Several manufacturing processes for plastic manufacturers and metalworkers, like milling or casting, produce burrs. However, to guarantee the safety and quality of a component, one needs to ensure smooth edges that will not cause any problems in further processing or use of the item. Deburring and brushing machines are solutions to this issue.
High-quality deburring technology from Germany can be integrated into casting and cutting machines, and to automatically produce flawless components.
Burrs are unwanted protrusions of a material like metal or resin that can develop during processing.
When picturing a component like a gear, it is easy to understand, that any kind of imperfection can cause serious problems for the machine the gear is used for. Here, we need to make sure it can rotate easily and will not grate and damage other machine parts.
For the safety of other products, assembly processes, and operators, we need to eliminate these imperfections and protrusions.
There are several materials and processes that can cause burrs to appear. This mostly applies to steel producers and metalworkers , as well as plastic manufacturers.
Burrs develop during:
Super Finishing,
Honing,
Grinding,
Broaching,
Milling,
Turning,
Boring,
Drilling,
Metal Sawing,
Pressing,
File Finishing,
Forging,
Casting,
Welding, and
Fusing.
For materials like:
Stainless Steel,
Steel,
Special Alloys,
Copper,
Brass,
Aluminum,
Sinter Metals, and
Synthetic Materials, like Plastic and Resin.
Multiple machines can help remove burrs; from small manual applications for low quantities to fully automated AI-driven deburring machines integrated into serial production.
The German-based company Loeser has used its over 80 years of experience to become the standard for automated deburring with over 500 installations worldwide. Their top-of-the-line automated deburring centers can be linked to computer-controlled wheel handling conveyors to enable a 20 % production increase.
Deburring machines can use several methods to create flawless components. Typically, the process has two to three steps:
Removing the Primary Burrs – This removes the protrusions that have been created during processing, for example with grinding.
Removing the Secondary Burrs – The grinding process can create secondary burs. With scotch brushes and abrasive brushing techniques, the workpiece’s original geometry can be restored, this time burr-free.
Rounding of Edges – This step is optional. The component now no longer has burrs, but still has sharp edges. If required, to reduce the risk of injury when handling the parts, a deburring machine can also round any edges.
There are different kinds of deburring machines and techniques. In general, the machine must be tailored to the individual industry processes and resulting items. Some types of component shapes and materials are better off with a specific deburring method than others.
A professional manufacturer of deburring machines like Loeser will help their clients find the ideal solution for their needs.
Deburring can be achieved via:
Manual deburring machines are small hand tools with curved or hooked sharp edges you can use to cut away burrs.
For punch deburring, you use a punch machine with a mold fitted to cut away the burrs of the created component. This technique is more efficient than manual deburring but does not allow complex shapes.
With the tumbling technique, parts are put in a rotating barrel along with water, compounding agents, and an abrasive media. Burrs get removed with the friction. The result is very fast and cost-efficient, but not very precise.
Like the tumbling technique, here, the components are subjected to a rotating wheel made from abrasive materials that remove protrusions on contact.
In thermal deburring, the burrs are removed by igniting a mixture of gas surrounding the components in a deburring chamber. This process is very fast but requires further processing such as surface treatments like pickling. Here, we also need to pay special attention to the correct mixture of the used gasses.
In electrochemical deburring, the deburring tool is an anodic metal dissolution with cathodes that dissolves the burrs. This technique is typically used to deburr hard-to-reach and very small areas.
During the hole deburring method, a spring-loaded cutting tool removes the burrs that have developed inside a hole, like the inside of a pipe. The component must be positioned very precisely for the cutting tool to go through the hole smoothly.
Brush deburring is a very cost-effective and fast method that can be used on complex shapes. Here, the components are deburred with brush tools, which may contain abrasive substances. Similar to using sandpaper manually, the machines can fit themselves into several shapes and create smooth and rounded edges. This is the most used technique for automated burring machines integrated into processing lines.
Deburring is a necessary process to remove unwanted accumulations of metal or other materials that can develop during various processing methods. Deburring machines remove the protrusions to guarantee safe handling and further processing of the components.
Automated deburring machines with brushes can be used to gain smooth-finished pieces right from the processing line. The German company Loeser has established itself as the leading manufacturer of efficient deburring processes, which can raise productivity by as much as 20 %.
Electrical equipment has the potential to be extremely hazardous and every year in the US 30,000 incidents of electric shock are reported. As well as causing burns and serious injury to the body, electric shocks can be life-threatening, while the electrical fires caused by damaged wires or malfunctioning equipment can also destroy buildings. When you are working on an electrical engineering project, it is essential to meet electrical safety standards and follow regulations in order to keep people and buildings from harm. Just as you need cybersecurity to protect ideas and abstract designs, regularly monitoring, inspecting and managing any practical electrical work with regular risk assessments will ensure that any system is safe to install and operate.
