When you are looking at your parts or talking about them with others the terms tend to get used interchangeably but they mean different things. When you cut a part you end up with a bur with very few exceptions. The process of removing that bur would be deburing obviously. That leaves you with a part that has no bur but can still have a crisp 90 degree corner. At that point you may be done or you could want to break that 90 degree corner and move into edge rounding. These things are not the same and are two separate tasks. While they can be combined they are two tasks none the less. Removing the bur and breaking the edges is about handling, welding, coating adhesion amidst other things and not about the visual appearance of the part. 

Well here we go “the salesman” trying to pitch me his machine above the others, right? Well no, we want you to buy the machine that has the most impact for you and your business. You may not believe it but I have advised plenty of people that one of our machines is not the solution to their problem. Selection of the machine that is going to have the most impact on our business and our bottom line is always a challenge. Whether that is a new laser, punch press, brake or a finishing machine.

All stroke sanders "should" have a flat table of some fashion to allow placement of parts or material being worked. The size and weight capacity tends to be where the conversation ends. With the better machines you may even have a twin belt setup to make life and use of the machine better still. But when you get to the very best of stroke sanders an articulating mount comes into play. What they allow you to do is have the machine hold a given 3D or formed part at just about any angle or height. If you are working with a range hood for example, you can have the mount hold the part at the needed angle while you grind down the weld and blend the finish with the second belt. Before you would need to make a fixture to hold the part and it would be a one off fixture no less. With the articulating mount that is not an issue any longer. Together the features of the better stoke sanders save time per part by not needing fixtures and belt changes. Then add in the fact you don't need to remove the part from the machine for a belt or fixture change and you cut down on injury to the part as well as the staff. Watch the video at the link below to see the mount on a KBM stroke sander. And as always feel free to send in any questions we are happy to help.

Due to the demand and lead time we rarely get a unit in stock. We have managed to get an extra unit with our current delivery. The KBM stroke sander is built in Germany and is the twin belt design. This allows you to grain and blend without changing belts or unloading the parts. It is also equipped with the articulating mount for doing formed, welded or odd shaped parts. This is a very flexible configuration and by far the most popular.

Why do belt sanders use more energy than disc sanders? Read on to learn more. 

We’ve staked our claim to fame on our incredibly low operating costs, and in all of our cost of operation worksheets we discuss how much more expensive wide belt grinding machines are to run when compared to a Loewer DiscMaster.  It’s worth understanding how the machinery works and why conventional machinery uses so much more electricity.

There are three primary factors that contribute to energy consumption; Mechanical friction from moving parts like chains, rollers, wheels, bearings and belts; friction between the abrasive belt and the part surface; and heat generated through the manipulation of the belt (which can be significant in some instances).  Larger machines with more bearing surfaces and heavier parts create more mechanical friction.

 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.