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Most metal manufacturing processes leave behind sharp edges, bumps, and raised portions that need to be removed with deburring equipment. What is the benefit of deburring equipment? Deburring machines sand off rough surfaces, round off sharp corners, and create smooth surface finishes that improve aesthetics and quality and reduce friction between metal workpieces. The type of deburring machine you choose depends on the size, location, and nature of the burrs. 

Reduces Risk of Injury

In addition to preventing financial loss due to lost production time, deburring equipment helps protect workers by removing dangerous sharp edges from parts and sheets. Without proper deburring, metal burrs can cause injury to hands, limbs, and eyes. They can also prevent a part from assembling and functioning properly.

Deburring machines can safely remove metal burrs from finished pieces and sheet metal, ensuring they are safe to handle, assemble, paint, and weld. Deburring machines can also improve the aesthetics of the finished product.

Metal fabrication shops can choose from different types of deburring equipment to achieve the desired results. Vibratory deburring machines use abrasive media and rotating parts in a bowl or barrel to create an abrasive action that smooths the edge of the workpiece. Centrifugal barrel finishing uses a similar process but rotates the chamber to create centrifugal force, which removes the burrs from the surface of the metal.

Electrochemical and thermal deburring are non-conventional methods that may be used for specific applications, such as metals with hard-to-reach areas or when working with tough materials. Regardless of the type of deburring machine you choose, automation eliminates the need for employees to be in a hazardous work zone and reduces risky movements, making it more efficient and safer for workers of all skill levels.

Increases Product Lifespan

Sharp edges, bumps, and raised parts are not only unsightly but can also hinder the functionality of a metal product. These imperfections are called burrs and can affect how easy it is to handle the piece, and their presence can lead to premature wear or damage caused by stress or strain.

Burrs are typically the result of initial machining processes and can be removed through deburring. This secondary operation eliminates the rough edges and uneven surfaces on machined metal workpieces, resulting in a smoother finish that is safer and easier to handle. It can also improve the quality of a part by eliminating areas that may cause problems with assembly, reduce corrosion or impact a metal’s ability to withstand pressure, stress, or strain.

There are several ways to remove burrs from metal, including manual scraping, mechanical deburring, and thermal deburring. Manual deburring is typically done by hand and can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and leave products with inconsistent quality. Using a deburring machine, however, can help to reduce worker injury risks, increase productivity and improve the consistency of results.

Reduces Maintenance Costs

Deburring machines improve the quality of your products by removing sharp edges and rough surfaces, thus increasing their functionality, effectiveness, lifespan, safety, and aesthetics. This also eliminates risks to anyone handling your metal products and materials throughout the process—from fabrication to transportation and assembly—as these rough edges could cut or harm them.

Moreover, deburring can reduce maintenance costs for your machines by extending their lifespan and decreasing wear and tear. When burrs and rough edges are present on sheet metal parts, they can aggravate bending or rolling machines or cause them to become scratched or distorted, thus leading to shortened machine lifespan and high maintenance and repair costs. Similarly, if a machine’s work zone comes into contact with these sharp edges, it will become damaged and require costly repairs or replacements.

If you still need to invest in a deburring machine, it’s time to consider adding one. There are a variety of models to choose from, depending on your specific needs and the types of parts you produce. For example, a brush-based machine with rotating brush heads is better suited to delicate metals and surface coatings because it can buff out burrs without causing damage or contaminating the part’s surface. Likewise, a disc head-based machine can remove the same burrs as a brush-based device but is better suited to smaller pieces because it can reach more difficult spots.

Increases Productivity

A deburring machine can help ensure consistent quality for your metal pieces from start to finish. This can make meeting your company’s production standards easier and reduce the rework needed.

Burrs are a nuisance when working with sheet metal and other materials that can have them on the edges. They can hurt workers by causing cuts, disrupting the flow of work with other machines, or causing damage to mating parts. They can also lead to corrosion, reducing a part’s longevity and decreasing its resistance to stress or strain.

They can also cause premature wear and tear on the equipment used to create or work with these metal parts, resulting in costly repairs and replacements. Deburring machines eliminate these problems by removing the sharp, rough, and unwanted edges that can harm people and damage machinery.

A deburring machine can use several methods to remove these ridges and fins from your workpieces, including thermal, chemical, and electrochemical deburring. Thermal deburring is ideal for hard-to-reach areas or simultaneously removing burrs from multiple surfaces. Chemical and electrochemical deburring eliminates metal burrs too large for thermal or mechanical deburring techniques. It can also be used on extremely hard and challenging metals to ensure high accuracy and precision.