Tag Archives: Vibratory Tubs

How to Use a Vibrascope to Measure Vibratory Bowl Amplitude and Frequency

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, can create lackluster finishing results and longer processing times if it is too low. 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 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 media and work pieces in motion. The work bowl with an 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, act as air cushions allowing the work bowl to “free float” up and down within a certain distance.

Continue reading How to Use a Vibrascope to Measure Vibratory Bowl Amplitude and Frequency

Mass Finishing Machine Settings Series, Part 2 – Determine Imbalance Weight Settings for Consistent Results

Specific mass finishing applications are developed through processing trials. Once defined, users should not deviate from the determined machine settings unless necessitated by work piece or process changes.

Rosler partners with clients to provide testing in our global Customer Experience Centers to demonstrate our capabilities on a specific work piece and to calibrate machine settings. Determining the exact machine settings requires considering and testing multiple factors.

Vibratory Systems

The most common drive systems in mass finishing are vibratory. This refers to actual finishing machines such as rotary, tub, and linear continuous flow vibrators as well as auxiliary equipment like screening systems, vibratory conveyors, buffers, etc.

In all of these cases, the speed of the vibratory motor or the electric motor driving the imbalance unit(s) may have to be adjusted as well as the setting of the imbalance weights.

Continue reading Mass Finishing Machine Settings Series, Part 2 – Determine Imbalance Weight Settings for Consistent Results

Monitor Wear Linings to Maintain Process Efficiency, Increase Equipment Longevity

Mass finishing machinery is a major investment for most companies. Proper maintenance and preventative repairs over the life of these useful and necessary machines will greatly improve the return on such investments, drive productivity, and extend the working life of the equipment itself.

Rosler stresses the need to regularly inspect the linings of vibratory tubs and troughs to identify repairable issues before permanent damage occurs.

Media-Induced Wear

To effectively finish work pieces, media must be matched to the specific finishing task and initial state of a work piece. For example, media used for deburring/edge radiusing and surface grinding can be very abrasive. If not properly protected by a suitable wear lining, the steel construction of a work bowl would be completely worn through in a few hours by contact with the media and work pieces.

Continue reading Monitor Wear Linings to Maintain Process Efficiency, Increase Equipment Longevity

Automotive Crankshafts, Part 3 – Typical Mass Finishing Machines Used for Crankshafts

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.

Rosler Metal Finishing has extensive experience finishing crankshafts and other automotive work pieces with specially designed shot blasting and mass finishing equipment.

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.

Continue reading Automotive Crankshafts, Part 3 – Typical Mass Finishing Machines Used for Crankshafts

Aerospace, Part 1 – Cost-Effective, Mechanical Finishing for Large, Structural Aircraft Components

To this day, the surface of large structural aircraft components is frequently finished by hand. This process is not only costly, but extremely inefficient and hard to replicate with absolute conformity.

Airplane Landing Gear

Rosler Metal Finishing is changing the notion that suitable mechanical finishing equipment is not available for large, structural aerospace components by offering mass finishing technology capable of solving this problem and providing fully automatic finishing of work pieces up to 30 feet long.

We kick off our Aerospace Series with an overview of the cost-effective and mechanical finishing options Rosler offers for the Aerospace industry.

Vibratory Tubs Offer a Solution

Thanks to the development of large, powerful vibratory tubs manual deburring and grinding of large aircraft components can now be eliminated. The development of perfectly controlled mechanical finishing systems offers finishing solutions for applications where the biggest rotary vibrator, because of the size of the parts, might still be too small.

Continue reading Aerospace, Part 1 – Cost-Effective, Mechanical Finishing for Large, Structural Aircraft Components

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

Part 2 – Aerospace Applications for Vibratory Finishing

Vibratory tub finishing is a great alternative to manual surface finishing for the aerospace industry.

From engine components and wings to landing gear, properly designed vibratory tubs can accommodate unwieldy work pieces, reduce production times and back logs, and produce a more consistent finish than manual finishing processes.

Our last blog post provided an overview of vibratory finishing’s role in the aerospace industry.

We now turn to specific applications and machine reports to demonstrate Rosler Metal Finishing’s vibratory finishing offerings and capabilities.

What We Offer

Vibratory tub finishing machines from Rosler can be customized to meet your unique aerospace finishing challenges.

Our most useful features include:machine2

  • Unload gates with external screening units.
  • Automatic media return.
  • Integrated rinse stations for finished work pieces.
  • Gantry systems for easy material handling of heavy, bulky parts.
  • Ergonomic equipment designs.

All Rosler tub vibrators are equipped with special vibration dampers to prevent the transfer of vibrations to the immediate environment. In order to keep the noise level below 80 dB(A), the machines are placed in special noise
protection cabins.

Continue reading Part 2 – Aerospace Applications for Vibratory Finishing

Part 1 – Vibratory Finishing Replaces Manual Finishing in Aerospace Industry

The aerospace industry  demands precision and high quality. The processes used to finish aerospace work pieces should adhere to the same rigorous demands.

Gone are the days when the surface of large structural aircraft components is frequently finished by hand. Thanks to the development of large, powerful vibratory tubs, costly manual deburring and grinding of large aircraft components can now be eliminated by highly controlled mass l finishing systems.

Finding A Better Way

Manual deburring and grinding are tedious and costly. Attempting these types of mass finishing by hand usually causes large quality fluctuations with relatively high scrap rates. Above all, manual processes demand highly skilled labor, which is especially hard to find in today’s economy and tight labor markets.

The lack of skilled labor and manual inefficiencies can lead to severe bottle necks in production and long lead times.

Continue reading Part 1 – Vibratory Finishing Replaces Manual Finishing in Aerospace Industry