Polishing Equipment
After metal or plastic parts have been machined and deburred, some go through
a polishing process to remove any remaining surface or interior small burrs,
imperfections or irregularities. This final stage of fabrication is also called "finishing".
Many metal parts undergo this process, especially parts which need to be exceptionally
smooth for performance, safety or aesthetics. Many non-industrial commercial
parts and objects also require polishing equipment for finishing, such as jewelry
or decorative stones. The process used for both industrial and commercial polishing
is essentially the same.
Since there are such a wide variety of products which must be buffed and polished
for consumer use, polishing equipment varies extensively in size, shape and
mode of application. Large polishing machines use belts, wheels or brushes
to polish plastic, metal and stone parts. For industries which turn out large
numbers of polished parts, robotic polishing and deburring
machines are programmed for automatic parts polishing. Tumblers, vibratory
finishers, hand-held wheels, belt grinders, nylon abrasive brushes, cloths
and detail polishing machines are used for smaller parts polishing. Polishing
lathes are also used for single part polishing.
Depending on the material being polished and what level of finish is desired,
polishing wheels, belts and grinders are made from various compounds of cotton,
cloth, rubber and mineral grit abrasives. Polishing materials must be fine
with low abrasion, since the goal of polishing is not to remove material from
parts but to smooth the surface. Buffing is a type of polishing which uses
very low abrasion to create extremely smooth, shiny surfaces. Buffing compounds
are sometimes added during the polishing process to coat surfaces with a protective
and sometimes colored coating.
Many industries require polishing equipment as a part of their manufacturing
process. Screw and fasteners manufacturers
use vibratory
equipment to finish their products; machined
parts manufacturers, forgers and metal
stampers often need to polish their parts for both function and aesthetics;
household tile, marble and concrete manufacturers need flat finishers in order
to surface their products for consumption; car manufacturers must polish and
buff metal body parts and hubcaps, and the food and dairy industries require metal
storage containers which have a sanitary finish specifically designed to
prevent food residue and maintain sanitation.