A burr is the raised edge or small piece of metal that remains attached to a workpiece after a machining process. Deburring is the process of removing them and is essential to the finishing process for any CNC job.
Deburring Categories:
- Manual
- Vibratory
- CNC Machining Center Deburring Tools
- Abrasive Blasting
- Electrochemical
- Thermal
Manual deburring is done by hand with the help of handheld power tools like stationary belt-sanders, files, tapered reamer, air files, etc. Hand-held electric burnishing machines are also useful. Manual deburring methods are good for quick applications and small job.
Vibratory finishing is the most common mass finishing process. The parts and media are together in a container that is vibrated to create motion and friction between the two. Barrel tumbling is also common for mass finishing processes. Parts and media are loaded into a container that rotates along a horizontal axis. Centrifugal disc finishing involves spinning the parts/ media together 20-50 times faster than a vibratory finishing machine, but at a higher cost.
CNC Machine Center cutting/deburring tools make it possible to deburr as part of the CNC process. There are many CNC cutting tools made for this purpose.
Chamfer tools and corner rounding tools are the most used tools for deburring via CNC. Other CNC deburring tools are hole deburring tools and deburring bushes.
Abrasive blasting can be done either wet or dry. Abrasive material is driven by air and focuses on specific areas to deburr and polish. Wet applications use a slurry with water. Your choice of media depends on what type of finish your desire, whether the part must avoid any contaminated metallurgy and the downstream finish process.
Electrochemical deburring involves neutral-salt electrolyte flowing through gap between the tool and workpiece. This dissolves the burrs through natural electrolytic action. This process can be very fast and can maintain precision as well.
In the Thermal deburring process, the part is placed in a chamber filled with oxygen and other fuel, such as a natural gas. The mixture is ignited, and the resulting heat vaporizes the burrs and sharp corners. A mild acid bath is sometimes used to remove any oxidation that may occur on the metal.
Contact Manufacturing Solutions for your Fabrication and CNC equipment needs. Check out our available machines to help with your deburring/finishing process here.
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