Are you wondering about the best method to remove burrs from the stamped holes in parts that have been delivered to your fabrication shop? Read on and discover four ways that you can select from if you want to get rid of those burrs before you perform additional fabrication work on those pieces.
Mechanical De-burring
This refers to the use of hand tools or bead blasting equipment to remove the burrs from individual pieces. This method can only work if there are a few pieces to de-burr. This is because the method is labour-intensive since the pieces must be de-burred one at a time.
Mass Finishing
In this method, components are placed inside a container that has an abrasive substance. The components are then vibrated or tumbled within the container so that the abrasive media polishes the surface of those components. The biggest advantage of this method is that it can be set up to handle any number of components desired. The abrasive media can also be varied depending on the material that needs de-burring.
Electro Polishing
This method uses an electrochemical process to dissolve burrs on the surface of components. The components are arranged on a rack that is placed inside an electrolyte bath. An electrical current is then introduced into the electrolyte. This method will cause the burrs to dissolve because more current will be passing through the burrs since they will be protruding from the rest of the component. The magnitude of polishing and de-burring will depend on how much current is used and the duration of the reaction. This process is very sophisticated and requires specialised personnel to manage it so that components are not affected during the de-burring.
Thermal De-burring
Here, oxygen and another combustible gas are put inside a pressurised chamber into which the components to be de-burred have been piled. The gas mixture is then set alight so that the intense heat generated causes the surface imperfections on the components to break off or vapourise. Only the burrs are affected during this process because they are not as dense as the rest of the pieces in the pressurised vessel. The de-burring process can be completed in a few seconds. The oxides formed on the surface of the components can be washed off using special solutions such as mild acids. The downside of this method is that it is expensive and should only be used on large volumes of precision components.
Consult your supplier of metal fabrication services and materials for additional help in choosing the most appropriate de-burring method from the four options described.
Share
