Anyone who produces components that require a uniform surface quality knows that surface treatment only really begins after Machining, casting or forming. Edges need to be rounded, annoying burrs removed and surfaces smoothed or polished. Many companies still use manual processes such as grinding, brushing or polishing for this purpose. <\/p>\n
However, this has very significant disadvantages for the manufacturer of the parts:
\n– undesirable fluctuations in quality can easily occur, as the human component increases the susceptibility to errors (e.g. due to differences in care, experience or daily form).
\n – the personnel costs are relatively high, as manual finishing takes a lot of time
\n– the physical strain on employees is high, as the repetitive grinding work is physically very strenuous.
\nA very good and at the same time economical alternative here is mass finishing: it offers an automated, permanently reproducible and very cost-efficient alternative. In this blog post, I will show you why mass finishing is far superior to manual processing in many cases – and how you and your company can benefit from it. <\/p>\n
Before I go into the advantages of mass finishing, it is worth taking a look at the typical weaknesses of conventional, manual processing methods:
\n– Unfortunately, non-uniformity is “pre-programmed”
\nThe fact is that no two employees grind two components in exactly the same way. Even with very well-trained personnel, the surface quality varies.
\n– High time expenditure
\nDeburring and polishing a component can quickly take several minutes. If we multiply this by the number of components, it quickly becomes clear that this results in high process costs. <\/p>\n
Example: Manual grinding of a component takes 3 minutes. With 1,000 components, this means a processing time of 50 hours. <\/p>\n
– High susceptibility to errors
\nAnother major disadvantage of manual processing is the over- or under-processing of the component. In addition, scratches or uneven rounding are common processing errors.
\n– Health hazards for your employees
\nDust, high noise levels and very monotonous movements are just three examples of the possible health effects of manual surface finishing.
\nConclusion: Manual processing may well be suitable for individual pieces, prototypes or very small series. However, it is uneconomical and inefficient on an industrial scale. <\/p>\n
Mass finishing (also known as mass finishing) is a mechanical surface treatment process. The components are placed in a rotating or vibrating container (known as a mass finishing machine) together with abrasive media and additives.
\nThe movement of the machine ensures that the abrasive media are constantly rubbing against the components and processing them. Depending on the aim of this machining process, burrs can be removed, edges rounded or surfaces smoothed or polished, for example.
\nThe following is a list of typical mass finishing process parameters:
\n– Mass finishing media: Depending on the component, mass finishing media made of plastic, ceramic or stainless steel are used, for example. These are selected individually and are therefore optimally suited to the material and geometry of the components.
\n– Processing time: Depending on the component, the processing time can range from a few minutes to several hours.
\n– Result of Surface finishing: Roughness values or edge breaks, for example, are defined in advance in close coordination. The aim is to achieve uniform surfaces and reproducible quality so that one part is the same as another.
\nThe mass finishing process can be adapted to your requirements and quantities. It is also highly scalable with an experienced contract finisher – from small batches to many thousands of pieces per day. <\/p>\n
A key advantage of mass finishing is its high level of reproducibility. Compared to traditional manual processes, where each employee can deliver very different qualities, mass finishing offers very consistent results:
\n– Surface roughness (Ra value) and defined edge breaks can be specifically adjusted
\n– Reproducibility: One part is exactly the same as another, with exactly the same quality
\nFor you as a purchaser or quality manager, this means: no unnecessary reworking, fewer complaints due to avoidable quality defects, and increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. <\/p>\n
If you want to deburr manually, this can quickly take several minutes per component. For a series of 10,000 parts, for example, this can quickly add up to hundreds of working hours.
\nWith mass finishing, on the other hand, thousands of parts can be completely finished in parallel – often in less than an hour. For you, this brings benefits in the form of
\n– a reduction in processing time per part of up to 95%
\n– significant savings in personnel costs
\n– longer machine runtimes in your production, because further processing of the components is faster. <\/p>\n
Some components have complex structures. These can be challenging for both manual processing and mass finishing. <\/p>\n
Nevertheless, even intricate geometries can be processed economically with the right mass finishing process. Our experts will be happy to advise you on choosing the right finishing process. Sampling your components is the perfect first step towards a solution. <\/p>\n
Anyone who has ever finished surfaces by hand knows that this can be strenuous and stressful: The resulting vibrations, noise and dust can quickly have a negative impact on your health.
\nMass finishing, on the other hand, takes the strain off your employees, as the machining process is fully automated. This increases work safety and employee satisfaction while reducing sickness-related absences. It also increases motivation, as monotonous, stressful work is avoided. <\/p>\n
Whether it is a first prototype, a small, medium or large series of your components – our mass finishing systems can be adapted very flexibly. In close consultation with you
\n– we vary and optimize the process parameters (processing time, selection of grinding media and additives, processing method)
\n– almost all materials such as aluminium, steel, stainless steel or plastics can be processed
\n– in the case of steel, hardened or unhardened steels can of course also be processed <\/p>\n
In this application example for a medium-sized automotive supplier, the previous time-consuming manual machining was converted to a mass finishing process.
\nWhereas the components were previously deburred manually after Machining, the switch to mass finishing has reduced personnel costs, minimized quality fluctuations and eliminated the associated customer complaints.
\nSpecifically, the switch to mass finishing
\n– reduced the throughput time per part from 4 minutes to 45 seconds
\n– optimized the roughness values from Ra 3.3 to Ra 0.8
\n– and reduced complaints from end customers by almost 100%.
\nThis practical example shows impressively how companies benefit from mass finishing. And not just in terms of the quality of their components, but also for Efficiency reasons. <\/p>\n
When it comes to the question of whether a component should be finished manually or by means of mass finishing, the answer in practice is usually by mass finishing.
\nOur decades of experience and the practical experience gained from thousands of projects show that mass finishing is superior to manual machining in almost all aspects.<\/p>\n
By switching to mass finishing, you benefit from
\n– consistently optimum quality
\n– lower processing costs
\n– increased efficiency and Efficiency
\n– healthier and better working conditions for your employees
\nFor purchasers and quality managers, this means very reliable quality at the best price-performance ratio. For engineers, it means greater Process reliability and less reworking during Surface finishing.
\nI would be happy to advise you personally on how you too can benefit from contract processing with us. Take advantage of our experience and economies of scale as one of the leading surface finishing companies.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Call-to-action:
\nSend us your sample part – we will be happy to show you the advantages of mass finishing in a no-obligation trial. <\/p>\n
We have summarized the most important questions and answers about the mass finishing process on our mass finishing landing page. Why not take a look here? We are also happy to answer your questions in person or here in the chat! <\/p>\n
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