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In this article, we will discuss aluminum case cover casting parts smoothing.
These case cover parts are made from Aluminum alloy, and it has a machining mark that has to be removed.
Aluminum is a lightweight material with a specific gravity of 2.72. Its rigid structure made it famous in construction and decorations.
1. Parts condition before finishing
 | Material: Aluminum alloy Appearance: before processing, the majority of the surface of the parts is dull and grey. We can also observe the center parts have a machining mark. This mark needs to grind off. If we did not clear out this mark, it would show up after coating. Shape: The aluminum case cover has an elementary geometry. However, the part has a small hole, so we need to sieve the small-sized media after some time. Size: 100mmX78mm Process before finishing: Die-casting and Machining Process after finishing: anodizing |
2. Parts Surface requirement
- Smoothing parts surface without damage parts
- Remove the machining mark on the surface
- Remove the black layer generate from the die casting process
- Reduce surface roughness prepare for anodizing
3. How we process the parts
| Step | (1) Grinding | (2) Drying |
| Machine | Vibratory Finishing Machine (without separation) | Vibratory dryer/ Conveyor belt dryer |
| Tumbling Speed | 50/60HZ (full speed) | |
| Chip Type | Plastic Media TET/Cone Light cutting | |
| Media to Parts Ratio | 4: 1 | |
| Compound Type | LC-13, PH 8 (mild grinding compound) | |
| Water Level | Just cover the mass | |
| Tumble Time | 1 Hour | 5-10 min |
| Notes— | Manually take the parts out of the machine and rinse them |
4. Parts condition before and after polishing
5. Other considerations
Unlike zinc and Zamak3 material, aluminum is not easy to rust and corrosion. So we have more choices to get it dry.
This part has tiny holes which diameter about 4mm. For small burr removal, choosing a media to enter every feature on the part is sometimes difficult. However, a tetrahedron can enter the groove and slots easier than a cone.
We can also use a rotary barrel tumbling machine. However, barrel tumbling takes a longer time. Anyway, after barrel tumbling parts have a better surface condition.
6. Conclusion
This article gives an example of aluminum case cover parts mass finishing with plastic deburring media. The same process may also be used for aluminum machining parts deburring and edge breaking.
Firstly, we discuss the condition of the parts before finishing.
Secondly, we show parts surface requirements from clients. Thirdly, we offer the process that we did for the aluminum parts in detail.
Later, we compare the surface before and after mass finishing. At last, we discuss other possibilities for aluminum parts smoothing.
