Deburring or burnishing compounds are a liquid concentrate similar to soap which is mixed with water and used in the machine during the deburring process. The water and compound solution play an important role in the deburring process. They lubricate the media and keep the surface of the media clean. Another purpose of the compound and the water is to maintain the suspension of the soils, machining oils or metal removed from the parts and media. Otherwise, the cutting oils on the parts and the material will clog the surface of the media and reduce its action. Compounds can also react chemically with the parts being worked to affect finish and influence cycle times. Some operators of vibratory machines try using water soluble oil in the machines as a rust inhibitor. This should NEVER be used. The oil will clog the pores of the media and prevent it from deburring. There is a compound with a rust inhibitor in it that should be used for this purpose and it will not leave a film on your parts.
There are general purpose compounds used on all metals like our VF 77. There are also compounds that contain rust inhibitors for steel like our VF 100. Polishing compounds are either acidic VF 150 or alkaline VF 103 depending on the alloy you are burnishing. It is sold in five gallon containers and 55 gallon drums. Mixing concentration is one to four ounces of compound to one gallon of water. The compound mixture can be circulated through the machine with a pail and submersible pump or as with tumbling barrels and small bench top bowls run as a batch to be refilled with each load. Water systems can also be run as a flow through, where the water and compound are mixed with a mixing valve.
The water is fed into the machine slowly, then allowed to drain directly to the sewer. This way the water and compound is always clean. There needs to be traps in your drain system to use this type water/compound process. The trap will segregate the solids from the water and keep it out of the sewer system. If you are circulating or running a batch type system it is very important to change the fluid often. The solution should be changed at least every 4 hours of machine operation or in a batch system every time the parts are finished. Read more information click: Mr Deburr 300DB
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO RUN MY PARTS?
Most parts will need to have a uniform appearance as well as an edge break. Often times there are machining marks in the surface that need to be removed. To remove machine marks on the surface, it takes longer than to just break an edge. On aluminum parts run time can be 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Stainless steel and carbon steel run times can be 45 minutes to two hours or more. These are rough guidelines and actual time may vary. Polishing parts in porcelain or steel media will usually come to a nice shine in about 20 minutes to one hour.
HOW MANY PARTS CAN I RUN AT A TIME?
There is no hard and fast rules about how many parts can be placed in the machine at one time. You can usually have more steel parts in the machine than aluminum because of part on part contact. The machines can easily handle the load; it is a matter of the part on part contact damaging each other. The media likes to get between the parts and keep them separated. The exact ratio of parts to media is usually a matter of trial and error and will vary some depending on the part configuration. If you took a 5-gallon pail and filled it half way with parts, that would be a comfortable load for our 3 cubic foot machine. For the 6.5 cubic foot machine, it would hold about three times the parts. You want your parts to be surrounded by the media and not banging into each other.
TO LEARN MORE
This just a rough overview of the de-burring process. There are no hard and fast rules in this industry. Many companies will develop their own process for particular parts. It may also be that you are trying to achieve a certain look to your part that will make it unique in your industry. There are numerous types of media available for doing limitless operations in vibratory machines and tumbling barrels. If you would like to educated yourself further, the best book on the market is by LaRoux Gillespie It is called Mass Finishing Handbook ISBN-13(978-0-8311)3257-6. It has a lot of very detailed information.