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Porcelain Tumbling Media
- Description
- Feature
- Applications
Like any other tumbling media, it also comes in different shapes and sizes. Inovatec offers porcelain tumbling media in triangular, tri-star, spherical (micro bite) and cylindrical (pin) shapes.
This tumbling media can generate the mirror surface finish required in many industrial and aesthetic applications. To work with metal workpieces, however, you have to use one of our compounds with a suitable porcelain tumbling media.
Porcelain polishing media can be used for ceramic coated exhaust pipe polishing and metal ball burnishing.
Porcelain media needs to reach the entire surface of the workpieces to create the mirror finish. So, the selection of the media largely depends on the shape and geometry of the parts to be processed. Our expert engineers will run different sample tests to see which one best fits your requirements. Contact us for further details.
- Low wearing
- Low residue
- Excellent polishing performance
- Precise size
- Ideal for small and delicate parts
- Various size available
- High Energy Finishing Process
- Improve Surface Finishing
- Metal Polishing
- Plastic Polishing
Related Products
Porcelain media vs ceramic media — which one do you need?
This is the most common question buyers ask when choosing between the two. The short answer: porcelain media is for polishing and burnishing (the final stage); ceramic media is for deburring and cutting (the earlier stage). They are complementary, not interchangeable.
| Porcelain tumbling media This page | Ceramic tumbling media | |
|---|---|---|
| Abrasive content | Non-abrasive (kaolin clay base) | Abrasive (aluminium oxide bonded) |
| Primary function | Polishing, burnishing, brightening — final stage | Deburring, edge rounding, scale removal — first/middle stage |
| Can it remove burrs? | No — not designed for material removal | Yes — primary purpose |
| Surface result | Smooth, polished, bright — can achieve mirror finish with correct process | Deburred, edge-rounded, smoother — matte to semi-matte |
| Part surface risk | Very low — non-abrasive, gentle on part surfaces | Low to moderate — aggressive grades can mark soft parts |
| Wear rate | Low — longer lifespan than ceramic | Moderate — abrasive content wears media over time |
| Machines | Vibratory finisher, centrifugal barrel, rotary barrel | Vibratory finisher, centrifugal barrel, rotary barrel |
| When to use | After deburring is complete — use porcelain when the surface is already smooth but needs final brightness | First and middle stages — to remove burrs and prepare surface for polishing |
Porcelain media shape selection
Inovatec supplies porcelain media in four shapes. The correct shape depends on your part geometry. If media cannot reach a surface feature, it cannot polish it.
| Shape | Contact area | Best for | Avoid for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphere (ball) | Point contact; enters holes and recesses easily | Jewelry, cutlery, bearings, valves, crankshafts, ball-burnishing processes; any part with complex curves or internal features | Flat plate surfaces — ball contact is less effective on flat geometry |
| Cylinder (pin) | Line contact; smooth broad action on flat surfaces | Flat plate parts, coin blanks, watch components, surgical instruments; parts needing uniform flat-surface polish | Parts with narrow grooves (cylinder can wedge in slot features) |
| Triangle | Edge and point contact; reaches corners and angles | Prismatic machined parts, die castings with angular features, gear profiles | Parts with large flat smooth surfaces (less efficient than cylinder) |
| Tri-star | Star-shaped — multiple contact points, good media circulation | Mixed-geometry parts; good general-purpose polishing shape when part geometry is varied | Very small parts (tri-star is larger, check part-to-media size ratio) |
Typical process parameters for porcelain media
| Part / material | Shape | Cycle time | Process | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold / silver jewelry | Ball | 1–4 hours | Wet + burnishing compound | Mirror finish; high brightness |
| Brass hardware (after deburring) | Ball or tri-star | 1–2 hours | Wet + polishing compound | Bright, smooth surface ready for plating |
| Aluminium die castings (final polish) | Ball or triangle | 2–4 hours | Wet + brightening compound | Semi-bright to bright; anodize-ready |
| Aluminium wheel (brightening stage) | Ball | 20–30 min | Wet (after ceramic + plastic media stages) | Mirror wheel finish; Ra <0.1 µm |
| Cutlery and surgical instruments | Cylinder or ball | 2–6 hours | Wet + polishing compound | High-gloss, food-safe surface |
| Zinc die castings (light final polish) | Tri-star | 1–2 hours | Wet + brightening compound | Bright, plating-ready surface |
Where porcelain media fits in the full finishing sequence
Porcelain is always a later-stage media. A typical complete finishing sequence for metal parts is:
- Stage 1 — Deburring: Ceramic tumbling media (abrasive; removes burrs, scale, sharp edges)
- Stage 2 — Smoothing: Plastic tumbling media (lighter cut; smooths the surface left by ceramic)
- Stage 3 — Polishing / burnishing: Porcelain tumbling media or stainless steel media (non-abrasive; final brightness)
Not every process requires all three stages. For parts where deburring is the primary objective and appearance is secondary, the process stops at stage 1 or 2. Porcelain is added when a high-gloss or plating-ready surface is required.
Ordering and supply information
- MOQ: 500 kg minimum per shape and size
- Packaging: 25 kg bags, double-layer woven PP; 40 bags per pallet
- Lead time: Contact us for current production schedule
- Sample testing: Send your parts and we run a trial process to confirm shape, size and cycle time before full order
| Not sure whether porcelain media is right for your process? Send us your part material, current finishing stage, and target finish level. We tell you whether porcelain is the correct next step and which shape to use — within 24 hours. |