- Batch processing of connecting rods
- Top of the line finish for your automotive parts
- Polishing, deburring, burnishing of connecting rods
- Machined, cast iron, aluminum, titanium parts processing
Inovatec Machinery Batch Processing for Polishing Connecting Rods
The importance of connecting rods cannot be overlooked in the automotive industry. It’s also very important to get the surface finishing right to get the maximum efficiency out of the rods.
Inovatec is China’s leading provider and manufacturer of mass finishing equipment, services, and media.
A high-energy centrifugal barrel finishing machine is the perfect choice to remove dirt and grease from connecting rods’ surface. In addition, it imparts a glossy shine surface on your parts in a short time.
A vibratory finishing machine is a cost-effective equipment to finish your connecting rods. You can clean and finish your rods in big quantities at the same time.
Material of Different Propellers
In the performance industry, titanium is held at a very high position. The unbelievable strength and lightweight properties have made it the prime choice for connecting rods.
When it comes to polishing connecting rods, you need to put your titanium in either a vibratory tumbler or a vibratory finisher in order to get the surface finish right.
Cast steel or cast iron is different than stainless steel in terms of carbon content. Cast steel has less carbon, so it’s not as strong as stainless steel. But manufacturing cast steel connecting rods is very cost-effective.
To polish your cast steel connecting rods, load them in a vibratory tumbler and wait until the desired finish is achieved.
Connecting rods are one of the most stressed parts of an engine. They go through tremendous torture to keep the engine running. Machined connecting rods can be made out of any material and later machined in shape.
It’s important to polish the machined connecting rods to ensure surface smoothness. We’d suggest that you use a high-energy vibratory system or a centrifugal disc finisher to get the job done. A conventional vibratory tumbler will do the job as well.
Connecting rods for boosted engines are very important parts. They have unique properties that make them a good choice.
Polishing connecting rods is a straightforward process. Load the batch in a vibratory tumbler and follow the wet process to get the surface finish.
Forged connecting rods are significantly stronger than cast steel rods. They are forged manually to follow a pattern and create an extreme internal bond. But there is a catch. The surfaces are not nearly as smooth as cast steel connecting rods.
So, it’s mandatory to polish the parts. Whether you use vibratory tumblers or centrifugal disc finishers, the results are going to be similar.
Aluminum offers great advantages over traditional cast steel connecting rods. They are not as strong as forged connecting rods. Aluminum connecting rods are a perfect balance between reliability and performance.
As usual, polishing connecting rods made of aluminum requires a vibratory or centrifugal approach. Here at Inovatec, we use the centrifugal disc finishing machine.
Connecting Rod Polishing Media
As connecting rods are made from a variety of metals, the media is going to differ as well. For cast iron, ceramic media will do a spectacular job. You just have to keep the abrasiveness in check.
Some of the best polishing media for connecting rods would be plastic and porcelain. They are generally non-abrasive and provide a near-mirror finish. Organic media like a corn cob and walnut shell grit are also great.
- The polishing media are very carefully chosen for maximum results
- Automated machines to reduce manual labor and increase cost-effectiveness
- Media for every mass finishing machines
- OEM design and machine design
- Factory
- Before & After
You can order at least 1 machine for polishing connecting rods.
If you are willing to buy a machine for polishing connecting rods, you have to pay 30% of the amount upon ordering and the rest must be paid before delivery.
In general, manufacturing a connecting rod polishing machine can take 20-25 days. But in emergency cases, we can complete it within 15 days if necessary. The rest depends on shipping. It’s no more than 40 days.
Machines for polishing connecting rods are delicate equipment. We take enough precautions like putting them on a pallet and then in a wooden box.
Yes. We can ship the products via the nearest ports Shanghai, Ningo, and Yiwu.
Polishing Connecting Rods – Definitive Guide
Does your business involve engines and connecting rods? If yes, then your business will be engaged in the finishing and polishing process of connecting rods.
In this guide, we will cover the different machines for polishing connecting rods and various tumbling media options from Inovatec Machinery.
We will also explain the connecting rod polishing process in detail, along with the advantages of using an automatic machine in your business.
- 1. What Are Connecting Rods?
- 2. Why Polish Connecting Rods?
