The production and manufacturing process of vibratory finishing machines

Let’s take a look at how a Vibratory Finishing Machine changes from a steel plate into a polishing artifacts for deburring and descaling.

Vibratory finishing machine production process
  • 1. Blanking

    The purchased steel plates of standard sizes are cut into small iron plates according to the sizes of different machine models. The factors that affect the quality of machine products in this link are the quality and thickness of the steel plate. Our steel plates are all from the large factory of Shanghai Baosteel, with uniform thickness, and are all 4mm thick plates.
  • 2. Forming

    The cut steel plate is rolled into a cylinder with a plate rolling machine, which is used as the base of the machine and the barrel-shaped cylinder in the middle of the working chamber for installing the motor. Another main component is the bowl-shaped working chamber of the machine, which is pressed out using a hydraulic press and a special mold. In this way, the main components of the machine frame are finished.
  • 3. Welding

    This process is to weld the two ends of the rolled cylinder just now, and at the same time weld the bottom heel under the base to assemble the support of the vibration spring. This process can also affect the quality of the machine. Because the welds are not up to standard, problems such as cracking and falling off may occur during future use.
  • 4. Inspection and Finishing

    Check the surface condition of the weld, remove welding slag and oxide scale, use a grinder to grind the weld, and polish flash and burrs. Everyone knows that details are the devil, especially in the production process of industrial products, some seemingly inconspicuous small details often determine the final quality of the product. Blisters, small cracks in welds, flash and burrs on the surface of accessories will ultimately determine the appearance quality and service life of the machine.
  • 5. PU Casting

    Lining the inner wall of the hydraulically formed working tank with wear-resistant polyurethane colloid is the task of this process. During casting, a mold with a diameter smaller than the external frame body should be placed in the chamber, the external frame body and the mold should be fixed, and then the hot-melted PU glue should be poured into the gap between the frame and the mold. After the colloid cools and solidifies, it can be removed. After molding, the working chamber lined with PU glue is ready. This link is a key process that affects the service life of the machine. The wear resistance, thickness, and hardness of PU glue are factors that affect the length of use. Our polyester raw materials are all products from Dow Chemical (DOW) in the United States, and the casting thickness can reach about 15-20cm.
  • 6. Painting

    The next step is to spray paint on the surface of the working chamber and base, which can protect the iron plate and improve the aesthetics of the machine. Apply putty on the surface of the iron plate first to repair some obvious defects, such as pits, gaps, etc. After the putty dries, you can spray various beautiful colors.
  • 7. Assembling

    All required parts are ready. The next step is to put them together. First, a vibration motor needs to be installed in the middle cylindrical barrel of the machine. Install the motor to the base using a flange. The upper and lower ends of the motor are equipped with eccentric swing arm, commonly known as hammers. This is the main component for adjusting the direction and speed of the machine’s movement.
    Another major installation task is the installation of the base spring. Put the springs one by one on the support tubes on the base, so that the working chamber is suspended and supported on the base. The eccentric excitation force of the vibration motor will be brought to the chamber body to produce a spiral tumbling motion.
  • 8. Self Testing

    After all the installation steps are completed, it is the last step of power-on self-test. Connect the machine’s power cord to the control box and press the start button to start the machine. In this step, you need to check whether the direction of rotation and rolling of the machine is correct, whether the vibration frequency and amplitude are normal, whether there is any abnormal noise, and whether the installation and tightening bolts are loose. If everything is OK, it can be packaged and shipped.
vibratory finishing machine production process-blanking

1. Blanking

vibratory finishing machine production process-forming

2. Forming

vibratory finishing machine production process-welding

3. Welding

vibratory finishing machine production process-detecting&finishing

4. Detecting&Finishing

vibratory finishing machine production process-PU casting

5. PU Casting

vibratory finishing machine production process-painting

6. Painting

vibratory finishing machine production process-assembling

7. Assembling

vibratory finishing machine production process-self testing

8. Self Testing

What is the finishing media?

About Finishing Media

  • 1. What is the finishing media?
  • All materials that are naturally produced or artificially produced and have high hardness, cutting ability and certain strength and toughness, and are used for grinding, finishing or polishing, can be finishing media, abrasive media. Finishing media are a diverse category, and many people have questions of one kind or another, such as: What are finishing media? What are the commonly used finishing media? What are finishing media used for? What are the types of finishing media? Let’s talk about these issues in detail below.
    natural abrasives
  • 2. What are the types and uses of commonly used finishing media?
  • According to the source, abrasives can be divided into two categories: natural abrasive media and artificial finishing media.

    2.1 Natural abrasive media include diamond, natural corundum (also called emery), garnet, quartz sand, diatomaceous earth, pumice, flint, silica, feldspar, chalk, lime for polishing, etc.

    2.1.1 Diamond. Diamond is the hardest substance currently known. The main ingredient is carbon, which is expensive because of its limited origin. Mainly used for manufacturing resin, ceramic or metal bonded abrasive tools. Diamond has a sharp shape and is the best abrasive tool for grinding hard and brittle materials such as cemented carbide, optical glass, and ceramics. It has a better polishing effect on alloys of different phases with huge differences in soft and hard. In addition, diamond polishing abrasive media have the characteristics of long finishing life, high cutting ability, and strong wear resistance. However, because it is easily carbonized at 700℃~800℃, it is not suitable for finishing steel materials and ultra-high-speed grinding.

    2.1.2 The main components of emery are aluminum oxide (Al2O3), a small amount of iron oxide (Fe2O3) and other impurities. It can be used for finishing and polishing all metals.

