In this guide, we will see the vibratory deburring process in detail.
This article will teach you the advantages of vibratory deburring and tips to increase the efficiency of the deburring process.
You will also come to know the different machines and different abrasive media offered by Inovatec machinery for deburring.
1. Deburring and Its Importance
Before getting into deburring, let us see what a burr on a metal or plastic part is.
Burrs are unwanted pieces of materials that remain in part after the manufacturing process.
So, you need to remove it.
The process of removing burrs from a part is called deburring.
There are multiple ways to deburr a part.
It includes a manual deburring, electromechanical method, thermal energy-based method, barrel tumbling, and vibratory deburring.
The vibratory deburring is actually one of the essential steps in a vibratory finishing and polishing process.
2. Vibratory Deburring Process Explained
This process works on the principle of vibratory motion.
Here, the deburring process happens inside a vibratory machine.
It will either have a large bowl or tub-like container.
This container will be supported with the help of a series of high tension springs on the outside.
It is also connected to an unbalanced motor that initiates the vibration to the container.
You need to load the deburring tumbler with deburring media first after switching on.
The feeding of parts for deburring follows this step.
The time duration of the whole deburring process depends on four factors.
They are the type of the machine, the material of the part, vibratory deburring media type, and complexity of the part.
You will get the deburred part as the output at the end of the whole process.
3. Advantages of Vibratory Deburring
The vibratory based deburring process offers many advantages compared to other deburring methods, especially manual deburring.
So, let us have a look at the various benefits of the vibratory process.
3.1 Avoids Part to Part Collision
Part to part collision is an unwanted phenomenon which you want to avoid.
Such collisions will result in damaging parts, especially if it is a fragile or complex one.
Here, the deburring process ensures that there are no such collisions with the help of abrasive media in between each part.
3.2 For Perfect Removal of Burrs
The manual method of burr removal is prone to human errors.
So, if the part quantity is large, then you will have more rejected parts due to improper burr removal.
The deburring machine will ensure that the burrs are removed properly.
You need to make sure that you use the correct abrasive media type with your parts.
3.3 To Reduce Part Wear and Tear
The vibratory machine ensures that there is not much wear and tear happening to the part while removing burrs.
You can ensure this by selecting the right type of tumbling media.
3.4 Remove Rust and Oxidised Layers
Burrs in a metal part make it susceptible to oxidation.
So, there is a chance that an oxide layer or rust will be formed on the metal surface.
You can remove these burrs than are prone to oxidation effectively using the vibratory tumbling process.
3.5 To Prepare Surface for Coating
If there are burrs on the machined part, then the paint or the powder coating may not stick correctly.
Deburring helps to make the part surface perfect for coating or painting.
3.6 To Increase Lifespan and Durability
Burrs are weak spots in part.
So, if you use such parts in the final product, the lifetime of the product gets reduced.
Vibratory tumbling makes the part more durable by removing such weak spots.
Thus, it helps to increase the life of the part.
3.7 To Avoid Part Failure
Failed parts during the deburring process will have a negative impact on your business.
You can bring down the failure rate to zero by using a vibratory deburring machine with the right kind of deburring media.
Thus, it will help to ensure that there are no part failures.
3.8 For Safe Working Environment
If the part has burrs, then it can hurt the end user as well as the person assembling the piece.
So, a proper deburring is essential to make sure that the part is safe to use.
3.9 To Reduce Part Friction
When you have parts that are going to be in motion or contact with another part, you need to ensure that the friction is kept to a minimum.
Burrs can increase the friction between parts.
So, it can affect the working of the product in the long run.
You can reduce the friction effect to a great extent by using a vibratory machine for the deburring process.
3.10 Best suited for Fragile components
You need to put extra care into the deburring of fragile parts.
A small mistake can damage the whole part.
So, manual methods are not recommended for such parts.
The best way to ensure a safe deburring process is through the vibratory process.
3.11 Cost-Effective Deburring Solution
Vibratory deburring is a cost-effective solution.
You will need only one person to operate the entire machine.
It allows using a vibratory deburring media, which has got more lifespan.
So, you can use the same media multiple times.
If you go for a manual deburring process, then you need to invest in lots of labour and labour training.
Manual deburring is a tedious and labour intensive process.
The maintenance cost is also very less in the case of any of the Inovatec machines.
