Purchasing vibratory finishing machines is a major investment. So it’s important to make sure you’re taking the steps required to keep your machine performing at its very best and prevent any major work chamber repairs or tumblr bowl replacements.
ActOn mass finishing machines are known for being high-quality, British built machines with a long working life.
However, to ensure you get the most out of your machine, consider the following to give your machine the best chance of a long and healthy life:
1. Conduct regular inspections
It’s important to regularly inspect the work chamber lining so that you can spot any issues and make repairs to prevent permanent damage occurring.
If repairs are not carried out in an effective time other problems can occur, such as:
- Components can be damaged during the finishing process.
- Holes and cracks can appear in the work bowl, causing the leaking of compound and water. This will negatively affect the finishing process results.
- If the work bowl is damaged (lining and metal structure) this can lead to unnecessary downtime as well as the additional costs to replace the bowl.
2. Ensure the machine has high-quality lining
The rate of wear of the lining can vary based on the abrasive media used and the type of parts being processed inside the machine.
For this reason, it’s important when buying your vibratory finishing machine to ensure that it is lined with a good quality polyurethane or a special rubber lining (for burnishing applications).
We recommend that you check the condition of the lining at least once a month to stay on top of any damage that can occur.
The places you should look for lining wear include:
- The drain area
- The discharge door area
- The parts loading chute
- The media & parts separation areas – this is where you will see the highest wear rate
At ActOn Finishing, our vibratory bowl chambers are polyurethane lined with hardness ranging between shore 60A to 95A. ActOn polyurethane is based on a 3 component TDI polyether system, meaning it has outstanding chemical resistance and mechanical properties in applications where it’s constantly in the water.
3. Quickly repair any damage
Unfortunately, not all damage to your vibratory finishing machines is preventable and wear and tear will occur.
If chamber lining issues appear, we offer polyurethane lining services to get your machine back in good shape.
As part of the service, machines are stripped, cleaned and inspected for any cracks or damage. We’ll then make repairs accordingly, before casting and demoulding your machines. Before anything is dispatched, we further inspect the lining.
What’s more, to ensure your production doesn’t suffer while your equipment is being repaired, we can offer exchange, rental or subcontract services.
You’ll also receive one of our maintenance contracts which reassure you that your equipment is being maintained by an experienced engineer.
Get expert advice and maintenance from ActOn Finishing
We hope this has informed you about what steps you can take to ensure that your vibratory finishing machines have a long and healthy life.
FAQs
What is a vibratory finishing machine?
As a common finishing method in the manufacturing industry, vibratory finishing is an efficient process used to optimise all types of small products and parts. Vibratory finishing machines help you clean and deburr products at a faster pace.
What is vibratory deburring?
Vibratory deburring removes the rough edges from parts and enables them to fit together more efficiently. This leads to fewer part rejections as well as improved safety. In addition, deburring is an important step in preparing parts for painting.
How does vibratory polishing work?
In this stage a combination of media, parts and compounds are placed in a vibrating machine. The vibrations cause the contents to move in a circular motion and the media to grind against the part to get the desired finish.
What is a tumbling barrel?
Barrel finishing, also known as barrel tumbling or vibratory finishing, is a surface improving operation in which a mixture of parts, media and compounds are placed in a six- or eight-sided barrel and rotated at a predetermined speed for the purpose of rounding corners, deburring, grinding, descaling, deflashing, improving surface finish and much more.
What are the different types of finishing?
There are several types of metal finishing such as metal plating, chemical finishing or coating, grinding, buffing, electroplating, and sandblasting. Each process has basic steps with all processes beginning with surface preparation. Metal finishing processes can include anything from technical processes to buffers.