    2.1.3 Garnet is the oldest type of polishing abrasive media. It was called Ziyawu in ancient China. It has been used to grind gemstones since the Bronze Age. It gets its name because the crystal particles are shaped like pomegranate seeds. It is mostly used for sandblasting, waterjet cutting, manufacturing coated abrasive tools, filter materials, wear-resistant floor aggregates, etc. It is used in hardware, steel, castings, ceramics, aluminum, wood, and leather industries.

    2.1.4 The main component of quartz sand is SiO2, which is the earliest grinding wheel material and can be used for grinding, polishing, tumbling and sandblasting. The main component of diatomite is also SiO2, which is an ingredient in the manufacture of polishing powder and whetstone. Suitable for finishing and polishing soft metals such as brass, aluminum, and zinc.

    2.1.5 Pumice comes from volcanoes and is the raw material for making polishing powder. Suitable for finishing and polishing soft metals and their alloys, wood, glass, plastic, leather, etc.

    2.1.6 Flint, is a relatively common siliceous rock. Because flint is hard and produces sharp fractures when broken, it was first favored by primitive people in the Stone Age and used to strike and make stone tools. The striking of flint and iron tools will produce sparks, so it was also used as a fire-making tool by ancient people. In ancient China, a small piece of flint and a steel “fire sickle” were often struck to make fire, so flint is also called flint. The modern grinding industry utilizes its hard and sharp edges as grinding materials.

    2.1.7 Silica is the general name for vein quartz, quartzite, and quartz sandstone. The main component is also SiO2. Silica has a wide range of uses. When used in the grinding industry, it can be used to make grinding stones, oil stones, and sandpaper. It can also be used to polish glass, Surface of metal products, sawing and grinding stones, polishing jewelry, etc.

    2.1.8 Feldspar is the general name for feldspar minerals. There are many types, such as albite, anorthite, barium feldspar, barium adolite, microcline feldspar, orthoclase, feldspar, etc. The main component is feldspar. Silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, K2O, sodium oxide, calcium oxide, etc. When used in the grinding industry, it is often used as a bond component in the production of bonded abrasive tools, such as grinding wheels.

    2.1.9 Chalk is calcium carbonate and has a wide range of uses. It is used in the grinding industry as a raw material for tooth powder, toothpaste and other cosmetics.


    2.2 Artificial abrasive media. It is an abrasive material that does not exist in nature and is entirely artificially produced. The main types are:

    2.2.1 Sintered abrasives. Mainly divided into corundum abrasive media, silicon carbide abrasive media and CBN (cubic boron nitride) abrasive media, the varieties are divided into:

    Brown corundum abrasive media. The main component is Al2O3, which has medium hardness, high toughness, sharp particles, relatively low price, and is suitable for processing metals with high tensile strength.

    White corundum abrasive media. Its hardness is slightly higher than brown corundum, but its toughness is poor. It is easy to cut into the workpiece during finishing. It has good self-sharpening, low heat generation, strong finishing ability and high efficiency. Chrome corundum abrasive media is its derivative.

    Single crystal corundum abrasive media. Its particles are composed of a single crystal and have good multi-edge cutting edges, high hardness and toughness, strong grinding ability, and low grinding heat. The disadvantage is that the production cost is high and the output is low, so the price is relatively high.

    Silicon carbide abrasive media. Divided into black silicon carbide abrasives, green silicon carbide abrasives, cubic silicon carbide abrasives, and cerium silicon carbide abrasives. The main component is SiC, which has high hardness, high brittleness, sharp abrasive grains, good thermal conductivity, and strong wear resistance. It is more suitable for processing hard and brittle metal and non-metallic products. At present, the finishing and cutting of most NdFeB magnetic materials is widely used.

    CBN (cubic boron nitride) abrasive media. It is a synthetic super-hard material, its hardness is second only to diamond, and it is an excellent grinding material. Compared with traditional grinding materials, CBN abrasives have excellent grinding performance, especially when grinding cemented carbide, and are more efficient. CBN abrasive media are known as one of the greatest technological advances in the history of the abrasives industry due to their high strength, high wear resistance, excellent hardness close to diamond, and excellent thermal stability. The wear resistance and hardness are more than four times that of traditional abrasives, and its unique chemical properties also make it particularly suitable for grinding ferrous metal materials.
    The thermal integrity of CBN abrasive media and their ability to maintain a sharp cutting edge when machining ferrous materials makes them the product of choice for advanced grinding systems. When grinding ferrous metals, they do not react with each other; when grinding steel alloys, they are not easily oxidized. This makes CBN abrasive media the first choice for high-performance grinding wheels for grinding different materials such as cast iron and hard steel.
    CBN abrasive media can withstand high temperatures of 1300℃~1400℃, are chemically inert to iron group elements, have good thermal conductivity, have high removal rates when grinding steel, have large grinding ratios, and have long tool life. They are ideal for grinding hardened steel, The best abrasive for metals with high hardness and toughness such as high-speed steel, high-strength steel, stainless steel and heat-resistant alloys. In addition, CBN abrasive tools are also suitable for ultra-high-speed grinding, and metal-based CBN abrasive tools will not break even if the linear speed exceeds 250m/s.


