Polishing Eyes

An interesting thread (edited slightly) on the ShopTalk Forum:

Question: We are looking to for a way to polish parts made from a clear urethane casting resin, shore hardness 85D. We currently do all hand polishing and the result is a high glass type polish and looks good.

Response: Urethane is designed to be very resistant to abrasion and does not polish the way most plastics do. Most of the work must be processed in a wet operation with a ceramic or porcelain polishing {Precision Ceramic} media in order to provide enough pressure to abrade the urethane. If the starting finish is rough, the {first step using general purpose} ceramic and abrasive (i.e., pumice) will smooth out the surface. The "pre-polish" would be done in the porcelain media using a fine Aluminum Oxide powder - 100 to 150 grit. Start the water level very low (30% ) and then after 6hrs, raise the water level to even with the top of the load. Run overnight. The final high polish would be achieved using a dry process with wood pegs and {Microlyte} polishing cream . It may take 6-12 hrs to achieve the final polish.

Mass Finishing Basics (Part 2)

The two types of barrel finishing systems are rotary barrel tumbling and centrifugal barrel tumbling. Both mass finishing techniques use tumbling media, water (usually) and compounds to tumble parts inside a closed barrel. The similarities end there.

Rotary barrel finishing is an abrasive process that involves a sliding and rolling motion of the media/parts load. Filling the barrel 50-60% full allows the upper layer of the load to slide down (due to gravity) as the load is turned-over. Changing the load size as well as the ratio of media to parts to water to compound will create more or less aggressive operations. This ancient mass finishing technique is a highly economical, time-tested technique.

Centrifugal barrel finishing creates more sliding action at higher rates as the individual barrels spin independently of the turret rotation (think of the carnival ride with individual cars that spin while the entire carousel of cars are spinning) . The high centrifugal force created inside the barrel compacts the media/parts load and results in low part to part interaction. These high forces also lead to lower cycle times and very smooth, consistent surfaces finishes.

Getting Aggressive with Tumbling

Barrel tumbling is a time tested method to deburr, polish and create a desired surface finish. Vibratory tumbling is a new (well...newer) technology that also works great and has replaced barrel tumbling for deburring and surface finishing for lots of reasons. The aggressiveness of a vibe is largely limited by the tumbling media being used.

Welcome back - barrel tumbling. Extremely aggressive processes can be achieved in barrel tumblers. Rough cut, laser cut, parts with lots of slag and scale, heavily rusted parts can be tumbled successfully part-on-part in a barrel tumbler. The weight of each part acting on the others creates an environment in the barrel that will clean these parts in a way that a vibe never could. Adding a grit to the process will add to the cutting action.

Sure, it's a loud process. It can even be a little dirty. But the results speak for themselves.

It's the Economy!

The economy has been getting a lot of attention as the presidential candidates and Congress argue about the best way to 'fix' it. While all these macro-economics discussions are interesting on a "micro" level we continue to see inflationary pressure on our raw materials.

It seems that every new year brings a new round of price increases from our suppliers (along with a cheery 'Happy New Year'). We are analyzing everything we are doing to minimize the effect for our customers. So far, for most products we have been able to keep any increases to a selective few products.

2008 should end up being an exciting year and we will continue to work hard to do things Right From The Start!

Tumbling with Steel Media

Polishing all types of metal with steel media is an established procedure for many industries. As the price of steel increases (especially stainless grades), many companies are looking at barrel and vibratory tumbling with carbon steel instead of stainless. The BIG disadvantage of carbon steel is rust. Of course, the big ADVANTAGE is cost.

Keeping carbon steel clean and corrosion-free is critical to getting an acceptable surface finish on the parts. Using the proper chemical compounds is the answer to this problem. Even though acid compounds will return the rusted steel to near original condition, this should be avoided as this can actually make rusting problems worse.

Steel media should first be restored with a cleaner (like Kramco 750) containing sequestrants, detergents and be pH buffered to remove the corrosion and prevent flash rusting. The second step is to treat the shot with a rust inhibitor that will both prevent rust formation and not contaminate the parts {like oil based rust inhibitors}. Simply tumbling the steel media with a non-durable rust inhibitor (like Kramco 510) for a few minutes, draining the solution and then letting it air dry will keep the shot clean and bright even during longer term storage.

Corn Cob Grit for Everything!

Just a few applications and advantages of Corn Cob Grit:

• Log home blasting - won't damage logs or etch wood
• Spill clean-up - absorbs more than 100% of it's weight in oil and water
• Burnishing - used in barrel and vibratory tumblers to brighten metal and plastic parts
• Degreasing - absorbs cutting oils, grease and soils for cleaning parts
• Biodegradable - 100% organic, natural, no health hazards
• Abrasive - it's soft, but can be used in abrasive hand soaps
• Playing field absorbent
• Reusable in blasting applications - lowers operating costs and can even extend life of other more expensive media
• Parts drying - vibe and barrel tumbling to dry parts after deburring and/or polishing steps