Inovatec Machinery Your High Quality Mass Finishing Tumbling Media Manufacturer from China

Tumbling Media

Tumbling media is a consumable used in all types of mass finishing processes. The primary purpose of vibratory tumbling media is to remove the unwanted material from the surface of the workpieces to create a smooth finish. It can also transfer its surface properties to the parts.

For example, steel tumbling media imparts its shiny surface to the metal parts. However, it also serves as a carrier for the compound and protects the workpieces from colliding with each other.

Tumbling media is a preformed abrasive agent that removes or burnishes unwanted material from the parts. It also provides cushioning for the rapidly moving parts and serves as a carrier for the compound. The compound and the media help maintain a consistent finishing quality by working together harmoniously. In other words, without the right tumbling media, there is no mass finishing.

When selecting the media, you have to consider various factors including size, shape, abrasiveness, internal particle size, and composition of the media. But, you also need to analyze the size, shape, weight, cost, material, burr sizes and surface finishing requirement of the parts and the type of finishing equipment to select the best suitable media.

Inovatec offers a premium range of tumbling media made from raw materials such as walnut shell grit, corn cob grit, zirconia, porcelain, ceramic, and even steel. Our wear-resistant media create a low amount of sludge, making it environment-friendly. We develop the media in our testing centers and labs in China, ensuring the best quality. We also offer free test runs of your sample parts to help you select the best media.

Not all tumbling media are made equal. You have to choose the right one depending on the characteristics of the tumbling media, the workpieces, and the finishing process. Tumbling media is available in various sizes, shapes, and abrasiveness. The selection process is usually a trial-and-error method. It can be a daunting task even for an experienced engineer. You can rest easy with Inovatec though.

At Inovatec, we not only provide a wide range of tumbling media, but also offer free sample testing. You can send us a few samples of your workpieces, and we will find the right tumbling media for you. We will take into account media composition (type), size, shape, weight, cost, parts material, size, and geometry, burr sizes and its location, parts surface requirement, as well as the equipment used when doing so.

Check out our full line of tumbling media now to find the one that suits your requirements.

Also check our: vibratory deburring machine and vibratory finishing machine.

Inovatec machinery produces different varieties of mass finishing media.

It includes plastic media, ceramic media, steel media, and organic media.

So, the media options are many.

We can help you to choose the right tumbling media with our 20 plus years of experience in this industry.

We have tumbling media capable of finishing parts that are manufactured using different processes like 3d printing, laser cutting, aluminum machining, forging, stamping, and many more.

We have taken strict quality control measures in raw material procurement and manufacturing to ensure that our customers receive very high quality media.

We maintain samples and test records for each batch of raw materials.

We also do a size and shape check after manufacturing the media.

It is to ensure that the size and shape match with design requirements.

The media parts which are not within the tolerance limit will be rejected.

Another critical parameter of the tumbling media is the wear and tear rate.

We will also check the wear and tear rate of each batch of media.

If it does not satisfy the standards, then it will be rejected.

We also make each batch of media to self tumble.

It is to remove the flashes and burrs from the media to get a media with improved finish and quality.

Manual inspection is done on the media before packaging.

It is done to remove deformed, cracked, oversized, and undersized media.

The removal is done with the help of the automated sorting machine.

We offer cost effective, economical tumbling media solution that is superior in quality also.

We also do OEM service for many across different parts of the world.

We also manufacture wet tumbling media, which meets the German standard and costs only a fraction of the German media.

We are also certified with the ISO 9001 standard.

You can always check our product catalogue and find the right tumbling media for your finishing needs.

If you are finding it difficult to find the right media, then you can always contact us.

We will help you to select the right media for your polishing needs.

You can also send the part to us to select the right media that match the part.

Tumbling Media FAQ Guide

1. What is Tumbling Media?

The material used along with the parts in a mass finishing machine to finish the parts is called tumbling media.

It is a fused mixture of different types of materials with abrasives.

The abrasive content is responsible for the cutting action.

2. How Different Is Tumbling Media Fromm Vibratory Media?

There is no difference between tumbling media and vibratory media.

Both are the same thing.

The media that is used inside the vibratory finishing machine is referred to as the tumbling media.

3. How Different Is Deburring Media From Tumbling Media?

Both of these are almost the same.

The deburring media is a tumbling media.

But all tumbling media are not deburring media.

Tumbling media is capable of doing different processes like deburring, cleaning, descaling, polishing, etc.

The deburring media is specifically designed to do the deburring process.

4. Where Should I Use The Tumbling Media?

You need to use the tumbling media with mass finishing machines.

The machine can be any.

It can be a vibratory finishing machine, centrifugal disc finisher machine, rotary barrel finisher, centrifugal barrel finisher, or an automatic mass finishing machine.

The tumbling media is responsible for the different tumbling processes like deburring, descaling, degreasing, surface smoothening, surface preparation, and polishing.

5. What Is The Typical Lifespan of Tumbling Media?

The life of a tumbling media will depend on different factors.

All tumbling media will have a different lifespan.

Some mass finishing media lasts longer than the other.

The different parameters that decide the life of a tumbling media are media size, amount of abrasive content, media shape, material type, and the type of mass finishing machine used.

You can use the same tumbling media for many times as long as you are able to get the desired finish on the part.

6. How To Select The Right Tumbling Media?

The selection of the tumbling media is entirely dependent on your part size, shape, and complexity.