    2.2.2 Preformed finishing media.
    There are two types of such finishing media: One is sintered ceramic media; also known as ceramic deburring or polishing media. Corundum sand or silicon carbide powder, quartz powder, alumina and other materials are melted at a high temperature of more than 1,000 degrees and sintered into a finishing media with very high hardness. The other is abrasives media bonded with resin, called resin media, polyester media or plastic media. This type of abrasives media can be made into triangular, spherical, square, conical, cylindrical and other shapes. Each shape of abrasives media has different sizes.


    2.2.3 Steel finishing media.
    It can be made into hard steel balls, stainless steel balls, ballcone, ufo, needles, pins, angle cut cylinder and other shapes. This type of abrasive media has high strength and is not easily broken. It is mainly used for polishing surface brightness.


    2.2.4 Bio-degradable finishing media.
    Commonly used ones include corn cobs, walnut shells, sawdust, shredded felt, shredded leather, etc. It is mainly used in the tumble polishing process. It is used for the final polishing and drying of parts that have been treated with light finishes, and can achieve an effect close to mirror polishing.

    diamond abrasive media
    Artificial brown corundum abrasive media
  • 3. What is tumbling finishing media?
  • Tumbling finishing mediaalso called tumbling abrasive media and mass finishing media, refer to abrasive media that use tumbling, vibrating, rotating and other motion methods to finishing the surfaces of product parts and workpieces. It can be natural abrasive media such as river sand, stones, and plants, but most of them use artificial abrasives, including abrasive media with cutting force and polishing media without cutting force. This artificial abrasive media comes in a variety of shapes, including tri-angle, ellipses, spheres, cylinders, tri-star shapes and other clumps, so it is also commonly called tumbling media. It can be said that tumbling abrasive media are one category of abrasive media, but because natural abrasive media are rarely used now, tumbling media actually refer to tumbling abrasive media in most cases.
    angle cut tri-angle ceramic tumbling media
    sphere ceramic tumbling media
  • 4. What can tumbling finishing media be used for?
  • Tumbling media can deburr, descale, deflash, chamfer, derust, degrease, clean, polish, brighten on metal and non-metallic parts and workpieces. The advantage of this kind of finishing media is that it can quickly finish products in large quantities, automatically, and has the characteristics of low cost, high efficiency, safety and environmental protection.
  • 5. What are the types of tumbling finishing media?
  • Tumbling media are divided into three types of abrasive media: rough finishing, fine finishing and polishing:

    5.1 Rough finishing media, mainly includes brown corundum ceramic media, resin ( plastic) media, divided into heavy cutting force, medium cutting force and light cutting force.

    5.2 Fine finishing media, includes white corundum ceramic media, chrome corundum ceramic media, 3P abrasive media, etc. Because the grit size of the micropowder contained in it is very fine, some of which are nearly 2000-3000 mesh, it can continuously perform micro-cutting on the surface of the workpiece to form a more delicate surface roughness, which is suitable for finishing and polishing precision parts.

    5.3 Polishing abrasive media include high-alumina porcelain media, high-density porcelain media (high-alumina porcelain media with an alumina content of more than 95%), stainless steel media, walnut shell abrasive media, corn cob abrasive media, etc. The main purpose is to improve the gloss and brightness of the workpiece surface.

  • 6. How does tumbling finishing media work?
  • The shapes of tumbling finishing media include triangles, spheres, cubes, cylinders, three-star shapes, etc. The cutting surfaces are straight and angle to form acute angles at different angles. The specifications are also available in dozens of sizes from 1mm to 60mm, which are suitable for each. Finishing and polishing of internal and external surfaces of product parts with irregular and complex shapes, holes, seams, corners and other parts. The main mode of operation is to put the abrasive media and parts together into the working barrel of the tumbling finishing and polishing machine, and use the vibrating, tumbling, rotating and other mechanical movements generated by the machine to cause the abrasives to rub and cut on the surface of the workpiece to achieve the effect of finishing and polishing.
    ShineTec's Hardware Fully Automatic Polishing Machine
  • 7. How to choose the correct tumbling finishing media?
  • There are several factors to consider when purchasing tumbling media:

    7.1 Cutting force. This indicator determines the speed at which the workpiece is ground. Heavy-cutting abrasive media can finish parts faster but produce a relatively rough surface finish. Conversely, light-cutting abrasive media finish more slowly but produce higher surface quality.

    7.2 Durability. Wear resistance determines the service life of abrasive media. Wear resistance is affected by factors such as the quality of various raw materials, the particle size and content of abrasives, the matching degree of binder and corundum sand, the condition of vacuum during molding, and the control of sintering temperature. This is a key indicator reflecting the quality of abrasives.

    7.3 Hardness. Workpieces with different hardnesses require tumbling media with different hardnesses for finishing. The harder the workpiece, the harder the abrasive media is required to polish it. If high-hardness abrasives are used to polish workpieces made of soft materials, they may cause damage to the workpiece. For example, if aluminum alloy workpieces are ground with brown corundum ceramic deburring media, the surface will be dull, corrosion pits (impacting points) and a deformation disturbing layer will be produced on the surface.

