Vibratory Finishing

Vibratory Finishing

Mass finishing, a process of finishing many parts at one time, is usually done by vibratory finishing. Just as its name implies, vibratory finishing uses a process of vibration within a drum-like enclosure to create friction between tumbling and deburring media and the machined, forged or extruded parts which need finishing. Tumbling and deburring media are plastic, metal or ceramic pieces made in a variety of sizes and shapes to achieve specific deburring, finishing or polishing results. As the drum vibrates it causes the deburring media to rub against the unfinished parts in a cyclonic movement towards the center bottom. The friction between the tumbling media and the unfinished parts within the vibrating tumbler smoothes parts and eliminates burrs.

Vibratory finishing is a very common method for finishing large numbers of parts, since the wide variety of available tumbling media and the various sizes of tumblers can be customized to suit any type of part, whether it be small, large, metal, plastic, complex or simple. Deburring media commonly used for polishing applications include steel, ceramic, porcelain, plastic or natural materials such as walnut shells, coconut shells and corn cob. Steel media is shaped into various kinds of spheres and ovals, while plastic and ceramic tumbling media are shaped as pyramids, cylinders, tetrahedrons or stars, depending on how much abrasion is needed. The variety of media shapes, sizes and materials make it so that vibratory finishing can meet a wide variety of finishing needs, including heavy deburring, light deburring, burnishing, polishing, buffing and coating.

Vibratory finishing equipment sometimes combines a number of these functions within one automated machine. Combo vibratory finishers contain different compartments of tumbling media with parts conveyors so that parts may be deburred, cleaned, pre-plate finished, washed, dried, and coated before they are automatically sorted out from tumbling media into a final compartment. Other vibratory finishers are simple media tumblers designed for deburring or polishing; wet media may be used to apply protective coatings, extra burnishing or color. Thanks to its basic design and wide versatility, vibratory finishing equipment is a simple, vital solution to mass finishing of wood, metal, plastic or ceramic parts.