Six Hints to Make Your Finishing Process Faster – Part 2

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

To pick-up from the last blog post…here are three more hints to help your finishing process to reduce the time it takes to finish your parts:

4. Research Compound Formulations That Will Speed Up Your Process.

Compounds exist in many formulations to provide a variety of finishes. Researching different formulations than you’re currently using may enhance the capabilities of your media. Contact a reputable developer of finishing compounds to discuss your needs, what you’re currently using, and to get their help in determining which compounds may assist the speediness and quality of your unique finishing process. Taking the time to research alternatives will ensure you’re using the best compound for the exact finish you desire.

5. Utilize A Compound To Combine Processes.

Compounds are available that take a two-step finishing and washing process and combine them into one step, thus eliminating the expense of purchasing two compounds and the

time it takes to complete the finishing process. Deburring and rust inhibition can also be performed in one process, if the correct compound is selected. Again, a developer of multiple compounds can assist you in identifying compounds that achieve more than one purpose and combine multiple steps of the finishing process into one.

6. Weigh The Option Of Outsourcing Your Finishing Process.

With production levels varying more frequently these days, outsourcing can be the perfect solution to trying to manage your staff and keep them productive. Experts can take the process off of your hands and offer greater scalability for expansion and contraction of your finishing demands. Additionally, when you outsource your finishing process to another company, the waste treatment issues involved with finishing become their problem, not yours. Most professional finishing facilities house their own waste treatment systems because of the massive quantity of finishing they do and the amount of waste they deal with daily.

Jeff Bell
President
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Finishing Compound Formulations, Finishing Process | Leave a comment

Six Hints to Make Your Finishing Process Faster – Part 1

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

Part 1
Often times, individuals are aware that their process for finishing parts isn’t efficient, but they don’t know how to begin to fix it. We’ve put together an outline of six steps that will each assist in reducing the time it takes to finish your parts.

1. Examine Your Production Line For Efficiency Opportunities. Are the parts you are finishing in your facility reworked or scrapped frequently? Waste from an inefficient production line can be extremely costly – both in materials and in the time it takes to finish new parts to replace the ones that weren’t right. Are the goals of meeting production quotas causing your floor to produce insufficient finishes? When a production process is thoroughly reviewed for efficiency opportunities, changes often will result in parts being finished faster or right the first time – thus making achieving quotas without sacrificing quality a reality.

2. Tour A Professional Finishing Facility. By touring a professional facility, you will be exposed to new finishing techniques, media and compounds that may be very applicable enhancements for your finishing process. You’ll have the opportunity to see how experts approach the finishing process, and learn best practices approaches. By touring a professional finishing facility, you will gain: Tips and techniques on how to improve your process. Exposure to new machinery, media and compounds in action. The opportunity to ask questions about your finishing process and understand new improvement ideas you can take back to your facility.

3. Consider The Alternatives: Blasting Vs. Vibratory. Consult with an expert to make sure you’re using the right process for your parts. We frequently speak with individuals utilizing one process, when in reality the other would be more efficient for their needs. How do you figure this out? Invite an expert to come to your site and examine your process. Many finishing companies will offer this service – just ask! Stay tuned for three more hints to make your finshing process faster later this month…

Jeff Bell President
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Finishing Process, Isotropic Finishing, Mass Finishing | Leave a comment

Sample Processing

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

Sample processing is providing a finish on a sample part through a process of testing to achieve the specifications required. The testing establishes the process or processes which meet the customer’s requirements.  These processes can be many different types including tumbling, blasting and more.

The way we approach the sampling process is by concentrating on listening, very carefully and truly understanding the customer’s needs.  We then bring the physical piece into the company and bring together all of our experience and knowledge to the table. By having multiple people with vast experience involved there is no tunnel vision and open discussions take place to look at several ways to approach the finish. This collaboration develops the best way of testing to achieve the specifications of the customer. Precision Finishing is 1SO certified and we follow a standard process when documenting our sample processes.

We also look at the customer’s capabilities to see if they can do it in-house and the associated costs. Then we look at the option of having Precision do it.  We want to give the customer the information to assist them in making a sound business decision based on their specifications, production, quality and cost.

Three steps to start the Sampling Process:

  • Obtain sample parts and thoroughly understand the expectations of the customer. Finish, piece per hour, factory capabilities are some of the important criteria
  • Defining the process and testing.
  • Document and record all the information to pass on to the customer. The information will help facilitate the right business decision. 

The advantage of PFI is we operate a large contract shop for tumbling and blasting in the Mid Atlantic region and we develop and manufacture vibratory chemistry under the same roof.  We are able to utilize this experience when evaluating the variety of customer’s parts and needs. The most important aspect is our expertise, this is the key. If Precision does not have the capabilities in our facility, we keep the same ISO processes but the part is sent to one of our manufacturers to have the sample tested.