    7.4 Shape and size. Different shapes and sizes of product parts require matching abrasive media of different sizes and shapes. Generally speaking, the larger your workpiece is, the larger the media will be, and the smaller the workpiece will be, the smaller the abrasive will be. Particular attention should be paid to the shape and size of the abrasive media so that it cannot get stuck in the inner holes, pipes, gaps, corners, etc. of your product.
    Every user of abrasive media wants to buy high-quality abrasives with fast grinding time, high surface quality and strong wear resistance. Maybe you are looking for where is the best tumbling abrasive media manufacturer? Please contact us. ShineTec masters the key technologies of abrasive production and manufacturing and can provide you with the most cost-effective abrasive media.
  • 8. What is the best tumbling finishing media?
  • To measure the quality of finishing media, the most critical factors are cutting efficiency and wear resistance. However, in terms of production and manufacturing processes, these two are contradictory indicators. To achieve high cutting efficiency, you need to use large-grained corundum sand. However, the larger the particle size of the sand, the easier it is to fall off from the matrix during finishing, affecting the wear resistance of the abrasive and causing high wear. Here it is necessary to master the bonding strength between the sand grains and the binder, find a balance point, and maximize the cutting force of corundum sand while enhancing the bonding strength with the matrix. It requires both high cutting force and strong wear resistance. This is the core technology that produces the best tumbling media.
    tumbling finishing media
  • 9. How long is the service life of tumbling finishing media?
  • The service life of tumbler media typically ranges from several months to several years, depending on the hardness, shape, and size of the workpiece being ground. Workpieces with sharp burrs and edges, sharp edges, flash edges, higher hardness and larger appearance will cause greater loss to the abrasive. The service life is shorter.
    Of course the most basic factor depends on the quality of the tumbler media. Good abrasive media will enhance wear resistance while ensuring grinding efficiency. ShineTec’s tumbler media are mature and stable formulas formed on the basis of dozens of process formula tests. Corundum sand has the best material match with other binders, and the wear resistance of the products is longer than other products on the market in terms of service life. There is a 3 times improvement.
  • 10. How to calculate the volume matching ratio between finishing media and workpiece?
  • What is the most appropriate loading ratio of tumbler media to workpiece during primary finishing and polishing? This ratio depends on the finishing effect you want to achieve. Factors that need to be considered include the material, size, shape of the abrasive media, the material and weight of the workpiece.
    Below is a basic tumbler media : parts ratio guide, please refer to the table below to determine your usage:

    Tumbler Media to Workpiece Volume Ratio Typical Application
    0 : 1 no abrasive media, and the product is self-finishing and polishing, such as some decorative stones for handicrafts.
    1 : 1 Same proportion of tumbler media and products with very rough surface, such as forgings, castings, etc.
    2 : 1 Light finishing, allowing workpieces to collide with each other.
    3 : 1 Minimum ratio for copper, aluminum, zinc and other non-ferrous metal workpieces. The workpieces may collide with each other, so the ratio is suitable for finishing and polishing ferrous metals.
    4 : 1 Average efficiency ratio of non-ferrous metal workpieces. High efficiency ratio for ferrous metal parts.
    5 : 1 Suitable for finishing and polishing non-ferrous metal parts. Workpieces rarely collide with each other.
    6 : 1 Suitable for finishing and polishing of non-ferrous metal products. It is often used for pre-plating treatment of resin media and aluminum and zinc alloy workpieces.
    8 : 1 Suitable for finishing and polishing of non-ferrous metals or precision parts. Less surface roughness and smoothness.
    10:1~20:1 Better polishing quality. Suitable for irregular shapes or fragile workpieces.
    Max No collision between workpieces. One machine polishes one part or each workpiece needs to be separated.
What is the best deburring, finishing and polishing process method?

In the manufacturing process of machining, powder metallurgy, plastic injection molding, metal casting, electronic appliances, medical equipment, aerospace, 3D printing, jewelry, instrumentation, jewelry and other industries, we will all encounter surface treatment problems. We are also frequently exposed to the two professional terms finishing and polishing, so do you know what the differences are between different finishing and polishing process methods? What is the best commonly used finishing and polishing process? The following is an introduction to various finishing and polishing processes.

1. What is finishing?

Finishing uses abrasive tools and media to cut the surface of the workpiece under a certain pressure. Product workpieces can be made of various metal or non-metallic materials, and the processed surface shapes include flat surfaces, arc surfaces, concave and convex surfaces, threads, tooth surfaces and other special-shaped surfaces.
Finishing can be achieved by manual or mechanical automation. It is the preliminary stage of surface treatment. The main purpose is to remove scale, deburr and level.
According to the different grit size of the abrasive media, it is divided into heavy cutting, medium cutting and light cutting, which correspond to different cutting strengths. The stronger the cutting force, the higher the efficiency, but the higher the surface roughness.
The manual finishing method mainly uses grinding tools such as grinding wheels, sandpaper, wire brushes, and grindstones to grind the surface of the workpiece. It is a surface treatment process with maximum cutting intensity and has the greatest impact on the accuracy and appearance dimensions of the product. The advantage of manual finishing is that it requires less equipment investment, is convenient and fast, and is suitable for various complex cavities. The disadvantages are high labor costs, low efficiency, unfriendly environment, poor safety, and inconsistent surface quality. It is a process that will be phased out.
The automated finishing method uses professional finishing machines and equipment to perform batch mechanized grinding of the workpiece surface. At present, there are several special machines and equipment below that can be used for automatic finishing in large quantities.

Surface grinding lathe deburring and scale grinding and polishing

Grinding lathe

Divided into internal and external cylindrical or surface grinders, belt sanders, grinders, etc. Internal and external cylindrical grinders are used to grind the cylindrical internal and external surfaces of product workpieces. Surface grinders are used to grind flat parts to obtain a smooth and flat outer surface. Abrasive belts and grinders are also operated by manual single parts and are suitable for medium and large-sized components. The advantages of this kind of grinding machine are simple operation, high cutting force, the ability to cut and grind different parts with different strengths, and the ability to process products of medium and large dimensions. The disadvantage is that the purchase cost of the machine equipment is high and it can only process a single product. It can only grind product parts with simple shapes, but cannot handle workpieces with complex surfaces and irregular internal holes, holes, gaps and other parts.