- 3. What Is the Traditional Way of Polishing Connecting Rods?
- 4. What Is a Connecting Rod Polishing Machine?
- 5. Why Use a Mass Finishing Machine for Polishing Connecting Rods?
- 6. What Are the Different Types of Machines for Polishing Connecting Rods?
- 7. What Types of Vibratory Tumbling Media Is Used for Connecting Rod Polishing?
- 8. Different Types of Vibratory Tumbling Media for Polishing Connecting Rods?
- 9. Different Types of Connecting Rods Supported for Polishing
1. What Are Connecting Rods?
Connecting rods are one of the essential parts of an engine. You can locate it between the crankshaft and piston of the engine.
Its job is to convert the linear motion of the piston to the rotatory movement of the crankshaft. It is also known as con rod.
2. Why Polish Connecting Rods?
Let us have a look at the various advantages of polishing connecting rods.
2.1 Enhance Durability of Rods
Polishing helps to relieve stress on the connecting rod surface.
It helps to remove the weak points. Thus, the polishing helps to increase the life of connecting rods.
2.2 Gives a Great Finish
The finishing and polishing of connecting rods will help to give an excellent finish.
3. What Is the Traditional Way of Polishing Connecting Rods?
The traditional polishing process of connecting rods involves lots of human work.
It involves wheel grinding the rods with different polishing materials based on the type of the connecting rods.
It is followed by the quality inspection to certify the rods.
4. What Is a Connecting Rod Polishing Machine?
A connecting rod polishing machine is a machine that cleans, finishes, and polishes connecting rods.
You can feed the machine with the rods and vibratory tumbling media for polishing. You will get polished connecting rods as the output.
Thus, the whole polishing process is done automatically.
5. Why Use a Mass Finishing Machine for Polishing Connecting Rods?
Let us have a look at the various advantages of using a connecting rod polishing machine vs the traditional polishing method.
5.1 Saves Time
The traditional method of connecting rod polishing allows you to polish only one rod at a time. So, you need lots of time to polish a set of connecting rods.
You can polish the same set of connecting rods in a very less amount of time using a connecting rod polishing machine.
5.2 Professional Finish Quality
It is tough to achieve a professional quality finish with the traditional method of polishing. It depends on the skills of the labor.
You can get a professional mirror-like shine on connecting rods with the help of polishing machines.
5.3 Cost-Effectiveness
You need to invest in more laborers and more polishing equipment in the case of the traditional method of polishing.
If you are using the machine, then you need only a one-time investment.
You have the option to select cleaning media that will last for many years.
Thus, it is economical and cost-effective in the long run.
5.4 Not Labor Intensive
In the traditional method, you need to employ multiple laborers to get the same yield as that of a machine.
It is a labor-intensive process.
A single person can efficiently operate the polishing machine, and less human intervention is needed.
5.5 No Skilled Labor Requirement
The traditional method demands skilled labor for polishing.
So, you need to invest in labor training.
You don’t need skilled laborers if you use an automatic machine.
5.6 Damage-Free Polishing
The manual process of polishing connecting rods may damage the rods due to human error.
It will affect your yield.
The use of machine removes the human error factor. So, damage-free polishing is guaranteed.
5.7 Batch Polishing
Connecting rod polishing machine supports batch processing.
So, you can feed the machine with rods in different batches using separators.
5.8 Less Maintenance Cost
The maintenance cost is minimal for a connecting rod polishing machine.
You can easily do the maintenance work with simple basic hand tools.
You don’t have to invest in any specific tools. No specific labor training is required for repair works.
6. What Are the Different Types of Machines for Polishing Connecting Rods?
Inovatec machinery offers three types of finishing machines to clean, deburr, burnish, and polish connecting rods.
You can use any of these machines according to your requirements.
6.1 Vibratory Finishing Machine
Easy to operate and low maintenance make Vibratory finishing machines a popular choice among different businesses. The vibratory bowl is designed in such a way that it will not crack even after using it for many years.
It is a cost-effective method to finish connecting rods. It can take big quantities of rods to clean and finish at the same time.
6.2 Tub Vibratory Finishing Machine
Tub vibratory finishing machine, in the vibratory trough finishing machine category, is a good solution for finishing and polishing of connecting rods.