Top three things to consider during the Sampling Process:

1st – If the customer doesn’t have the capabilities then we help to establish a process. This saves the customer huge amounts of time and aggravation because they don’t have to send the part all around to many manufactures or venders to find out.

2nd – They will actually have a tangible sample part – it is not a theoretical process.

3rd – They will have enough information to make a proper business decision: keep the process in-house; outsource the processing or do not do it at all.

The sample process is really a feasibility test. We take the part from the stage of “you think you can do it” to “we did it”.  The sampling process is also a complimentary service to the customer. To this point, it is always better to involve finishing professionals in the beginning stages of the design process. This allows for more flexibility and up-front cost savings for the part.

Sean Duffy
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Sample Processing | Leave a comment

Mass Finishing 101 – Tumbling Finishing – Art versus Science

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

Mass finishing which includes tumbling finishing is achieved by using one of several types of equipment to enhance the surface aspects of a metal part. This equipment ranges from tumbling barrels to vibratory and centrifugal finishing equipment. The process also involves a finishing medium, water and a chemical compound. The media can consist of ceramic, plastic, steel and agra-media depending upon the specifications of the part or the application.

The most common and most efficient piece of equipment used is vibratory finishing. This is widely used in the de-burring process. When you machine a part, it generates burrs. These are removed from the part in an economical method without having to do it by hand.

To determine the correct equipment, finishing media, water and chemical mixture to use is more of an art than a science. This is where sample processing takes place. The sample part is tested by going through several different processes to get the part with to the desired specification. The process parameters are developed based on knowledge of the process and past experiences.

During the parts test, Precision Finishing has a team that reviews the application. One or several processes are put down to be evaluated then the part is run through the testing process. Once the specification is achieved the part is sent back to the client for review and approval.

Bill Walker
Technical Director
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Mass Finishing, Tumbling, Vibratory Finishing | Leave a comment

Advantages Of Using Quality Abrasives

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

Many times when there are problems with the blasting process it is not that the material is bad, it is just miss-applied.  Therefore it is imperative to take the time to truly understand and determine why you are blasting the part and what finish is required.  Are you blasting for an anchor pattern, to apply a coating, remove heavy scale, uniformity, rust removal etc.?

Once this is determined, in order to consistently achieve your required finish you need to consider the quality of abrasive to use.  Many people are incorrect when they feel there isn’t much difference between abrasives.  Lower quality abrasive will definitely affect the consistency and uniformity of your blasting results, decrease your productivity while at the same time use more material because it breaks down more quickly.  The final outcome is higher operating costs and inconsistent results. 

Top criteria for determining quality abrasive:

  • Is abrasive screened to required size tolerance for uniformity and consistency?
  • Chemical makeup – How the material is made will have and affect on its durability.
  • Shape of abrasive – This will tell you whether the abrasive is best for blasting or use in sandpaper. Sandpaper material does not perform well in blasting applications.
  • Bulk density  – This will affect consistency and durability

Thom Bell
Vice President of Sales
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Abrasives, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Reclaim Systems – Keeping down the dust and increasing productivity

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

When you are blasting, does it seem to be a dust storm inside your cabinet and at times difficult to see the uniformity of your blast?   This is because your reclaim isn’t balanced correctly or you don’t have one on your system.  Dust can be considered the number one enemy of a blasting operation.

When purchasing or using a blast cabinet, many people feel the additional cost of a reclaim isn’t warranted.  The reclaim is the heart of a blast cabinet and a necessity when you are required to achieve consistent results from day to day.  Keeping the dust down in your system not only results in improved visibility it dramatically improves consistency and productivity.

The function of the reclaim is to continually remove the dust and small particles from  your abrasive pack.  The reclaim is a centrifuge which separates the dust and small particles from the good media, sends the dust to a collector and returns the good media to the gun for re-blasting.

So what are some of the advantages of continually having consistently sized, dust free material coming out of a reclaim?

  • Improves operator visibility and thus efficiency and productivity
  • Less dust dramatically reduces wear on of your system
  • Always blasting with “good” material reduces your blast labor time and therefore increases productivity
  • Reduces your abrasive cost since you don’t discard good abrasive.
  • Most importantly it provides you with uniform, consistent blasting results from one day to the next.

As you can see the reclaim system does more than just keeping the dust down and is the key to making sure you meet your blasting requirements.

Thom Bell
Vice President of Sales
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Reclaim Systems, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rust Inhibitors – Keeping rust out of the finishing process

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

It is no secret that rust causes rejections and failures of manufactured metal parts. The application and use of rust inhibitors is critical to reduce the cost of corrosion during the manufacturing process. A rust inhibitor is a chemical compound that decreases the corrosion rate of metal alloys.  A rust inhibitor forms a thin film or passivation layer on the surface of the metal that hinders the access of the environment to the metal surface.  This chemical layer retards either oxidation or reduction of the metal. The effectiveness of a rust inhibitor depends on many factors, including but not limited to concentration, environment, and time.