Robotic deburring, grinding and polishing of automotive aluminum alloy wheels

Industrial robot

This is an advanced grinding processing equipment. By setting a fixed motion path through PLC programming, and using the grinding head, workpieces with complex internal and external surfaces can be automatically ground. For example, some stainless steel, aluminum alloy, zinc alloy and other kitchen utensils, bathroom hardware, car wheels, etc. The advantage of this equipment is that grinding and finishing can be integrated into one piece, and different surface treatment processes can be achieved by replacing different grinding heads. It is also suitable for processing medium and large complex-shaped product parts. It can also control the finishing of a certain part of the product individually, and has strong defect repair capabilities. The disadvantage is that the purchase cost is high, the investment in supporting facilities is also large, it can only be processed in a single piece, the efficiency is low, the operation and maintenance are complicated, and the inner surface of the product cannot be processed.

Sandblasting, deburring, descaling, grinding and polishing

Sand blasting machine

This is the most widely used grinding treatment method. Sandblasting is a machine that uses compressed air as power to eject high-speed abrasive sand chip to remove scale, burrs, and flash on the surface of the product. Suitable for some medium and large-sized products, such as cast iron parts, forgings, machined parts, large turbine blades, etc. Shot blasting is to throw small steel shots through a high-speed rotating impeller, impact the surface of the part, and remove the oxide layer. The advantage of this grinding method is that it is suitable for extra large or medium-sized product workpieces, can handle complex shapes, and can improve the metallographic structure of the product surface and improve the surface mechanical properties. The disadvantages are high investment cost, small batch processing at one time, not suitable for small workpiece products, high surface roughness after treatment, and cannot handle the inner surfaces of the product’s inner holes, pipes, gaps, etc.

Abrasive flow,inner hole deburring, descaling, polishing

Abrasive flow machining for deburring and descaling

Also called AFM deburring and finishing. This method is widely used for in-hole deburring and descaling of various precision parts. Its operating principle is to mix diamond, white corundum sand, silicon carbide and other abrasive sand with the abrasive flow to prepare a semi-fluid finishing media, which quickly passes through the holes inside the workpiece under the pressure generated by the machine, and uses the abrasive sand to polish the inner wall. Cutting to achieve the finishing effect of deburring and descaling. The advantage of this method is that it is particularly suitable for deburring and polishing the inner surfaces of precision parts with complex inner holes. The disadvantage is that its finishing efficiency is low and it cannot be processed in batches. It can only be used for polishing inner holes below 500mm. The cutting amount is only within a few microns. It cannot remove large burrs, turning lines, oxide skin, rust spots, etc. Special tooling fixtures are also required, and the one-time investment cost is also high.

Magnetic grinding, deburring, polishing, descaling, degreasing, cleaning

Magnetic polishing machine

Magnetic polishing uses magnetic force to drive the stainless steel needles in the working barrel of the machine to produce high-frequency motion and impact the internal and external surfaces of the workpiece to achieve the effect of deburring, descaling, deflashing, brightening from the inner holes, dead corners, gaps, and other parts of the hardware workpiece. Suitable for finishing and polishing metal or hard plastic non-metal workpieces. The advantage of this polishing method is that it is suitable for irregular and complex special-shaped parts. Deburring, descaling and polishing can be completed in one go. It does not deform, does not affect the dimensional accuracy of the workpiece, and does not damage the surface. The surface roughness can reach Ra0.1-Ra0.01. It can be processed quickly in batches. It takes 5-20 minutes in polishing, has high efficiency, no loss of consumables, and low investment. The disadvantage is that the machine’s processing capacity is generally within tens of kilograms at a time, and it is only suitable for workpieces of smaller sizes, such as small hardware, small ornaments, precision parts, etc.

tumbling finishing and polishing to deburr, descale, deflash, derust, chamfer, degrease

Mass finishing machine

This is the most widely used surface finishing method and is also a professional equipment in the field of batch finishing. Contains models with multiple motion patterns, using vibratory finishing, centrifugal barrel finishing, centrifugal disc finishing and other methods drive the tumbling deburring media and workpiece to tumble and rotate in the working barrel of the machine, let the abrasive to cut on the surface of the workpiece to remove burrs and oxidation skin, flash, oil stain and other effects. The abrasive media has a very high hardness after being sintered at high temperature, like stones, so it is generally called ceramic media, also called tumbling media. Materials include brown corundum, white corundum, silicon carbide, etc. Commonly used shapes include triangle, spherical, cylindrical, three-star, cone, and tetrahedron. There are also various specifications and sizes, which are used to finish workpieces of different materials and shapes. The advantages of this finishing method are wide application range, large batches and high efficiency. The shape of the workpiece can be irregular and special-shaped. Internal holes, dead corners, cracks, cross holes and other parts can be finished. The size can range from a few millimeters to 3 meters, the dimensional accuracy of the product is not affected, and the workpiece materials can be supported from non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals, powder metallurgy, plastic, acrylic, rubber, bamboo, marble, glass and other non-metal materials. The investment cost is low and the operation is simple and convenient. The disadvantage is that it can only finish the entire workpiece and cannot control the finishing of a single part. For example, it is impossible to level a certain convex part of the product. Also, if the inner hole or pipe length of some products exceeds 30mm, the effects of rust removal and descale on the inner surface will not be satisfactory.

