mass finishing?
mass finishing?
(OP)
Hello All!
I've got an application with 1"x .058" wall x 24"long 6061 tubing with laser cut holes and slots. Tubing is type II anodized to finish.
this process results in sharp edges on the holes. Cost is an issue, so I'd like to use a mass finishing process to break these edges to at least .015" (.03 would be better). I am thinking vibrational.
DOes anyone have any experience with:
-vendors that have equipment that would process hundreds of these tubes? (my laser guys do not, they suggest bead blasting. I am hoping for less labor in the finishing.)
- type II anodizing over tumbled or even bead blasted surfaces? (which bead material works "best"- looking for a cosmetic finish, though that is interpretive, I know)
-other more cost effective ways to make holes and slots in tubing (is it possible to de-focus the laser to get a more "melty" edge?). Caustic soak? (I only need .015"radius on edges). production volumes likely to be ~500 pieces.
other thoughts encouraged!
thanks!
I've got an application with 1"x .058" wall x 24"long 6061 tubing with laser cut holes and slots. Tubing is type II anodized to finish.
this process results in sharp edges on the holes. Cost is an issue, so I'd like to use a mass finishing process to break these edges to at least .015" (.03 would be better). I am thinking vibrational.
DOes anyone have any experience with:
-vendors that have equipment that would process hundreds of these tubes? (my laser guys do not, they suggest bead blasting. I am hoping for less labor in the finishing.)
- type II anodizing over tumbled or even bead blasted surfaces? (which bead material works "best"- looking for a cosmetic finish, though that is interpretive, I know)
-other more cost effective ways to make holes and slots in tubing (is it possible to de-focus the laser to get a more "melty" edge?). Caustic soak? (I only need .015"radius on edges). production volumes likely to be ~500 pieces.
other thoughts encouraged!
thanks!





RE: mass finishing?
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: mass finishing?
a rope rubs against this edge under tension. when I leave the edges unfinished, it abraids in quick order. I have been hand finishing with a coarse diamond file, and that is working well. the resulting edge is a bit rough , which works, but I will need better finish in production.
All that to say: maybe even .005 would suffice.
I am testing the bead blast process now, expecting to see results in a week or two.
RE: mass finishing?
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: mass finishing?
Just dug this old contact out of my files. I believe they're still in business. Tubes are their specialty. I am not associated in any way with this company.
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: mass finishing?
I had considered piercing at one point, but did not get anywhere as I was not thinking in large enough volumes. I will check in with these guys, as my volumes are looking bigger, thus more realistic for punching.
cheers
RE: mass finishing?
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: mass finishing?
RE: mass finishing?
round or square tubing?
Is rope life truly acceptable with the edges broken?
Are you deburring just the edges on the outer surface, or some of the inner edges too?
CNC machining in place of laser cutting could add chamfers or even radiuses as part of the hole and slot creation.
RE: mass finishing?
You could try electro polish, it will remove material all over but it will remove material from the corners faster. However, it's not going to take .015" off. It's also not that cheap.
----------------------------------------
The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.
RE: mass finishing?
round, seamless 1" tube
I have not seen any abrasion with even "crappily" deburred edges, both inside and out. I think some of the rope damage is due to the "serations" that result from the laser pulsing. So it may be more than the edges.
the inside edge seems the most important.
Tbuelna,
This is a relatively low precision consumer product, so extrude hone looks to be a bit out of my price target, but may apply to my day job- we do a lot of polishing, though simple geometry. thanks
dgallup,
2 slots and 1 hole need to be processed. I was hoping for the "just drop these in the tank of acid for 5 minutes before anodizing" response. If setups are required, I imagine bead blasting will be the "cost effective" solution. I've been quoted over $1 per (even at a decent volume), which is more that I will ideally pay. but cheaper than my assembler doing hand rework on the parts.
And equal ammounts of material removal is not required here- just softening of those sharp edges. I probly should quantify my radius requirement better/ I have a feeling that .005" may be fine. I am using super abrasion resistant rope.
cheers
RE: mass finishing?
RE: mass finishing?
RE: mass finishing?
OTOH I wonder if this is the sort of task you could use a Baxter on with a bead blast cabinet.
RE: mass finishing?
RE: mass finishing?
RE: mass finishing?
this is a volume production (my designs are usually machined, so this is where my expertise is). I hope to minimize part count, while also minimizing cost.
Machining these tubes is more costly than this product can support (I am hoping to get the cost down to less than $5 each at a volume of around 500 pieces).