It is best suited for complex connecting rods like fork and blade connecting rods and cross beam connecting rods.
The divided chamber sections allow you to polish different connecting rods carefully without hitting each other.
Thus, the damage due to collision is avoided. They are best suited for cast connecting rods.
6.3 Centrifugal Barrel Finishing Machine
You can easily remove grease and dirt from the connecting rod surfaces using a high-energy centrifugal barrel finishing machine.
It helps to achieve a glossy shine on the metal surface. The processing time is very less for a centrifugal barrel machine.
Inovatec offers the following four different models of centrifugal barrel machines:
- Centrifugal barrel machine with an automatic unloading feature is suited for homogeneous surface finishing.
- Centrifugal barrel machine with a removable barrel is suitable for small connecting rods.
- Centrifugal barrel machine with a tilt barrel is another good option for finishing connecting rods. It is useful in cleaning recesses and holes.
- The last option is the one with 48 barrels. It is best suited for small lots of connecting rods which you can feed in batches.
Inovatec machinery also offers some customization options in these machines.
7. What Types of Vibratory Tumbling Media Is Used for Connecting Rod Polishing?
Vibratory Tumbling media are abrasive substances that are added along with the connecting rods into the finishing and polishing machine.
Inovatec machinery offers various types of vibratory tumbling media for polishing, cleaning, deburring, and burnishing of connecting rods.
You can select any of these media based on your polishing requirements.
8. Different Types of Vibratory Tumbling Media for Polishing Connecting Rods?
Inovatec recommends four types of tumbling media for connecting rods polishing.
8.1 Plastic Tumbling media
Polyester resins and abrasive form the basic ingredients of plastic tumbling media.
Inovatec machinery offers three grades of plastic media. They are light cutting, medium cutting, and dense cutting media.
Here, the ratio of abrasive material is varied.
Different shapes include cone, paraboloid, lens, tetrahedron, tristar, etc. They are available in various sizes.
You can also get custom shapes on request.
You can use it for deburring, descaling, polishing, degreasing, and cleaning of connecting rods.
You can use it with any of the finishing machines from Inovatec. A long usability period, thorough cleaning, and zero workpiece damage make it popular among the customers.
8.2 Porcelain Tumbling Media
Porcelain tumbling media is best suited for soft metal. It consists of white clay along with ceramic components like alumina and kaolin.
It is used in the final stage of the polishing process to give a shiny finish to the metal surface.
You can use it along with wet media like water to polish connecting rods. Standard and fine porcelain tumbling media are the two grades offered by Inovatec.
The standard version will have 30-40% alumina.
The fine version will have 70% alumina.
They come in four shapes – cylinder, ball, tristar, and triangle.
All these shapes are available in various sizes.
8.3 Stainless Steel Tumbling Media
If you want to reduce the finishing time, then you should go for the stainless-steel tumbling media.
It is a cost-effective solution since the media is a non-consumable one. You can use it for around 20 years.
Steel tumbling media applies heavy pressure on the connecting rods for finishing.
So, you should only use it on heavy metals. Inovatec offers various shapes like ball cone, ball, diagonal, and pin-shaped stainless-steel balls.
You can also get different grades like AISI 316, AISI 304, AISI 440C, AISI 420, AISI 201, and carbon steel tumbling balls.
Casehardening ensures that all the steel tumbling media will have an accurate dimension.
8.4 Walnut Shell Tumbling Media
Walnut shell tumbling media is a natural tumbling media.
It is used for dry polishing of connecting rods.
You can use it in a vibratory finishing machine or a centrifugal barrel finishing machine.
It is a biodegradable and eco-friendly product.
Inovatec offers both coarse and fine grit walnut tumbling media.
They are used for dust-free deburring and polishing of connecting rods.
They don’t leave any scratches on the metal surface.
9. Different Types of Connecting Rods Supported for Polishing
Different types of engines use different types of connecting rods.
Inovatec machinery supports the polishing of the following types of connecting rods. This classification is based on the connecting rod material type, shape, and manufacturing process.
Titanium Connecting Rods
The higher strength and lightweight feature make titanium the best material for manufacturing connecting rods.
