Inovatec MachineryYour Best Tumbling media for aluminum Manufacturer in China

Tumbling Media for Aluminum

AL6061 is the most common aluminum alloy. Choosing the right tumbling media for aluminum, you will get a desirable finish on your parts.

According to parts’ condition and surface requirement, we want the best vibratory tumbler media for aluminum.

1. Because aluminum is a soft metal, we use elastic-plastic vibratory media to remove the burrs, round the edge, and get rid of machining marks from CNC milling parts. After that, aluminum components have a beautiful and smooth surface. Yet, it only takes a fraction of time compared with hand deburring.

A general cutting green color plastic media (320 mesh grit) is used. After deburring, the surface is nicely smoothed that is ready to accept an anodizing, plating, and coating. The deburring process takes about 1 hour in the industrial vibratory tumbler machine. Big size plastic tumbling media makes an extensive pattern matte finishing, while small size plastic tumbling media makes a tight-pattern, smoother matte finish. You can use Inovatec mass finishing machines for tumbling plastic parts as well as for metal parts.

2. Porcelain polishing media is used for the second polishing process after plastic deburring media. Even though porcelain media does not change parts’ surface roughness, it refines the aluminum parts’ surface and creates a reflective shine. This process usually takes 30-60 minutes in a vibratory deburring tumbler.

3. Stainless steel tumbling media is ideal for burnishing aluminum die casting parts and forging parts. It removes the dull casting layer effectively and economically. In a vibratory ball burnishing machine, the tumbling machine process time takes 30-60 minutes.

Inovatec has over 20 years’ experience in parts tumbler media manufacturing and development. We strive to be an extension of your engineering resource. Our process development ensures the most effective solution.

If you need help to improve your aluminum parts’ surface finish, Inovatec gets it right from the start. Contact us today and get the instant quote now!

Tumbling Media for Aluminum FAQ Guide

1. What is the tumbling media for aluminum?

Plastic is the most commonly used tumbling media for aluminum.

You can also use organic media like walnut shell media and corn cob tumbling media.

You can use ceramic tumbling media for aluminum parts’ deburring.

2. What is the application of tumbling media for aluminum?

Tumbling media for aluminum can be used for deburring, cleaning, polishing, removing machine marks, etc. applications on aluminum parts.

3. Can I use stainless steel to tumble aluminum parts?

It’s not common to use stainless steel as a tumbling media for aluminum.

Stainless steel is hard media while aluminum is a soft metal. However, a hard aluminum alloy can be tumbled using stainless steel media.

Some users also use stainless steel ball media to do ball burnishing aluminum die casting parts.

Inovatec offers one of the best stainless steel tumbling media.

4. Do I tumble the media wet or dry?

It’s always good to tumble metal parts wet.

Wet tumbling results are better and shinier finish. As for tumbling aluminum, using plain water with any cleaning solution will work great.

You can invest in any of the Inovatec media tumbler machines for tumbling metal parts, both dry as well as wet.

5. Can I use ceramic media as tumbling media for aluminum?

Ceramic media is a good choice for deburring aluminum parts.

Ceramic is a fast cutting media so you have to ensure that the abrasiveness is right before turning your industrial media tumbler on.

6. Will tumbling media for aluminum damage my parts?

If you use the right tumbling media for aluminum, it’s very unlikely that your parts are going to be damaged.

On the contrary, using hard media like stainless steel tumbling media has a higher chance of denting or damaging aluminum.

7. What is the media-to-parts ratio for tumbling for aluminum?

The ideal ratio for tumbling metal parts is 1:3.

You need to fill up your industrial tumbler machine with 1 part media and 3 part aluminum parts to get the optimum tumbling action.

8. How to choose the right tumbling media for aluminum?

There is no right or wrong tumbling media for aluminum parts.

As long as you are using the media designed for aluminum, you are good to go.

The rest depends on how you want your parts to look like once you are done.

You can use plastic tumbler media for aluminum parts’ polishing, while ceramic media is good for deburring.

Walnut shell tumbling media can result in a high-gloss finish if that is what you are looking for.

9. How long does tumbling media for aluminum last?

Different tumbling media for aluminum last a different length of time.

Ceramic media wears out pretty quickly while plastic media lasts a few good cycles. It all depends on the applications.

10. How long does it take to tumble aluminum with tumbling media?

Tumbling media for aluminum can take anywhere between 1-24 hours for maximum finishing results.

Your time may vary depending on your desired finish. Sometimes, you need several steps to get the perfect finish.

11. How to keep my products from spotting or tarnishing after using the tumbling media for aluminum?

Aluminum does not tarnish. If aluminum is exposed to air, it creates an outer shell of sapphire as a result of oxidation.

However, aluminum alloy can tarnish if it’s not anodized.

You need to store the parts somewhere safe in order to prevent them from tarnishing.

12. What size of tumbling media for aluminum should I buy?

Whether you buy plastic, ceramic, or organic media for tumbling aluminum, it’s always advised to buy the size your parts require.

If you have small parts, you need to invest in small media and vice versa.

13. What shape of tumbling media for aluminum should I buy?

Tumbling media for aluminum comes in a variety of shapes.

From straight cut to angle cuts, from spherical to cylindrical, all types of media are available.

You need to choose the shape that matches the requirement of your parts.

14. Why are my parts changing colors after using tumbling media for aluminum?

It’s very unlikely that aluminum parts will change color once tumbled.

It might be true for aluminum alloy.

Refrain from using the wrong type of chemical solutions.

15. Will the tumbling media for aluminum pass through the flash holes?

It might, it might not. It depends on the size of the holes on your deburring tumbler.

If you have a dedicated separator on your tumbler, the media will come out through the holes.

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

It’s entirely dependent on your application.

If the part quantity is large, then you need to invest in large vibratory tumblers along with a large quantity of media.

17. Can tumbling media for aluminum polish my products?

Plastic tumbling media and porcelain tumbling media work amazingly when it comes to polishing aluminum parts.

Look for non-abrasive plastic media.

18. Can tumbling media for aluminum deburr my parts?

Ceramic tumbling media has the necessary abrasiveness to deburr aluminum parts.

But the results come out pretty rough so you have to tumble again to get the surface finishing.

Plastic or porcelain media is recommended.

19. Is tumbling media for aluminum abrasive?

Some tumbling media for aluminum are abrasive, some are not.

For example, ceramic deburring tumbler media has fast-cutting properties thanks to the infused abrasives.

On the other hand, porcelain tumbling media is non-abrasive.

Plastic media is available in both abrasive and non-abrasive forms.

20. Will my aluminum parts rust after tumbling?

No. Aluminum doesn’t rust. Instead, it creates a protective layer on the outside to keep the aluminum from further oxidation.

The tumble polishing process will help to bring the shine on the aluminum parts.

21. Can I use tumbling media for aluminum on vibratory tumbler machines?

Tumbling media for aluminum is compatible with a variety of tumbler deburring machines, including vibratory tumbler bowls, rotary tumbler machines, etc.

22. Can I use porcelain as my tumbling media for aluminum?

Porcelain is used for polishing aluminum parts once they are deburred and cleaned.

23. Can I use natural media like Hardwood or Corn Cob media as tumbling media for aluminum?

Organic or natural media can provide an amazing finish to aluminum parts.

Walnut media with proper lubrication can result in a ‘chrome-like’ finish on aluminum parts.

Fine walnut shell media will help you to achieve these results.

Hardwood is not recommended.