In the manufacturing process, rust inhibitors can be classified as “in process rust inhibitors” or “long term rust preventatives”.  In process rust inhibitors are designed to prevent corrosion during and between the manufacturing processes, while long term preventatives provide a shelf life of 30 days to 1 year or longer.

Precision Finishing manufactures aqueous “water based” in process inhibitors and long term preventives. The aqueous in process inhibitors are safe to use and environmentally acceptable. The inhibitors are formulated into soluble lubricants, coolants, cleaners, straight inhibitors and other processing compounds.  A unique advantage of some types of in process inhibitors is the ability to coat or paint over the inhibitor without effecting adhesion. This saves you the cleaning step, which in turn, saves time and money.  Many long term preventatives contain oil or oil like chemicals.  Ever rising oil prices and escalating environmental costs associated with disposing of oil make using a water-based preventative extremely attractive.  Water based preventatives are now available for up to 1 year shelf life.

Bill Walker
Chemist
Precision Finishing Inc.

Posted in Rust Inhibitors, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Chemically Accelerated Surface Finishing

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

How Accelerate Surface Finishing (ASF) Works

ASF uses a surface active compound that forms a soft film on the surface of the metal part.  Nonabrasive media removes the soft film from the high or peaks of the part surface leaving the valleys untouched.  The soft film is removed, exposing a new metal surface which will reform the soft film.  This continuous forming and removal of the soft coating accelerates the finishing of the metal surface.  The peaks are removed (high media contact) while the valleys are untouched (no media contact)

Advantages of Accelerated Surface Finishing

  • Achieve low RMS finishes without heavy metal removal or radiusing
  • Achieve negative skew values by removing surface peaks while retaining micro valleys for lubricant retention
  • Reduce friction, lower torque requirements and minimize surface wear thereby reducing operation temperatures
  • Refine surfaces to mirror-like brightness and very low surface roughness
  • Precision components are imparted with a “Run-In” surface condition
  • Increase fatigue life

The incorporation of accelerated chemistry has increased the versatility of vibratory finishing and has enabled manufactures reap the benefits of the isotropic finish generated by the process economically.  The racing industry has recognized these benefits for some time and you can see that other industries are now beginning to see potential that wasn’t available to them previously.

Examples:
A local screw machine house manufactures a nut for a motorcycle component which requires a very smooth and bright finish prior to getting plated.   They were tumbling this part for 20 plus hours in order to achieve a desired RMS finish and brightness.  Using the ASF process enabled us to reduce this time down to 6 hours and we achieved a smoother, brighter finish with much less radius on the corners of the nut.

Large Acorn Nut

Ring and Pinion and gear sets are also run in our shop using the ASF process to improve the surface finish on the teeth.  This results in increased fatigue life, and reduced friction thereby reducing operating temperatures.

Ring and Pinon

Posted in Chemically Accelerated Surface Finishing, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Isotropic Finishing

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Precision Finishing Inc.

It seems recently there has been more talk about the advantages of an isotropic, non directional finish on machined surfaces obtained through a chemically accelerated vibratory process. It isn’t necessary to utilize a chemically accelerated chemistry to achieve an isotropic finish.  The vibratory finishing process is what is producing the isotropic non directional finish which reduces or eliminates the surface stress on machined components.  The addition of a chemical accelerant to the vibratory process has actually increased the use of vibratory finishing as a means to produce very smooth finishes because it drastically reduces the time required to achieve this finish.

 Products Finishing Magazine features Precision Finishing Inc.


Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Self Publishing with YUDU

What is Isotropic Finishing? Webster’s definition of isotropic is “exhibiting properties with the same values when measured along axes in all directions”.

Since its evolution the vibratory finishing process has produced an isotropic non directional finish which improves the surface finish and edges of machined components. The manufacturing process inherently creates stress risers and vibratory finishing reduces or removes them. This improved isotropic surface enhances any subsequent final finish in addition to increasing the overall strength and condition of the component due to the relief of the surface stress.

The beauty of vibratory finishing is it provides a repeatable, non directional, uniform finish from part to part at a very reasonable cost.  It is widely recognized as the first step to finishing a component requiring deburring, radiusing and/or micro surface improvement.  There are tremendous advantages to applying an isotropic finish to the surface of a part, however most people see deburring as the biggest or only advantage to vibratory finishing.

So where does this chemically accelerated vibratory process fit into isotropic surface improvement and what is its’ true advantage over the conventional vibratory process? Since it is a vibratory process it inherently produces an isotropic non directional surface finish and therefore provides the benefits of removing stress from the surface of the part. However, these accelerants have dramatically reduced the time to achieve very low surface finishes without heavy metal removal and radiusing of the part.

Posted in Isotropic Finishing, Uncategorized | Leave a comment