The basic maintenance hand tool kit is enough to do all the maintenance works.
4. Vibratory Deburring Machines from Inovatec
Inovatec offers the following Vibratory machines for deburring.
You can use any of these deburring machines depending on the part quantity and material type.
4.1 Vibratory Tumbling Machine
A vibratory tumbling machine is a heavy-duty machine with a bowl type of container.
It is suitable for deburring small and medium-size parts.
The bowl also comes with separation screens that allow you to process parts in batches.
4.2 Tub Vibratory Finishing Machine
If the part size is big and complex, then go for a tub vibratory finishing machine from Inovatec.
Here, the container is a rectangle-shaped tub.
You will also get the option to divide the chambers with the help of separators.
So, you can deburr individual parts separately in each section at a time.
5. Vibratory Deburring Media
Vibratory deburring media plays a critical role in the deburring process.
Inovatec offers various types of media for tumbling.
It is made by mixing abrasives with different materials.
In a vibratory machine, the part is continuously exposed to the tumbling media.
So, you should also ensure that the quality of the media is good.
Bad quality tumbling media can have an adverse effect on your parts.
The strict quality measures adopted by Inovatec during the manufacturing process guarantees top class deburring media.
So, you can buy with confidence.
You can use two types of media for deburring.
5.1 Plastic Deburring Media
It is a fused mixture of abrasive materials and polyester resins.
Plastic deburring media is best suited for deburring soft metals like aluminium and brass.
If you have grooves or threads on the parts, then go for plastic media.
Plastic media has got good lifespan.
If you are planning to anodize parts, then plastic media is the best.
5.2 Ceramic Deburring Media
If you are dealing with strong metals, then you will need to use ceramic media.
They offer high cutting rates in less amount of time.
Ceramic media can deburr very hard burrs.
You can also use light cutting ceramic deburring media to remove minor burrs.
Inovatec offers ceramic media of multiple cutting grades.
So, you can select any of the cutting grades based on your material strength.
6. Importance of Deburring Media Shape and Size
Inovatec offers tumbling media of different shapes and sizes.
Some of the common shapes include cone, ball, lens, pyramid, cylinder, tristar, tetrahedron, etc.
Shapes like cones and tristar are good to deburr parts without getting lodged.
If you are looking to deburr parts with holes, then you should choose angle cut cylinder shapes.
Media size also should be selected in such a way that it doesn’t lodge on the parts.
If your part is small and fragile, then you should select a smaller media size.
The cutting rate will be more for bigger media size.
So, it can damage small and fragile parts.
So, the tumbling media should be either bigger than the smallest hole size of the part or at least 1/3rd the size of this hole.
If the part size is large, then you need to go for a large media size.
If your part demands any custom shape or size, then you can place a request for the same with Inovatec.
7. Tips To Improve Vibratory Deburring Process Efficiency
You should always ensure that the deburring process is run efficiently for maximum productivity.
It will help you to improve the profit of your business.
You can improve the efficiency of the deburring process by using the following tips.
7.1 Speed Control
If you operate the machine at the right speed, then you can increase the efficiency.
All Inovatec vibratory deburring machines come with a specific operating speed.
Some of the machines allow you to vary the speed.
So, you can either go for this recommended speed value or a slightly higher one.
Never go for a lower speed value as it can damage the parts by colliding against each other.
The parts may sink to the bottom at low speeds.
7.2 The Load Factor
All Inovatec machine comes with certain load capacity.
You should always restrict your load between 80 to 90 percent of this specific value.
It will help you to run the machine efficiently.
Another thing to check is the parts to deburring media ratio.
You should always ensure that the deburring media is at least three times the part quantity.
Otherwise, the parts may rub against each other.
So, there is a risk of part damage due to part to part collisions.
7.3 Frequency and Amplitude Factor
The rate of cutting is directly proportional to the amplitude.
So, if you are looking to remove a large amount of burr, then increase the amplitude of operation.
I recommend to use a lower amplitude for light burrs and if the parts are fragile ones.
If you are using small amplitudes, run the machine at higher speeds.
Conclusion
Now, you know the importance of deburring using the vibratory process in the mass manufacturing industry.
Inovatec offers some of the best machines for vibratory deburring of various types of parts.
So, you can consider investing in Inovatec vibratory machines and deburring media to improve your part quality and process efficiency.