Polishing Machined Aluminum

Taking machined aluminum parts and polishing to a smooth, uniform surface finish is often a multi-step process. Each step is designed to accomplish a different task. The part above has burrs, sharp edges and clear machine marks. Vibratory tumbling is the preferred process.

Step 1 - The edges are softened and the machine marks are removed using a Plastic Cone tumbling media. This media is selected due to it's lower density (vs. Ceramic Media) and lesser aggressiveness. The resulting surface finish is smooth and uniform. This part could be anodized to a matte finish, powder coated or painted with excellent results.

Step 2 - In order to brighten the part and prepare for anodizing to a higher luster, the part was tumbled with Polishing Precision Cearmic Spheres. While the finish is bright and smooth, the proper shape must be chosen to ensure that a uniform surface finish is achieved based on the geometry of the part.