Porcelain Tumbling Media

Porcelain Tumbling Media

Porcelain tumbling media produces a polished surface on metal and plastic surfaces.

Meanwhile, it has a very low attrition rate.

Unlike stainless steel tumbling media, porcelain media does not make hardening on your metal parts.

The main composition of porcelain tumbling media is aluminum oxide.

At Inovatec, we have two main types of ceramic porcelain polishing media: the standard porcelain tumbling media with alumina content of 30-40% and the fine porcelain tumbling media with alumina content of 70%.

Porcelain tumbling media is sturdy and robust media.

It can be used either in an industrial vibratory tumbler bowl or high energy centrifugal disc finishing machine.

Inovatec offers four primary shapes of porcelain media.

We suggest the right sizes and shapes according to the geometry of your parts.

The most commonly used porcelain tumbling media is porcelain ball, cylinder shape (pins), triangle, and tri-star shape media.

Porcelain ball shape media also called microbrite sphere media. It is used for the ball burnishing process.

The application of porcelain polishing media is comprehensive.

For example, it polishes brass bullet parts, cutlery, knives, surgical instruments, clock parts, kitchen accessories, fittings, turbine blades, crankshafts, bearings, valves, and stationery (ball-pen tops, clips, springs, etc.).

Porcelain media is widely used for wet tumbling brass parts.

At Inovatec, porcelain tumbling media is used in the final stage of processing.

If you want us to customize a porcelain media shape for your parts, send us a request.

We will evaluate your need and help you find the most cost-effective way to achieve it.

Inovatec has 20 years’ experience in manufacturing all types of mass finishing media, including ceramic media, plastic media, porcelain media, corn cob tumbling media, walnut media, and steel tumbling media.

Our experts help you to choose the right tumbling media for your parts finishing purpose.

Send us your inquiry today and get the quote now!

Porcelain Tumbling Media FAQ Guide

1. What is porcelain tumbling media?

Porcelain tumbling media is a non-abrasive tumbling media mostly used for polishing and burnishing.

2. What is porcelain tumbling media made of?

Porcelain tumbling media is primarily made of white clay but infused with various ceramic components like kaolin and alumina.

3. Is porcelain tumbling media different from ceramic media?

While porcelain tumbling media is a type of ceramic tumbling media, its application is different.

Porcelain media has ceramic elements while ceramic tumbling media is made of ceramic infused with abrasive particles.

4. What is porcelain media used for?

Porcelain tumbling media is used for polishing and shining metal parts.

It is basically used in the final step of processing the parts.

Tumbling metal parts with porcelain is done after the deburring of the metal.

5. What can I tumble using porcelain tumbling media?

Porcelain tumbling media is suitable for polishing metal parts.

There are different shapes and sizes of porcelain tumbling media that can be used for different metals.

6. Do I tumble the media wet or dry?

As porcelain tumbling media is used to shine metals, it’s always wise to tumble the media wet.

Dry tumbling will leave a lot of dust particles that the surface won’t shine as expected, even after a thorough wash.

7. Do I have to dry the media before storing it?

No. Porcelain tumbling media is made of white clay and doesn’t contain any metal elements.

As there are no metal elements, porcelain tumbling media is not prone to oxidation and rust. You can store it as it is.

8. Will porcelain tumbling media damage my metal?

The primary purpose of using porcelain tumbling media is to polish the surface of your parts.

It’s non-abrasive so there is a little possibility of your metal parts getting damaged.

But if you use the wrong size and shape of deburring tumbler media, you might not get the result that you’re expecting.

Porcelain tumbling media is the best tumbling media for brass parts if the intention is to polish the parts.

9. Do I need to use any special lubricants?

For general shining and polishing, water works just fine.

You don’t even need distilled water, tap water will do the trick.

But if you are aiming for any special type of shine, you can use chemical shining solutions while tumbling the parts.

10. What is the media-to-parts ratio for porcelain tumbling media?

It really depends on the size of your industrial tumbler and the parts you are polishing.

