Two families of round metallic abrasive, with different prices and different behaviour. The choice is not obvious, and in shot peening it matters more than in blasting. How they are made Cast shot is produced by atomising molten steel. The droplets solidify into spheres. Cut wire is produced from drawn wire, cut into cylinders with […]
Cut wire or cast shot: choosing the abrasive Read More »
The media does the work. It transfers energy to the part. The rest of the machine only sets it in motion. That is why the media choice decides the result, not the machine. Four things matter: material, structure, shape and size. Material The rule is simple and comes down to hardness. Ceramic media — for
How to choose vibratory finishing media Read More »
The titanium alloy Ti6Al4V — titanium with aluminium and vanadium — is the reference material for implants. Good strength, low density, behaviour accepted by the body. At finishing, though, it imposes conditions that steel does not. Ferrous contamination is prohibited This is the rule that eliminates most solutions. Titanium must not be left with ferrous
Finishing titanium alloy implants Read More »
Environmental requirements no longer come only from the authorities. They come from customers’ specifications, since those customers need certifications of their own. The good news is that in blasting, the environmental choice usually coincides with the economical one. The abrasive that comes back into the circuit The fundamental difference is between abrasive that recirculates and
Low-impact blasting: recyclable abrasives and dust control Read More »
Surface treatment was for a long time the last operation on the list, done however it happened to be done. That is changing, from four directions at once. 1. The surface becomes a design parameter Parts fail from the surface. Fatigue cracks start there. The consequence is that finishing is no longer decided in the
Where surface treatment is heading Read More »
An aluminium alloy wheel is one of the most frequent parts brought in for finishing. And one of the parts where the working medium is most easily got wrong. What vibratory finishing gives you A uniform surface. Machining marks disappear, and the appearance becomes uniform across the whole part, including the spokes and hard-to-reach areas.
Vibratory finishing of alloy wheels: process and result Read More »
In the medical industry, finishing is not a cosmetic operation. On an implant, the surface decides whether bone bonds to it or not. Osseointegration Osseointegration is the structural and functional connection between living bone and the implant. One of the factors influencing it is the surface topography of the implant. A surface with controlled roughness
Finishing implants and surgical instruments Read More »
The energy industry works with components that have to last years, under high loads, with maintenance that is hard to reach. Surface treatment contributes directly to that. Shot peening for loaded components Gears, shafts and components under variable loading benefit from shot peening. The process introduces compressive residual stress in the surface layer. A fatigue
Surface preparation in the energy industry Read More »
The foundry is the sector where surface cleaning is hardest, for four reasons that usually show up together. Problem 1: complicated shapes that need complete cleaning A casting has ribs, channels, bores and shadowed areas. The abrasive jet reaches exposed surfaces easily and the rest with difficulty. The requirement is 100% cleaning, not 90%. Sand
Blasting and deburring in foundries Read More »
It is the first decision, and the most expensive one to get wrong. A payback calculation alone does not settle it. What points toward subcontracting Low or irregular volume. An idle machine produces nothing but still costs — space, maintenance, tied-up capital. No process experience. Vibratory finishing and blasting have recipes. They are learnable, but
When to subcontract and when to buy the machine Read More »