2. What is polishing?

Polishing refers to a processing method that uses manual, mechanical, chemical or electrochemical methods to reduce the surface roughness of the workpiece to obtain a shiny and bright surface. Generally speaking, polishing is performed after finishing and is a later stage of surface treatment. Polishing cannot improve the dimensional accuracy or geometric shape accuracy of the workpiece, but is intended to obtain a smooth surface or mirror gloss. Sometimes it is also used to eliminate gloss (matting), such as to obtain a matte effect. The main polishing methods are as follows:
1. Artificial polishing.
The manual polishing method mainly uses professional tools such as polishing wheels, polishing heads, and angle grinders to apply polishing paste on the polishing wheel and press it against the product surface while rotating at high speed, allowing the abrasive to roll and micro-cut the workpiece surface. This results in a shiny surface effect. The surface roughness of the polished product can reach Ra0.6~0.01 micron. Like manual grinding, the advantage of manual polishing is that it requires less equipment investment, is convenient and fast, and is suitable for irregular shapes and internal surfaces. By using polishing and abrasive media of different mesh sizes, a mirror polishing effect can be achieved, which is the best among all polishing methods. The disadvantages are that the labor cost is too high, training is required to get on the job, efficiency is low, the environment is unfriendly, safety is poor, and surface quality is inconsistent. It is a process that will be phased out. At present, it is only used when polishing some medium and large kitchen and bathroom products.
2. Mechanical polishing. Use professional polishing machines and equipment to perform batch mechanized polishing of workpiece surfaces. At present, there are several special machines and equipment below that can be used for automatic polishing in large quantities:

Automated industrial robot polishing mobile phone case

Industrial robot

A cloth wheel is installed on the robotic arm and products with irregular and complex surfaces can be polished according to the set motion trajectory. At present, many kitchen and bathroom hardware, decoration, automobile wheel and other industries have begun to use this robot-automated polishing method extensively. By replacing the cloth wheel and polishing paste with a finer grit size on the surface of the product that has been ground in the previous process, the same equipment can achieve the polishing function. Its advantage is that it is suitable for processing medium and large product parts with complex shapes, and can also achieve mirror effects. The disadvantage is that the purchase cost is high and the investment in supporting facilities is also high. It can only be processed in a single piece, with low efficiency. The operation and maintenance are complicated. It cannot handle the inner surfaces of the product such as holes and gaps.

Shot blasting, shot blasting polishing machine

Shot blasting machine

Shot blasting or shot blasting machines can also be used for polishing. They use stainless steel shot media to hammer the surface of metal parts at high speed to increase surface density and achieve the effect of improving surface gloss and brightness. The advantage is that it is suitable for medium and large parts, and can also handle complex curved surface cavities. The disadvantage is that the polishing roughness is high, which can only increase the gloss and brightness, but cannot achieve a mirror-like polishing effect. In addition, it can only be used for surface polishing of product parts made of metal.

Magnetic polishing machine

Magnetic polishing machine

Magnetic polishing machine integrates the finishing and polishing processes into one. It uses the high-speed rotation and rolling of stainless steel needles to impact the surface of the workpiece. It removes burrs, scale, oil and impurities while improving the surface brightness of the product, achieving the purpose of polishing. The advantages are high efficiency, no loss of consumables media, and low investment. The disadvantage is that the number of processes is small, it is only suitable for small product parts, and the surface roughness after polishing is relatively high.

mass tumbling polishing

Tumbling polisher

It can also be called a mass polishing machine, polishing tumbler. Based on the rough finishing of descaling and deburring in the previous process, by replacing different polishing media, the roughness of the product surface can be reduced and the brightness can be improved. Abrasive media for polishing are generally usedporcelain polishing media, high-density porcelain media (In fact, this is also a type of porcelain, but the alumina content in it is higher than that of common porcelain media, can reach about 95%, so the density is higher than that of common porcelain media), white corundum polishing media, chrome corundum polishing media, stainless steel polishing media. The principle is to use high-density, high-hardness tumbling media to hit the surface of metal products to change the tightness of the arrangement between grains. At the same time, the micro-powder contained in the polishing media is used to perform micro-cutting on the surface, reducing roughness and improving brightness and gloss. There is also a polishing method commonly known as polishing, which is to use barrel tumbling polishing machine uses plant bio-degradable such as wood chips, bamboo chips, corn cobs, and walnut shells. It uses the coarse fibers on the surface of this material to simulate the cloth wheel used for manual polishing, and with the polishing paste, it passes Dozens of hours of slow and micro-finishing achieve a mirror-like effect. The advantage of rotary tumbling polishing is that it has a wide range of applications, large batches, and high efficiency. It can be used for product parts with various special shapes and complex surfaces. The materials can also be metal and non-metal materials. The operation is simple and convenient. The disadvantage is that the polishing effect cannot reach the mirror state of a manual cloth wheel. The smooth polishing method can only achieve an effect close to a mirror surface at best.

