As is always the case looking for ways to save money often leads to looking at many different paths. It can be the time invested in a process to vendor supplies and services. One area to look at that often hides savings is finishing.
We all know the typical wide belt machine and how it works. That process has been the same for a long time and has just been accepted as the norm. Cutting metal creates a bur and that must be removed for a number of reasons. Having the fresh cut edge causes issues with just handling the parts in more ways than one. The risk of people getting cut in assembly or later by the finished product is one of the most worrisome. Secondary to that is the bur tends to scratch other parts in stacking or just general movements around the shop. That leads to secondary operations or part rejection that can be avoided. Below is a close view of before and after just to show what the bur looks like in this parts case. The parts are identical with the left being fresh from the cutting operation and the right being after bur removal.
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.
Once again, we’re going to turn things over to AM Machinery Sales President Tony McCue, who recently took time out of his schedule to talk about developments in deburring equipment technology.
As Tony notes at the start of the video clip below, there have been numerous changes in in deburring/finishing technology for the sheet metal industry.
Much of the clip is spent on deburring and finishing, and the Loewer DiscMaster machine. The discs in this machine have the same basic concept as the contact drum in other machines, but are designed to ride up over a part for better abrasive coverage.
In this week’s blog post, we’re going to turn things over to AM Machinery Sales President Tony McCue, who recently took the time to make this video on small part deburring.
