. Known as undersized media, this worn media must be discharged and replaced with fresh media to ensure proper processing and safety.

Whether a process uses ceramic, plastic, or polishing and drying media, Rosler stresses the importance of monitoring media levels and the mix of new and worn media for precise and safe mass finishing results.

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Consumables, Mass Finishing

Mass Finishing Media, Part 2 – Tips for Measuring Media-to-Work Piece Ratio

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Maintaining the right ratio of media to work pieces is essential to achieving precise, repeatable results in mass finishing processes where work pieces and media loosely tumble in the processing bowl.

Ensuring that the work pieces are properly embedded in the media allows the media to perform its designated grinding or polishing function as well as cushioning the work pieces from damage caused by part-on-part impingement.

Building upon our last post on the series about navigating the complex media selection considerations, Rosler’s team of experts now discusses tips for determining the best media-to-work piece ratio.

Basic Rule of Thumb

The standard ratio of media to work pieces is around 3-to-1 by volume – meaning that the mix is 3 parts media to 1 part of work pieces – but the exact ratio varies based on the aggressiveness of finishing required as well as the work piece’s material, shape, size, weight, and delicacy or lack thereof.

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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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Consumables

Consumable Innovations Improve Finishing Outcomes

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True to our mantra of “finding a better way…” Rosler Metal Finishing is constantly working to optimize our consumables. These improvements and additions to our offerings improve process stability, cost efficiency, and productivity of surface finishing processes.

From media composition and compounds to wastewater handling, Rosler is dedicated to constant enhancement in the area of consumables as well as our mass finishing and shot blasting technology.

Media

One such example is Rosler’s development of a plastic media with the grinding and non-chip characteristics of ceramic media. Minimizing the risk of work piece damage, this range of high-density plastic media exactly achieves this frequently requested combination.

High-density plastic media
High-density plastic media
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Consumables, Structural Steel

A Year in Review – Top Blog Posts from 2019

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At Rosler, we believe in helping our clients in unique markets find a better way to finish and process their products. According to Grand View Research, Inc., the global structural steel market is expected to reach USD 140.4 billion by 2025. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. Increasing construction spending in emerging economies is projected to drive the demand for structural steel. Maybe that’s why our top posts this year included a series on Structural Steel. Enjoy the following recap.

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

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.

Media comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes

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.

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Mass Finishing

Optimal Media Mix, Part 2 – Understanding Media Consumption

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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:

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Mass Finishing

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

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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 →

Mass Finishing

Optimized Finishing Processes Can Reduce Operational Costs

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You don’t throw your media out with the waste water, so why would you purchase new mass finishing equipment or muddle through with an inefficient process when optimization can extend the life and enhance the effectiveness of your processing equipment?

Whether a result of increased production needs or in response to poor performance, optimizing your mass finishing process is a great way to reduce operational costs and lower your equipment’s total cost of ownership.

A Proactive Approach

Revising a process to meet increased production demand is a cost-effective way to not only improve your processing times and results, but also increase and prolong your equipment’s usefulness.

Let’s say production has been steadily building over time. How do you know if it’s time to evaluate the process?

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Consumables, Mass Finishing

Mass Finishing Tip 2. Check That The Media Condition Is Good

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Abrasive media (for deburring, radiusing, blending machining marks, etc…) needs to have an ‘open face‘ to work as it should.  This is where you can feel the abrasive particles when dragging your finger nail over the surface of the media (like a file).

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