Their performance cannot be matched with any other materials.
You can use the vibratory tumbler or the vibratory finisher to clean and polish titanium connecting rods.
Choose appropriate tumbling media based on the level of polishing you want to achieve.
Cast Steel Connecting Rods
Cast steel has less strength than stainless steel due to the lower amount of carbon content.
Cost-effective manufacturing makes cast steel connecting rods popular among manufacturers.
You can use any of the vibratory machines from Inovatec Machinery to finish cast steel connecting rods.
Machined Connecting Rods
Any material can be used to create machined connecting rods.
The material choice is dependent on the engine type.
A good polishing is required for machined connecting rods to ensure surface smoothness.
Inovatec recommends using any of the centrifugal barrel machines for finishing machined connecting rods.
You can also use the vibratory finishing machines.
Connecting Rods of Boosted Engines
Boosted engines use connecting rods of high fatigue life.
So, they use connecting rods made of robust, reliable, and heavy-duty elements.
High horsepower engines use such connecting rods.
Finishing and polishing are essential for connecting rods of a boosted engine to ensure stable and proper working of the engine.
So, a high-energy centrifugal barrel machine will be the best choice.
Forged Connecting Rods
Forged connecting rods are more durable than cast ones.
The forging process makes the connecting rods strong with the help of internally linked bonds.
But, the surface finish is not as good as cast connecting rods. So, finishing and polishing are essential.
You can use any of the vibratory finishing machines or the centrifugal barrel machines for cleaning and finishing.
Use an appropriate tumbling media to get a smooth surface finish.
Aluminum Connecting Rods
Aluminum connecting rods offer many advantages over cast steel rods.
They play a good role as the shock absorber.
Thus, they save the life of the crankshaft by removing some amount of tension on the crankshaft.
Aluminum is a soft metal. So, you should select the appropriate tumbling media.
Centrifugal barrel finishing machine, tub vibratory finishing machine, and surface vibratory machine from Inovatec can be used to finish aluminum connecting rods.
Powdered Metal Connecting Rods
Here, a powdered mix of metal is made into connecting rods using the mold.
The manufacturing cost for powdered metal connecting rods is less when compared to steel.
They offer better strength than cast connecting rods.
You can select the polishing machine and tumbling media from Inovatec according to the type of powder material.
Billet Connecting Rods
A single piece of flat forged steel is used to make billet connecting rods.
Here, the steel is cut into the connecting rod shape using a CNC controlled machine or water jet.
So, you can easily design the connecting rod according to your requirement.
The only downside is that they won’t be as strong as a forged connecting rod.
It requires only fine finishing. You can use any light abrasive tumbling media with any of the connecting rod finishing machines.
I-Beam Connecting Rods
I-Beam connecting rods are one of the basic connecting rod styles.
They are easy to produce and most of the time lighter than the H-beam connecting rods.
They resemble the capital letter “I”. It can handle the high compressive load.
You can use any of the Inovatec connecting rod polishing machines with the appropriate tumbling media for polishing.
H-Beam Connecting Rods
H-beam connecting rods are stronger than the I-beam connecting rods.
They resemble the capital letter “H”. They are expensive when compared to I-beams.
Any vibratory or centrifugal barrel machine can polish H-beam connecting rods.
Fork and Blade Connecting Rods
They are also called split big-end rods. They are used in motorcycles and aircraft.
In these types of rods, at the big end side, the fork rod is split into two.
The blade rod part is fitted into the gap of the fork.
They are made up of different materials.
So, you should know the type of material first to select the appropriate finishing machine and tumbling media.
Cross-Beam Connecting Rods
Cross-beam connecting rods are also called X-beam connecting rods.
It is a hybrid between I-beam and H-beam connecting rods.
The excellent features of these rods are combined to produce the cross-beam rods.
The large cross-section of the cross-beam rod allows uniform distributing of tension. They are used in racing engines.
Now, you know how to polish connecting rods.
Inovatec offers the best connecting rod polishing machines and high-grade tumbling media for cleaning and polishing.
It will help you to improve your business by giving a professional touch to the finish and polishing part.
So, consider investing in one of these machines to take your business to new heights.