3. Chemical polishing.
Chemical polishing is a method that relies on the chemical corrosion of chemical reagents to selectively dissolve uneven areas on the surface of the product to eliminate oxide scale and etch and level it. Using strong acid or alkaline solutions such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid or sodium hydroxide, the principle is that the convex parts on the surface of the metal parts have a different electrode potential than the concave parts in the solution, resulting in different dissolution rates, causing the convex parts to It dissolves preferentially over concave parts and can remove rough surface roughness and obtain a smooth finish ranging from an average of several microns to tens of microns. The advantage of this polishing method is that the equipment is simple and only requires a container to hold the solution. It can handle thin tubes, parts with deep holes and complex shapes, and has high production efficiency. The disadvantages are obvious: it is not environmentally friendly, has serious pollution, emits a large amount of harmful gases, has a short service life of the polishing solution, and is difficult to regenerate. The polishing effect is not as good as electrolytic polishing.

Chemical deburring and descaling, polishing

Chemical polishing process

Comparison of surface effects of chemical process methods for deburring,descaling and polishing

Comparison of chemical polishing effects of workpieces

4. Electrolytic polishing.
Electrolytic polishing is essentially chemical polishing. The acid solution is put into the electrolytic tank, the workpiece is used as the anode and connected to the power supply, the lead electrode in the electrolytic tank is used as the cathode, and direct current is passed on. Due to the high current of the burrs and oxide scale on the surface of the part, the corresponding dissolution speed in acid solution is fast. This uneven dissolution speed dissolves burrs or oxide layers first, which plays a smooth and polishing role for the entire workpiece. If the surface is too rough, it is not suitable to electrolytic polish directly. It is best to use mechanical polishing to rough finish it once, and then electrolytic polishing can make the surface finish of the parts reach a very high level, and even achieve a mirror-like gloss effect. Some daily products and handicrafts such as decorative hardware, lamps, kitchen and bathroom supplies made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and zinc alloy can be electropolished to obtain a satisfactory surface effect. The advantage of electrolytic polishing is that it is suitable for processing parts with special-shaped and complex surfaces, some parts that cannot be mechanically polished, and internal deep holes, thin tubes, gaps, and dead corners. It has high production efficiency and good polishing effect. The disadvantages are the same as chemical polishing: serious pollution, poor safety, unfriendly to the environment, complicated preparation of electrolytic acid, short service life, and difficult regeneration. It is only suitable for polishing steel, aluminum, copper, nickel and various alloys.

Electrolytic method for deburring, descaling and polishing

Electrolytic polishing process

Comparison of workpiece effects of electrolytic polishing process

Comparison of surface effects of electrolytic polishing workpieces

5. Plasma polishing.
Also called nano-polishing, it is a new environmentally friendly polishing process that can be called a polishing artifact. The principle of plasma polishing is relatively complex. It involves three polishing mechanisms. One is the tip discharge effect: raised parts such as surface burrs have low resistance and are easily broken down in a high-voltage electric field, forming discharge channels. The burrs are dissolved and sharp edges are formed. The corners are rounded and the flatness is improved; the second is the particle bombardment effect: the polishing solution and the workpiece are instantly short-circuited, causing a large amount of heat to vaporize the polishing solution. When the ions of this gas reach a certain number, plasma is formed. The form of this plasma is very high. When it collides with the surface of the workpiece, the oxide layer on the metal surface will be loosened and decomposed, and the surface will be evenly polished. The third is the gas film blasting scour effect: the plasma gas film surrounding the product is rapidly blasted under the influence of electromagnetic field and high temperature, and the oxide layer on the surface of the workpiece is peeled off under the action of tangential cavitation force. The combined action of these three effects instantly The surface of the workpiece will be shiny. Nano-polishing can control the dimensional accuracy of the workpiece within 0.002mm, and the roughness can reach Ra0.01. The polished product has improved smoothness, precision, hardness and durability. It is widely used in the field of fine polishing of high-end products, such as the furniture, bathroom and tableware industries. : handles, handles, faucets, copper parts; glasses industry: glasses frames, glasses frames; aerospace manufacturing: aircraft engine blades; medical device manufacturing: titanium alloys, stainless steel instruments and other fields.
The advantages of plasma polishing are wide application, fast polishing speed (can be completed within ten seconds to two minutes), high precision, good effect, and can achieve electroplating-level mirror effect. Its nano-polishing liquid is very environmentally friendly, and the waste liquid can be discharged directly without causing pollution. The equipment adopts automatic control, which is simple to operate, convenient to maintain and has low labor cost. It can polish some irregular and complex surfaces, dead corners, holes and other parts. It can also produce a passivation film on the surface of the workpiece to keep the surface bright and effectively prevent oxidation. The disadvantage is that the initial investment in equipment is large, and the preparation of workpiece polishing fluids of different materials is complicated. It can only polish conductive materials such as stainless steel, copper, zinc and their alloys. It is not suitable for excessively large burrs, pits, and excessively thick oxide layers. Suitable for polishing medium to large size product parts.

Plasma polisher for deburring, descaling, chamfering, nano polishing machine

Plasma (nano) polishing machine

Comparison of plasma and nano polishing workpiece effects

Comparison of plasma (nano) polishing workpiece effects

What is 3P ceramic media?

About Black 3P Abrasive Media

  • 1. What is 3P ceramic media?
  • 3P ceramic media, also known as black 3P tumbling media and G3P precise polishing media, is a random and irregular granular abrasive with a black surface. It is mainly used in bearings, tableware, medical equipment, daily hardware, tools, textile accessories, oil pumps, and pneumatic components, powder metallurgy, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, toys and crafts, sewing machines, optical instruments, wind instruments, instrumentation and other industries, deburring, descaling and other finishing processes for precision hardware parts and products, while achieving a mirror polishing effect. A new type of artificial polishing media.
    Black 3P fine precise polishing media
    3P precise finishing ceramic media
  • 2. What is the use of 3P ceramic media?
  • 2.1 The main function of 3P ceramic media is to combine finishing and polishing. While cutting, it can polish the surface of product parts to improve the brightness and gloss of the surface. The ordinary polishing process generally requires at least two processes to complete the surface polishing process. The first is the process of rough finishing to remove burrs and scale, and the second is polishing brightness. Especially for some precision parts, many require three processes. Rough grinding + fine finishing + polishing, 3P ceramic media can be completed in only one process. It is indeed a fast and high-quality tumbling polishing media.

