Tag Archives: Rotary Vibrators

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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Mass Finishing Process Water, Part 2 – Maintain Adequate Drainage to Protect Your System

Numerous functions and calibrations factor into developing a precise and stable mass finishing process. From media and compounds to work piece characteristics and processing times, successful finishing requires each process aspect to be carefully monitored and evaluated. When it comes to process water flow rates, poor drainage from the machine can cause quality control issues as well as equipment damage and costly downtime.

While simple in their function, drains play an integral role in regulating the flow of process water out of the machine. With the exception of intentional “flooding” of the process bowl for sharp work pieces, the same amount of compound and water entering the machine must be flushed out again. Otherwise, contaminants in the form of dirt, media, metal fines, and, frequently, oil will accumulate in the process water. Since this buildup can cause the finishing process to deteriorate and even collapse, mass finishing machines must have sufficient drainage!

With more than 80 years of experience, Rosler can expertly design mass finishing technology and troubleshoot issues to protect your system for the life of the machine.

Machine Features

Most mass finishing machines, including rotary and tub vibrators and drag‐, plunge‐, and surf‐finishers have special drainage screens built into their work bowls. High-energy centrifugal disc finishing machines differ since the “dirty” process water is evacuated through the gap between spinner and work bowl.

Drain types used in rotary vibrators.

Made from plastic such as polyurethane or stainless steel material, these drains must allow process water and media debris to be flushed from the system while retaining usable media mix and the work pieces.

Continue reading Mass Finishing Process Water, Part 2 – Maintain Adequate Drainage to Protect Your System

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

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

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

Innovative Vibratory System Offers Precision Finishing of Delicate Work Pieces

Innovation is at the heart of engineering. At Rosler Metal Finishing, our engineers are constantly finding a better way to help our customers meet their surface finishing needs. That’s why they developed the R 150 DL-2 rotary vibrator.

In addition to uses in the aerospace, automotive, tool and die making, electrical engineering, and equipment manufacturing industries, the R 150 DL-2 has proven its worth in the medical industry as well. In fact, this machine helped Waldemar Link GmbH & Co KG (LINK®) process its endoprosthetic components.

The R 150 DL-2 was an excellent choice for LINK’s new “bi-mobil” hip implant. The implant offers patients a higher degree of mobility by inserting a movable PE joint in the acetabular cup. The PE-joint in turn is clamped to the ball of the hip stem. To minimize friction and prevent premature wear, the inside of the cup requires an extremely smooth surface, which can only be achieved with a high gloss polished finish—something the R 150 DL-2 easily achieves where other surface finishing companies failed.

The perfectly smooth, polished inside of the acetabular cup minimizes friction adn prevents premature wear.
The perfectly smooth, polished inside of the acetabular cup minimizes friction and prevents premature wear.
Continue reading Innovative Vibratory System Offers Precision Finishing of Delicate Work Pieces

Part-on-Part Mass Finishing, Part 2 – Rotary Vibrators Versus Centrifugal Disk Machines

As described in Part 1 of our Part-on-Part Blog Series, some forms of mass finishing techniques encourage part-on-part contact to achieve the desired finish. 

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.

Continue reading Part-on-Part Mass Finishing, Part 2 – Rotary Vibrators Versus Centrifugal Disk Machines

Optimal Media Mix, Part 2 – Understanding Media Consumption

As we established in Part 1 of this seriesidentifying 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:

Continue reading Optimal Media Mix, Part 2 – Understanding Media Consumption

Using Vibrascope to Measure Amplitude v. Frequency in Vibratory Bowls

When it comes to mass finishing, amplitude and frequency require balance and careful consideration.  Amplitude is a measure of movement and intensity while frequency refers to the rate of repetition.

The wrong amplitude, for example, if  it’s too low, can create a lackluster finishing results and longer processing times. If too high it can cause unnecessary wear and tear on the machine.

Creating Vibratory Energy

Whether rotary or tub style, mass finishing vibrators always include these two key components; a work bowl containing the finishing media and the work pieces. Firmly attached to this work bowl is a vibratory drive system generating the energy to put the mass of media and work pieces in motion. The work bowl with attached vibratory drive system sits on a number of coil springs – in some cases on air cushions – which in turn sit on a machine base. The springs, respectively, air cushions allow the work bowl to “free float” up and down within a certain distance.

vibratory drive
Example of vibratory drive 

The force from the vibratory drive system puts the mass of finishing media and work pieces contained in the work bowl in motion. Depending on the type of finishing machine this force is generated by vibratory motors or electric motors driving a shaft with one or multiple imbalance units attached to it.

Imbalance units are made up of a rotating shaft with out-of-balance counterweights at each end of the shaft. Due to its imbalance, the rotating shaft causes an intensive wobbling effect.

Common drive systems in vibratory bowls and tubs include foot motors for small tub vibrators, flange motors for rotary vibrators, and multiple imbalance units with electric drives for large tub vibrators.

Continue reading Using Vibrascope to Measure Amplitude v. Frequency in Vibratory Bowls

8 Considerations When Purchasing a Rotary Vibratory Machine

Buying Mass Finishing equipment, as with all investments, can be a bit overwhelming at first.   There will surely be a number of suppliers and machine types available to you.  In order to ensure you get the best value for your money we recommend you consider the following when purchasing a rotary vibratory machine:

Movement– Appearances can be deceiving, don’t be fooled into thinking all machines are the same just because the look similar.  Always test the machine and its processing ability before you buy!  Test its amplitude, see how regular the movement is, is it consistently driving the same way?

Strength and durability – Check how heavy the machine is, usually you’ll find something costs less because it is made of cheaper and lighter materials.

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New Vibratory System Design Accommodates Complex Shapes

Vibratory finishing systems are best known for treating large volumes of mass produced parts. However, thanks to a variety of new, innovative equipment designs, they are increasingly utilized for finishing single work pieces with highly complex geometries.

An excellent example of this new equipment design is Rosler’s model R150/2 DL. A rotary vibrator without an inner dome, this unique finishing process allows for work pieces to be bolted to the vibratory processing bowl.

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