Inovatec MachineryThe largest cylinder head polishing machine manufacturer in China.

Cylinder Head Polish – The Definitive Guide

Cylinder heads are crucial components in combustion engines. They allow airflow and fuel inside the engine’s cylinders.

They also control the flow of exhaust gases out of it.

This clearly shows how the cylinder head is an integral part of an engine.

Polishing a cylinder head is not as easy as a walk in the park. It requires time and experience.

In this article today, you will learn:

• How to polish cylinder heads
• The ideal polishing media to use when polishing your cylinder head.
• The benefits of using mass finishing machines to polish your cylinder heads.

Keep reading this article to find out more.

1. Which polishing media is used to polish cylinder heads?

You can polish your cylinder head using polishing media to make the process a success.

Now, there are three kinds of polishing media you can use to clean these cylinder heads.

The first one is the plastic polishing media. Synthetic media is a beautiful polishing media.

Plastic polishing media is popularly used nowadays. It neither cracks under pressure nor chips.

You can have it in different shapes and sizes to fit the cylinder head you want to polish.

However, plastic media is not highly aggressive, as it is used to polish lightly.

Plastic media will not give you a shiny look on the surface of your cylinder head.

The second polishing media you can use is porcelain media. It is more rigid than synthetic polishing media.

Porcelain media contains elements of ceramic material, which makes it robust.

Porcelain media is not as aggressive as other robust media, which makes it the perfect polishing media for the process.

Porcelain media also comes in different shapes and sizes, which will enable it to clean every inch of the cylinder head.

The right size and shape prevent your polishing media from lodging into the cylinder’s ports.

For cylinder heads that will require more substantial polishing action, you can use ceramic media.

Now, ceramic media is one of the robust polishing media today.

It cleans exceptionally well and can even give off a shiny look on the surface of your cylinder head.

Similar to plastic and porcelain media, it comes in different shapes and sizes.

2. How does a vibratory tumbler polish cylinder heads?

A vibratory tumbler polishes cylinder heads exceptionally well, by ensuring that all corners of the cylinder head have been polished.

The trough vibratory tumbler is the machine that is used to polish your cylinder heads.

The trough vibratory tumbler has a deep and long trough, which is robust. It can withstand heavyweights.

For fragile parts, you can use another kind of vibratory tumbler, whose trough is divided into several compartments.

The reason why this division is necessary is that it prevents part-to-part contact.

Vibratory tumblers have an exceptionally robust motor that is used to shake the trough vigorously.

The vigorous shaking is what creates the polishing effect by generating friction between your cylinder head and polishing media.

This rapidly polishes your cylinder head effectively and efficiently.

You can add polishing compounds to the process to enhance the final look of the cylinder head.

Some vibratory tumblers come with acoustic lids to cover the top of the tumbler when the process is in play.

The acoustic lid greatly reduces noise and prevents the spillage of polishing compounds.

You can start the polishing process by issuing commands to the machine via its control console.

You’ll only need to set the duration of the process and the vibrating speed.

3. What is the process of cleaning aluminum cylinder heads?

Aluminum cylinder heads are one of the widely used materials in both car and motorcycle engines.

They are cost-effective and efficient. That is the primary reason why it is popularly used.

Now, what you need to do to polish your aluminum cylinder heads is to primarily have the tub vibratory tumbler.

You can use either plastic or porcelain polishing media depending on the degree of polish that you require.

Polishing compounds can also be added to enhance the polishing process.

Polishing compounds help to make the surface less rigid and also to get rid of any impurities.

The process can run for several hours.

The best thing about the vibratory tumbler is that it will not require any supervision.

After the set duration, the machine will automatically stop polishing.

You can, therefore, then get rid of the polishing compound safely.

Separation of parts and media will not be difficult because the cylinder heads are big parts.

All you’ll need to do is to check whether any polishing media particles have lodged inside the pockets of your cylinder head.

4. How long does it take to polish cylinder heads?

Polishing cylinder heads using a vibratory tumbler should not take long.

The machine completes the polishing process rapidly, which makes the process effective.

There are numerous factors to consider to determine the length of the process.

The duration will depend on the degree of polishing that you will need.

Polishing your cylinder head to achieve a sleek and shiny look will, of course, require a considerable amount of time.

The polishing media that you’ll use will also determine how long the process will be.

The more aggressive the polishing media, the sooner the polishing process will be completed.

The material used to make the cylinder head will also dictate the amount of time taken to complete polishing.

For example, titanium cylinder heads will take a longer duration compared to aluminum cylinder heads.

Bottom line:

The process should take a maximum of hours as the vibratory tumbler is a robust machine, and it cleans rapidly.

5. What is the benefit of using vibratory tumblers when polishing cylinder heads?

There are several benefits of polishing your cylinder heads using vibratory tumblers.

The first benefit is that you get to polish even the most intricate parts of the cylinder head effortlessly.

Using mass finishing machines is less stressful than using manual polishing methods.

The second benefit is that you get to reduce the risk of damaging the cylinder head.

The vibratory tumbler does not alter the shape of the cylinder head, because any faulty alteration may cause that head unusable.

The third benefit is that the control console of the cylinder head is relatively easy to use.

You can set up working parameters with this control console, which makes you enjoy using the machine.

The fourth benefit is that the machine can come with an added feature – the acoustic lid.

The lid greatly reduces noise and curbs spillage of polishing compounds.

The machine has a huge and robust tub that helps it to polish huge and heavy parts, such as the cylinder head.

Bottom line:

The tub vibratory tumbler is the ideal machine for polishing your cylinder heads.

You can polish even fragile cylinder heads using dividers to divide your trough to avoid part-to-part contacts.