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Boost Your Finishing Operations
Obtain first-rate surface finishes with new advancements in automated finishing workcells, abrasive tools and blasting systems. The post Boost Your Finishing Operations appeared first on Fabricating & Metalworking.
Whether the finishing process involves sanding, grinding, deburring, polishing or blasting, fabricators want to reduce the number of finishing steps by utilizing longer-life tools and innovative abrasive grains, as examples, to produce the ultimate finish.
Abrasive Tools Suited for Coated and Non-woven Nylon Belts
Dynabrade, Inc.’s (Clarence, NY) Dynastraight® Series of portable air-powered abrasive tools feature an ergonomically designed, lightweight composite housing that reduces tool vibration and is thermal-insulated to prevent cold air transmission to the operator. Specific applications of Dynastraight tools include paint and rust removal, refining before final finishing, medium and fine grain finishing and final finishing.
Available from .4-to- 1 hp, the tools are ideal for use with coated abrasive belts, abrasive impregnated non-woven nylon products, coated abrasive flap wheels, buffs and non-woven nylon belts mounted on Dynacushion® inflatable pneumatic wheels. Use the inflatable pneumatic wheel for finishing work surfaces of virtually any shape, contour, or material; excellent for finishing stainless steel and other metals. The wheel conforms to the contour of the work surface.
Work on a variety of materials including stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel, copper, brass and much more. The straight-line tools feature high quality air motors ranging from 950-to-18,000 rpm. The tools also feature an adjustable speed air motor and a standard muffler, which reduces noise levels in the workplace. Made in the USA.
Smarter, Automated Finishing
The Smart Finishing Robotic Workcell from Cohesive Robotics Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) is a game-changer for automated surface finishing tasks. Designed for high-mix manufacturing and fabrication operations, the turnkey solution uses proprietary software combined with proven off-the-shelf industrial or collaborative robot manipulator, such as Universal Robots, to perform material removal processes on nearly any part, of any quantity, and with no programming required. Its flexible software and interchangeable tooling kits make it well suited for performing sanding, grinding, deburring and polishing tasks.
Vertical Blast System Revolutionizes Surface Prep
Guyson USA (Saratoga Springs, NY), a leader in automated surface preparation solutions, offers its latest innovation, the TR-1000 Custom Vertical Blast System. This fully automated conveyor blasting system is engineered to optimize efficiency, precision, and safety, catering to industries such as aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing that require meticulous surface preparation for metal sheets, including titanium and other materials. The vertical design and custom conveyor system make the TR-1000 an ideal choice for companies looking to streamline operations while maintaining a reliable, high-quality finish on sheet materials. It was developed to accommodate a variety of metal sheets, from titanium to other alloys, ensuring a perfect finish on large quantities of sheet goods. Engineered for clients engaged in cutting, bending, and coating metal sheets, the TR-1000 provides consistent, high-quality results, making it an essential solution for manufacturers in need of precise surfaces. The new blast system introduces several industry-first features designed to optimize efficiency and precision, including dual-sided blasting (equipped with 18 oscillating blast guns); rapid robotic loading/unloading; pre- and post-blast cleaning, among other features. Custom innovations include a vertical conveyor system, and “super-sack” bulk media loading, among other innovations.
Newly Engineered Abrasive Belts Reduce Steps
Saint-Gobain Abrasives (Worcester, MA), one of the world’s largest abrasives manufacturers, introduced its next generation NORaX® N889 Micro-Structured Abrasive Belts. The new belts offer a precise, flexible design for producing consistent, fine finishes across a range of industries such as medical, aerospace, automotive, marine, metal fabrication and general metalworking. The belts have up to 30% better performance compared with other belts in their class. This is the latest upgrade to Norton’s NORaX range of abrasives, which also includes ceramic belts, silicon carbide belts for seaming and chamfering glass, and PSA/speed grip discs. “Our new NORaX N889 belt conforms to contoured surfaces, providing a consistent finish, while reducing the number of process steps and overall cost of the finished parts,” said Anne Bonner, senior product manager, Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives.
