Ceramic media are materials used in the finishing process to aid in deburring, polishing, separating and cleaning of parts. They can be used for light as well as heavy deburring, fast deburring and rough metal removal. They are best suited for hard metals heavy cutting requirements. When small sized media are needed (around three fourth of an inch size), ceramic media has the best options. They can be used even for very heavy metal parts effectively. They are made out in different shapes like angle cut cylinders and triangles, cones, straight cut triangles, cylindrical wedges and angle cut tristars and ellipses.
Ceramic media are long lasting, cheap and can be put to multiple uses. They are manufactured in a variety of shapes that are precise and which prove very useful in preventing lodging problems and also in separating parts. They are made primarily with silica. Other materials in the manufacture of ceramic media include minerals and abrasives. Silica, minerals and abrasives are combined in different proportions and treated at a high temperature to produce a very hard product that is as strong as a cement product.
Ceramic media of varying density is used for different purposes. Where a rough finishing is needed (fast cutting and rough surfaces), higher density ceramic media is used. For smoother finishing, lesser density ceramic media is ideal. Higher the proportion of the abrasive material used in the manufacture of ceramic media, higher is the density. Higher the density, quicker is the wear and tear. There fore, higher density ceramic media should be considered only for special cases and when there is a need for cycle time reduction. To aid in special finishing requirements, the ceramic media can be tailored by changing the type and amount of abrasive grain used.
The fastest available option for mass finishing of parts is the centrifugal barrel machines. Their cycle times are 20 times faster compared to vibratory finishing machines. The centrifugal barrel machines have large barrels for loading parts, media and finishing compounds. They are high energy machines. In a typical centrifugal machine, there is a turret at the center. A set of barrels are placed around the turret. When the turret starts rotating in one direction, they set the barrels rotating in the other direction. Thus a high energy sliding action is produced inside the barrels, imparting a uniform finish to the parts. Barrels are normally made of steel; sometimes they are made from composite materials too. They have polyurethane lining and can be removed during the loading and unloading process. Steel barrels are meant for cycle times exceeding one hour; for cycle times less than an hour, composite barrels are ideal.
Centrifugal barrel machines come with process timers that can be set for specific finishing jobs. There is an emergency stop switch that can be used in crisis scenario. Indicator lights and safety locks are generally provided to ensure control and safety. Wiring can be done for different electrical voltage settings.
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