    2.2 3P ceramic media is an irregular granular shape that can penetrate into hard-to-reach parts such as product workpieces and cross-holes, grooves, dead corners, gaps, etc., and can perform all-round finishing and polishing of the internal and external surfaces of the product.

  • 3. What is the difference between 3P ceramic media and other abrasive media?
  • 3P ceramic media is made from crushed cylindrical or ball abrasives. It is a granular tumbling polishing media with multiple irregular sharp corners. The abrasive sand with cutting force contained in 3P ceramic media is mainly chromium corundum ultrafine powder, which is sintered through high-temperature melting reaction with metal binders. The hardness of this kind of abrasive material is very high, and its density is far higher than ordinary high-alumina porcelain media and high-density porcelain tumbling media, reaching 3.6 g/cm3, which is far more than high-alumina porcelain polishing media and high-density porcelain polishing media. Chrome corundum ultrafine powder acts on the surface of product parts. It is an abrasive material with light cutting force. After cutting, the ultrafine powder can clean the surface of fine burrs, dirt, oxide scale, etc., restoring the original luster of the part material. It forms a low-roughness, delicate product surface with high smoothness. It has excellent surface effects for some high-hardness alloy product parts, such as precision bearings.
    precision parts polishing
  • 4. What are the specifications of 3P ceramic media?
  • Item Specification
    3P-4 4-6 mm
    3P-6 3-4.3 mm
    3P-8 2.3-3.4 mm
    3P-10 1.7-2.4 mm
    3P-14 1.2-1.7 mm
    3P-16 0.8-1.4 mm
    3P-24 0.6-1.0 mm
    3P-28 0.4-0.8 mm
    3P-30 0.2-0.6 mm
    3P-32 0.1-0.4 mm
  • 5. Do my product parts need to be polished with 3P ceramic media?
  • Generally speaking, 3P ceramic media are suitable for polishing some precision parts and high-hardness alloy product workpieces. If your product parts need to remove small burrs, thin oxide scales, and rust spots, and also need a shiny surface close to mirror polishing, 3P abrasive media are the most suitable finishing and polishing materials. It can be finished and polished in one go.

    Of course, using ceramic deburring media with high-alumina porcelain media, high-density porcelain polishing media or stainless steel media can also achieve a bright surface effect. The disadvantage is that it requires additional finishing processes, which is labor-consuming and time-consuming; in addition, the particle size in the powder of ceramic deburring media is far greater than that of chromium corundum micro powder in 3p media, the surface roughness after polishing is higher than that of 3P precision media, and the surface finish is not as good as that of 3P ceramic media.

    Finally, for the polishing process, the density of 3P ceramic media is higher than that of high-alumina porcelain media or high-density porcelain media, and the brightness and smoothness after polishing are also better than ordinary ceramic polishing media.

  • 6. Is 3P ceramic media expensive?
  • The prices of 3P ceramic media with different specifications and sizes are also different. One principle is that the smaller the media, the more expensive it is. The price of 3P ceramic media is generally tens of dollars per kilogram, so it is suitable for polishing some precision parts with high added value.
    Due to the unique product properties of 3P ceramic media, it has specialized and irreplaceable application fields.

  • 7. How long is the service life of 3P ceramic media?
  • The service life of the abrasive media depends on the size and shape of the product and the specification of the media. The larger the product, the more likely it is that the shape will have edges, sharp corners, edges, burrs, etc. The abrasive wear will be high and the service life will be short.
    The higher the hardness of the ceramic media, the greater the wear resistance. The following is a comparison of the service life of 3P ceramic media and other abrasives:

    brown corundum ceramic media < white corundum ceramic media < 3P ceramic media < porcelain media < high-density porcelain media < Zirconia polishing media < stainless steel media.
    The 3P ceramic media produced by ShineTec are wear-resistant polishing media that have been fired through dozens of sample tests using an exclusive process formula. After wear resistance testing, the wear resistance of our 3P precision polishing media is comparable to the performance of world-renowned manufacturers such as German Roesler and Japanese polishing and abrasive material manufacturer Tipton. If you don’t know where is the best 3P ceramic media, you can take a deeper look at our ShineTec products.
  • 8. Which finishing and polishing machine is suitable for 3P ceramic media?
  • 3P ceramic media are generally polished using a centrifugal barrel finishing machine. If a vibratory finishing machine is used, due to the small particles of the 3P media, it is difficult to form a good tumbling and rotating action in the machine. The use of centrifugal disc finishing machine will cause the media to get stuck in the gap between the barrel and the chassis, blocking the machine and making it unsuitable for use. The tumbling barrel finishing machine has a small turning force and the media are small, making it difficult to achieve a satisfactory surface polishing quality. The centrifugal barrel finishing machine rotates centrifugally at high speed, and the abrasive media and parts are in a small closed space. It is very suitable for taking advantage of the product characteristics of 3P ceramic media that can both cut and polish.
    Black 3P precision parts polishing
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