The belts feature an engineered, high-performance micron-grade aluminum oxide grain structured in a fine micron-grade aluminum oxide grain structured in a fine 3D pyramid pattern, which is especially well suited for lower pressure (0-to-8 psi) applications where belt flexibility is needed. The abrasive slowly erodes during grinding, exposing new, sharp abrasive grains resulting in 2-to-5 times longer belt life than conventional polishing belts, as well as higher quality finishes, faster cutting rates and an ability to reduce finishing/polishing steps.
https://nortonsga.us/NoraxN889
New Slat Cleaner Makes Hard Slag History
Laser-cutting machines with particularly high-powered lasers can produce slag that becomes so hard that most of the currently available slat cleaners on the market struggle to remove it. TRUMPF Inc. (Farmington, CT) tackled this challenge and developed the TruTool TSC 200, a slat cleaning tool that overcomes the issue effectively while also making work simpler, more efficient and ergonomic.
To make the process easier for operators, TRUMPF has developed an optional feed support that can be mounted directly on the TruTool TSC 200 and is driven by the slat cleaner motor. This unit pulls the slat cleaner across the slats, greatly reducing operator effort. TRUMPF’s new cleaning method removes the slag in a two-step roughing and finishing process. The developers equipped the cleaning tools with serrated and continuous cutting edges. The rotating tools are arranged to the right and left of the slat. The serrated cutting edges break up the slag, while the continuous cutting edges scrape it off. This process runs continuously, allowing cleaning to proceed at a speed of 13 to 32 feet per minute. The innovative cleaning tools are available in two versions, one for slat thicknesses of between 0.080 and 0.120 inches and another for cleaning 0.120 to 0.150-inch-thick slats. All tools have the same high resistance to wear as they are made from hardened material. Another notable feature is the wear markings, designed as notches in two locations, which function like the indicators found in tire treads. If they are no longer visible, the tool is worn out and must be rotated 180 degrees. This ability to rotate further extends the life of these replaceable tools. Thanks to a quick-change system utilizing lock buttons, the process is fast and simple.
The new slat cleaner’s high performance is made possible by a powerful 1,700-watt motor and robust gearbox with integrated slipper clutch. This clutch protects the motor from overload situations. A front handle enables the machine to be easily placed on the pallet for cleaning. Position markings on the housing cover and handle help operators find the position of the slat to be cleaned. The polyoxymethylene roller is used to transport the slat cleaner to the laser cutting system. The roller does not need to be removed before starting to clean the slats.
Strip Discs Deliver Superior Cleaning and Extended Product Life
Weiler Abrasives (Cresco, PA), a leading producer of abrasives and power brushes for surface conditioning, announces a new lineup of non-woven cleaning and stripping products designed to remove coatings and rust in preparation for welding and manufacturing operations. New Tiger® Ceramic and Tiger Silicon Carbide (SiC) non-woven strip discs deliver superior cleaning power and extended product life for applications in metal fabrication, shipbuilding, automotive and other industries.
Tiger Ceramic strip discs clean up to 20% more material and are up to 20% faster than a leading competitive product, delivering superior cleaning power and extended product life for steel and stainless steel. The self-sharpening ceramic grains effortlessly clean welds and remove thick coatings and stubborn rust, maintaining a consistent cut rate for greater efficiency. The ultra-flexible non-woven nylon fiber and resin formula create a wider footprint and increase the contact area with the work surface. This results in industry-leading material removal and cleaning power for maximum surface cleaning efficiency, ideal for weld cleaning, surface preparation and blending, as well as removing thick coatings and heavy rust.
Tiger SiC strip discs clean up to 30% more material than the industry leader in this category. These discs offer a fast-cleaning, long-life solution for steel and stainless steel. Silicon carbide grains provide a high initial cut and penetration, making them ideal for cleaning hard surfaces such as hard-grade steel, structural steel, hot-rolled steel and stainless steel. The ultra-flexible, non-woven nylon fiber and resin formula creates a wider footprint and increases the contact area with the work surface. The discs are low sparking, which is necessary for confined spaces and areas where hot work is not permitted. Tiger SiC strip discs provide best-in-class material removal, ensuring a durable and long-lasting solution for a user’s surface cleaning needs, making them ideal for removing paint, rust, light mill scale and varnish as well as for weld cleaning.
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