Monthly Archives : September 2018

quality control

Deburring and Metal Finishing: Choosing the Right Process for Your Manufacturing Needs

As a metalworker, there is no doubt that you appreciate the importance of deburring and finishing different parts before they are either completed or processed further. Over the years, significant strides have been made in terms of advances in technology, a factor that has made it possible to refine metal parts in such a way that they will meet the needs of the market. Regardless of the size of your machine shop or the type of pieces you deal in, technology can help you to produce metal parts for a wide range of applications. Denver manufacturing relies on machine deburring and metal finishing as some of the ways to address the flaws that metal parts may have.

The Difference Between Deburring and Fnishing

Before metal parts can be used for different applications, they must be refined to get rid of most of the flaws. This is the stage at which machine deburring and metal finishing are done. However, even as you think about precision manufacturing, it is important to bear in mind that these two processes are a bit different. This will make it easy for you to choose the more appropriate one.

Once a workpiece has been modified, there may be raised edges or pieces of material that are attached to its surface. These edges and pieces of materials are usually removed through deburring. With finishing, scaling and pitting on the surface of a workpiece are removed to prepare it for the next step or to enhance its quality and physical appearance.

Advantages of Machine Deburring

The fact that machine deburring is among the most popular ways of getting rid of flaws during various CNC manufacturing processes is a clear indication that the process has certain advantages.

Compared to hand deburring, automated deburring will greatly help to save both time and energy. In the long run, using machines will ensure that you maximize efficiency.

Since the grinding media will be attached to the machine, employees will not have to be in the work zone. This will minimize the risk of injuries caused by repetitive motion, effectively increasing safety in the workplace.

Without automation, it will be impossible for employees to achieve the perfect consistency. With automated deburring, the processed metal parts will have consistent quality despite changing operators when one finishes their shift.

Machine deburring is also associated with a wide range of new products that feature high quality finishes. This can go a long way in helping you stand apart from your competitors.

Disadvantages of Machine Deburring

For all the benefits linked to machine deburring, it is not without its downsides. Here are some of the disadvantages you should be aware of.

Most modern deburring machines feature advanced technology. It is partly because of this that buying a deburring machine makes for a huge investment. The high price tags on the machines are beyond the reach of a good number of people. This has stood in the way of the machines becoming widely available to many individuals and businesses.

Depending on the metal you wish to debur, you will have to constantly change out parts such as belts to achieve the desired results.

Machines cannot debur everything as required. This may require the use of a finisher to touch those parts that the machine could not work on.

Advantages of Metal Finishing

Metal finishing makes for another popular way of getting rid of rough surfaces and sharp edges. Some of the pros of metal finishing include:

By using machines that comprise both brush heads and abrasive belts, metal finishing will make it possible to achieve a wide variety of finishes. This means that you will have more decorative opportunities to explore.

Finishing specialists can prepare metal parts for secondary processes such as painting. The technique will play an important role in ensuring the next step is easier and delivers the great results that any original equipment manufacturer expects.

By working on the surface of the workpiece, metal finishing helps to improve the appearance of metal parts. The process also works to lengthen the lifespan of the pieces by enhancing their resistance to corrosion.

Metal finishing produces extremely smooth surfaces, a factor that not only ensures ease of cleaning but also eliminates the need to use harmful chemicals to keep such surfaces clean.

Disadvantages of Metal Finishing

Just like with machine deburring, metal finishing has a number of downsides. Before seeking the services of a skilled worker, here are some disadvantages you should know about.

Using a finisher to debur metal parts is bound to be a time consuming process. This is likely to undermine productivity.

To do high quality work that meets customer expectations, you will need a lot of high precision tools. You will not only have to invest in the wide range of tools but also learn how to use each one of them.

With a finisher, there is a chance that some parts will be deburred incorrectly. This will require that you spend more time on the parts to produce them in line with the specifications of your customers.

As a result of the disadvantages associated with using a finisher, this process can result in high production costs that may lower your profits.

Choosing a Deburring and Finishing Machine

When choosing the right machine for your needs, you must ensure that it will serve the intended purpose. In case your shop grinds similar materials consistently, you can choose to have dry machines. This means that shops that deal with different types of metals will benefit more from wet deburring and finishing machines. To get optimum performance from your machine, you should think about the type of abrasive as well as the specific characteristics and qualities of the workpiece you will be working on.

Consult the Experts

Choosing the most suitable deburring or finishing machine to handle your needs will not be a walk in the park. If you are not sure which machine will be appropriate, you can consult an expert in metal fabrication. Just like when looking for a CNC machinist, there are a few factors that you will have to keep in mind when selecting the expert to consult. These include whether they have the relevant industry experience if they have the right manufacturing partners, the kind of services they offer as well as relying on references from previous customers.

Since both machine deburring and metal finishing cost a significant amount of money, it is important to ensure that the process you choose will deliver the results you expect. Today, the opportunities available to you are limitless. In case you have unique needs, you can select a custom machine shop that offers quality and reliable services. At Tag Team Manufacturing, we specialize in machining CNC precision components for OEMs in different industries. Our skills and extensive experience make us the best machine shop Denver residents know.

machine shop

5 Ways Your Machine Shop is Inefficient

In order to succeed, a machine shop needs to have an edge over its competitors. Looking for inefficiencies is a great way to start, and fixing those inefficiencies can give your machine shop the edge it needs.