If you are using large vibratory tumblers, then you can add more media for tumbling.

Porcelain tumbling media comes in different densities that suit a wide array of operations.

A good rule of thumb is to multiply the media density by the capacity of your industrial tumbler in a cubic-foot unit.

11. My porcelain tumbling media has sharp edges. What do I do?

Sharp edges in porcelain tumbling media indicate that the media needs to be broken in.

You can tumble your porcelain tumbling media in a vibratory tumbler separately for 4-6 hours and the sharp edges will be rounded.

12. How long does porcelain tumbling media last?

Porcelain tumbling is meant for soft operations like polishing and shining.

So, it lasts a lot longer than traditional deburring media.

However, small porcelain tumbling media will wear down quicker than large media.

Large media will eventually become small porcelain media.

13. How long do I have to tumble my parts with porcelain tumbling media?

Tumbling your parts with porcelain media can take anywhere from 6 hours to 24 hours.

It depends on the shine you want on your parts and the capacity of your deburring tumbler.

14. Can I tumble jewelry with porcelain tumbling media?

Jewelers use porcelain tumbling media regularly.

As shine is one of the most common attributes of jewelry, it’s essential to tumble jewelry with porcelain tumbling media.

You must ensure that you use the right type of tumbler deburring machine for tumbling jewelry parts.

15. How to keep my products from spotting or tarnishing after the porcelain tumbling process?

Parts tumbled with porcelain tumbling media won’t spot or tarnish.

It’s a side effect of heavy deburring where the parts are tumbled down to the bare metal.

With porcelain tumbling media, only the top layer of the part is being polished.
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16. What size of porcelain tumbling media should I buy?

Porcelain tumbling media is available in a wide range of sizes.

You can find tiny media to brick-sized media and everything in between.

There are applications for all types of porcelain tumbling media.

Small parts require small media while large parts require large media.

Buy according to your needs.

17. What shape of porcelain tumbling media should I buy?

Porcelain tumbling media comes in various shapes as well.

There are super fine porcelain media balls, super fine straight cut cylinder, super fine angle cut cylinder, etc.

Straight cut triangle and angle cut triangle media are also used depending on your tumbling needs.

All of these media shapes come in different sizes as well.

We can make customized porcelain tumbling media for you as well.

18. Do I need to clean the porcelain tumbling media before I start tumbling?

No, but it’s a good practice to tumble the media beforehand to remove any sharp edges.

19. How much media do I need for one cycle?

It depends on the number of parts and the capacity of your industrial tumbler machine.

If you are using a large media tumbler, then you will need more media.

20. Can porcelain tumbling media polish my products?

Yes! Polishing and burnishing metal parts are the primary tasks of porcelain tumbling media.

You can get a shiny smooth finish without any impingement marks on your parts.

You can select any tumbling machine for metal parts polishing with porcelain media.

21. Is porcelain tumbling media better than ceramic tumbling media?

It’s not a subject of what is better and what is not.

Ceramic tumbling media is mostly used for deburring as it contains abrasive properties.

On the other hand, porcelain tumbling media is non-abrasive and is used for surface polishing.

22. Can I use porcelain tumbling media on rotary barrel tumblers?

Yes! Porcelain tumbling media is suitable for both rotary tumblers and vibratory tumblers.

The tumbling machine process of a rotary tumbler will be completely different from a vibratory deburring tumbler.

The rotary tumbling barrel machine will take more time to finish when compared to the vibratory tumblers.

23. Is porcelain tumbling media faster than ceramic tumbling media?

The speed of porcelain tumbling media is relative.

It can take longer if you need more shine, or it can take less time if you don’t.

24. How much does the porcelain tumbling media cost?

As porcelain tumbling media is used in the final step of machining, it requires a lot more attention and fineness.

As a result, porcelain tumbling media is more expensive than traditional media.

25. Can porcelain tumbling media deburr?

No. Porcelain tumbling media doesn’t contain any abrasive properties.

So, it can’t deburr like ceramic tumbling media.