A lot of things can change in an industry over the course of 40 years, and the machinery and deburring field is no exception.

When you compare the technology used in 1977 to what we work with today, it can seem like traveling from the stone age to the space age. For example:

• Metal cutting and punching has become so advanced that many manufactures can claim they offer burr-free parts.
• Laser technology now offers higher capacity and faster cutting speeds.
• The last 10 to 15 years have seen significant advances in water jet technology.

But there's one area that hadn't changed much during the past 40 years, and that's deburring machines. At least until the advent of the Loewer disc machines, which entered the U.S. market several years ago.

Most manufacturers still use an abrasive belt in their deburring machine. But it's worth asking: With today's technology being so advanced, and with laser cutting available, do you still need the abrasive belt?

It’s one of the more puzzling questions for people in our industry to answer: Which deburring machinery option is best for my application: wet or dry? In this week’s blog post, we’ll try to tackle this question by looking at some of the pros and cons. If you’re looking to remove metal burrs using a deburring machine, here are some things to consider.