Early Tool Decay or Tool Failure

It’s not common for your tools to fail or break often. Finding the right tool is important, but it’s also important to prolong the life of your tools. Some machinists think that using the tools too aggressively causes them to wear out faster, but if you aren’t pushing the tool to the full potential it can cause it to decay faster in some situations. There are different types of tool failure, which can include abrasive wear, chipping, or tool fracture. Understanding your tools can help you make sure that you are minimizing downtime, as well as saving money on any replacement costs.

By being able to identify different types of tool wear, you can be ready to fix any issues quickly and help extend the life of your tools. Abrasive wear will dull the cutting edge of the tool by mechanical abrasion from the piece. If you notice this type of wear, reduce the cutting speed or use coolant. Using high efficiency milling toolpaths can also help reduce wear. Chipping can be seen by a nick on the cutting tool, or seen on the finish of the part. Excessive loads can cause chipping. Reducing feed rates can help. Thermal cracking can be seen by cracks in the tool perpendicular to the cutting edge. This is caused by extreme temperatures and can be solved by adding a proper coating to give the tool heat resistance. When a tool fractures it causes complete loss of the tool, and this can be because of a wrong coating or the wrong speeds and feeds. Make sure to adjust speeds and feeds and optimize the right coolant use, in order to avoid any hot spots that can cause fracture.

Subpar Part Finish

With a subpar part finish you are not providing your customers with the highest quality product, and it will affect your buyer seller relationships. It also will not allow you to increase prices or attract potential customers in the future. Many factors can affect part finish, which include the material, hardness, speeds and feeds your shop is running, and tool deflection. You are employing machinists and should have the highest quality tools so make sure you are getting your money’s worth of both, and your products should have a good finish.

Inefficient Coolant Usage

Coolant can be expensive and is often an expense that many machine shops forget about. Too much coolant is often applied when it’s not needed, costing a machine shop more money. Some machines have a minimum quality lubricant function that applies coolant as an aerosol, so it’s provided just enough coolant to operate efficiently while saving the amount of coolant that can be used. Sometimes it is needed to drown a piece in coolant, but oftentimes it is not and you can get away with using less coolant to save money.

Coolant can be delivered in different forms, and if you choose the wrong pressure it can lead to tool damage, which you need to avoid. When applied as air, it does not cool as efficiently as oil or water based coolants, but it is good for sensitive materials. When coolant is applied directly to plastic it can cause rapid expansion or contraction. Use mist when heat is not a major concern. When applied as a mist, both the part and the tool don’t go through more stresses. When the coolant is applied as a flood, it can be a low-pressure method that helps flush chips from the part in order to avoid chip recutting and protect your tool from damage. High-pressure application can be similar to flood coolant, but can sometimes be enough to break diameter tooling so it must be applied carefully. This method is often applied into grooves that are already built into the tool. Look at the application of coolants as well as the coolants that you are using. You may be able to use less high-performance lubricant instead of a lot of lower performance options. Coolant can also be re-used to save money. We have a great system at Tag Team Manufacturing that allows us to re-use the coolant saving time and money in our machine shop.

Not utilizing tool versatility

Many CMC cutting tools will perform multiple operations. Depending on the job, you may be able to get away with a tool you already have instead of having to go out and purchase additional tooling.

There are a number of multi-function tools you should consider having in your shop. Not only can drill mills be used for drilling and milling, but they can also be used for grooving, spotting and chamfering. This means they provide five different uses. Undercutting end mills can also be used for some slotting and contouring operations, and depending on the situation, such as clearance challenges, this can actually be the first choice. Double angle shank cutters can be referred to as the “Swiss army knife of machine,” so you know they are a versatile tool. They have six different functions that include thread milling, chamfering, back chamfering, machine v-grooves, deburring, and countersinking. Flat bottom tools, including drills and counterbores, are best used for holemaking, but they can be used for a number of different functions. These functions include thin plate drilling, cross hole drilling, angled drilling, half hole drilling, removing drill points, and straightening misaligned holes. Adjustable chamfer cutters can do more than just chamfering and can be used for beveling, deburring, and spotting.

High Machine Downtime

If your machines aren’t running, then you aren’t getting the most of them. The key to helping your machine shop reach maximum efficiency is minimizing machine downtime. You can do this in a variety of ways, such as keeping like parts together. All you would have to do is swap in and out material and the machine can use the same cutting tool. This allows you to spend less time swapping out tooling and spend more time letting the machine do its job. This requires planning to help make the machine shop more efficient.

What Should You Do?

Implementing a proactive maintenance strategy instead of a reactive maintenance strategy can help you avoid some of these issues and gain a competitive advantage. Maintaining equipment so you have less failure and less machine downtime will make sure you aren’t scrambling to figure things out. Make sure you have a system set in place for inventory management, so you are managing costs as well as handling and storage. This is especially important for lubricants that are expensive and can take up a good amount of storage.