If you become responsible for an established electrical system, it is important to regularly look out for damaged or exposed wires. Although they are sometimes difficult to spot, if left undetected bare wires can be extremely hazardous causing electrocution or electrical fires in a property. Cables may be frayed over time due to wear and tear but wires may also be exposed by rodents such as squirrels and mice that chew through the insulating sheath. Once damaged wires are found, immediately turning off the electrical circuit will ensure no electricity is running through them. As any contact with exposed live wires can cause an electric shock, this will remove the potential for injury or electrocution . As a temporary measure, superficially damaged wires can then be repaired with electrical tape but, in the longer term, exposed wires should be completely taken out and replaced.
As well as regularly inspecting established power systems, as an electrical engineer you may be responsible for designing a new electrical distribution system in a building. By familiarizing yourself with the National Electrical Code or any other regulations that apply where you are working, you can ensure that fundamental safety principles are established and that your design will be reliable and safe. A good electrical system design should be able to cope with the normal everyday requirements of the building together with occasional peaks in demand. However, all systems must include a circuit-protection strategy that will usually include fuses, relays and circuit breakers. This will disconnect the electricity supply by interrupting the flow when an abnormal or dangerous load is present.
When a circuit breaker is tripped it could be the sign of an electrical circuit overload. In a home or office, too many appliances plugged into one outlet can exceed the load for the circuit wiring which will cause the breaker to trip and shut off the power. While tripping the circuit breaker is an effective safety measure, it causes disruption to the electricity supply and should still be avoided if possible. Some of the signs of potential overloading before the circuit breaker is tripped include switches that are hot to the touch, outlets that produce a burning odor or plugs that have been scorched around the edges. By mapping circuit layouts, it is possible to calculate a safe load rating for each circuit . If the demand of a building outstrips the safe supply of electricity, you may need to install a new circuit layout to take the additional load.
A successful electrical engineering project goes beyond good design, it must also be safe to install, operate and use on a day-to-day basis. By following electrical codes, carefully monitoring systems and carrying out regular risk assessments, any potential hazards can be removed and the safety of engineers, operators and end users is assured.
There is no escaping from the fact that cutting-edge technological developments and evolving market innovations are pushing 3D printing into the mainstream. According to experts, the 3D printing market is expected to become a multi-trillion-dollar industry. It will rise from a $ 5 billion market to $55.8 billion by 2027. This is enough reason why many industries have started to embrace it.
The 3D printing market has gained popularity due to the maturing business environment. And now that all sorts of businesses have picked pace after COVID-19, the 3D market has become quite a rage.
And the market continues to experience massive success among home users and hobbyists. The number of 3D printers has doubled in the last few years. However, the combined value of the overall industrial/commercial sector is larger.
Secondly, due to the high cost of industrial and commercial 3D printing hardware, the raw material costs are higher too. Thus, entrepreneurs have to step back when making important decisions.
Here are the most common types of 3D printing raw materials that are used all over:
Polylactic Acid
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol Modified
For your information, the chemical and plastics industry makes these materials in large numbers. They are relatively inexpensive and readily available. Plus, they’re easy to handle and processed in fused filament fabrication. Currently, the most readily available raw materials are bronze powders and aluminum. Plus, there are selected grades of stainless steel and managing steel. Not to forget, a limited number of titanium alloys too. The private industry has already spent a lot of money on its research and development.
Remember that leadership in the global 3D printing industry will continue to boom in Western Europe and North America. And with a lot of young people enrolling in AutoCAD course , the demand is expected to boom only. And the widespread adoption of the 3D printing processes will also cause a magnetic transformation in supplier-customer relationships.
Most of these innovations are centered around evolutionary pressures from the latest technology. Plus, the increase in production speed, reliability, efficiency and system costs are to be noted too. Secondly, the staggering increase in product quality is yet another reason for this technology to know no bounds.
With the advancement in technology and the complexity of 3D printing, value chains have evolved as an organic consequence. Currently, the industrial and commercial 3D printing installations work as stand-alone units too. They are not intimately integrated into the manufacturing workflow and environment. For most companies, however, 3D printing is still relatively new.
They are taking time to get accustomed to this technology's chances. And companies with deep experience in using 3D printing in design and workflow. Developing a value chain in a business is very important. Thanks to 3D printing, it has enabled businesses to foster strong relationships with their customers.