The media that is capable of doing good edge rounding work will not be good for getting a smooth finish on the surface.

You may have to tumble the parts initially with one type of media for edge rounding and followed by another media for polishing.

Some media will take more time to finish when compared to others.

The material removal from the parts will be more with some media.

You should select the shape and size in such a way that it should be able to reach all the areas in part for an efficient finishing process.

At the same time, the media should not get lodged in the parts.

Inovatec offers different shapes like cylinder, ball, ballcone, pyramid tetrahedron, tristar, and many more.

So, you can select one from these.

7. How To Use The Tumbling Media?

You need to load it into the tumbling machine with parts for finishing.

You can also add water and compounds to the tumbler if required.

Once everything s loaded, you can power on the machine to start the finishing process.

The time duration of the process will vary with parts.

Once you get the desired level of finish, you can stop the machine and unload the parts and media from the tumbler.

8. What Are The Different Functions Of A Tumbling Media?

The tumbling media is capable of doing lots of functions.

The list is given below.

• It provides a cushioning effect to the parts to protect it from damage.
• Keeps the workpieces separate from one another while tumbling
• Helps in the tumbling process
• Act as abrasives
• Deburr, Degrease, Clean, Polish and Protect parts from Damage
• Act as the carrier of waste materials

9. How Much Should Be The Abrasive Content Of My Tumbling Media?

The amount of abrasive content depends on your part finish requirement.

If you want a fine surface finish, then you will need less abrasive concentration in the media.

If you are looking for aggressive deburring, then you will need more abrasive content in the media.

Higher the abrasive strength of the media, lesser will be the finishing time, but more material will be removed.

10. Do Tumbling Media Support Finishing Of Plastic Parts?

Yes, Inovatec manufactures tumbling media that supports the cleaning and polishing of plastic parts.

The finishing time for tumbling plastic parts will be more than the metal parts.

It may take more than 16 hours.

11. Is It Possible To Use Tumbling Media For Wooden Parts?

It is possible to use tumbling media for wooden parts.

The wood parts will need dry tumbling.

So, the organic media like the corn cob and the walnut grit will be a suitable option.

12. What Are The Good Brands For Buying Tumbling Media?

You will not be able to match the tumbling media from Inovatec machinery with any other brands, both in terms of quality as well as price.

We offer the best tumbling media in the market.

We are one of the largest tumbling media manufacturers with over 20 years of experience.

You can always evaluate the quality of the tumbling media from us and then make a decision.

13. What Amount Of Tumbling Media Will I Need?

The amount of tumbling media needed will depend on various factors like the capacity of the machine, the quality of finish, amount of parts to be processed, size and shape of media, etc.

We recommend following the thumb rule of the 1:3 ratio between the parts and the media.

You can even go for more media quantity.

But, always make sure that the media quantity is not less than the 1:3 ratio.

14. Is It Possible To Tumble Anodized Aluminum?

We recommend tumbling the aluminum part before anodizing so that the surface gets prepared properly for the anodization process.

If you tumble the part after anodization, then the whole purpose of anodization will go waste.

If you still want to tumble, then you can use a light media like the walnut or rice media for tumbling.

15. How To Increase The Efficiency of The Tumbling Media?

You must always make sure that you use the right media that matches your part and finish requirement.

The right media shape and size will ensure that the wear and tear of the media are less.

So, you can use it for many more years.

Otherwise, there will be more wear and tear, and you will end up replacing the media in a short time.

16. What Should Be The Typical Finishing Time While Using The Tumbling Media?

There are no standard times for finishing time for tumbling media.

It will vary for different types of media and various kinds of parts.

It also depends on the type of finish.

In some cases, it will only take a few hours, whereas, in other instances, it will take some days.

The tumbling time for plastic parts will be less when compared to rocks and stones.

17. Is Tumbling Media Costly?

The cost of the tumbling media depends on the type of tumbling media.

Some of the tumbling media are costly when compared to others.

High quality tumbling media will be a little costly than cheap counterparts.

But, always ensure that you invest in high quality tumbling media for great results.

It will help you to save your time as well as money.

18. Is It Good To Buy Cheap Tumbling Media?

It is good if you think that you are getting it for a lower price.

You can use it for tumbling with your parts for cleaning and polishing.

You will not get the same quality of finish which will be possible only with a high quality media, which doesn’t come cheap.

You may also end up in damaging your parts or increase in finishing time.

19. What To Do If My Parts Are Getting Damaged Wheel Tumbling?

The reason for the damage is due to the wrong type of tumbling media.

You would be using a big size media to tumble and finish small parts.

The shape of the media may not be matching with your part size.

The media may be having more abrasive content,

The other reason can be the part to media ratio,

If the amount of media is more in the bowl than the recommended ratio, then the parts may get damaged.

20. Why Is It Taking Too Much Time To Finish Parts?

Here, it may be because of the tumbling media.

If you have been using the same tumbling media for many years, you will be using beyond its life.

So, it is time to replace the media.

If the abrasive properties of the media are lost, it will take a long time to finish the parts.

The other problem can be the media to part ratio.

If you are using fewer media in the bowl, then it will take a longer time to process.

So, it can be either of these problems, which you need to figure out.

21. Do Tumbling Media Support Wet Finishing?

During recent times, wet tumbling has become more popular than dry tumbling.

You can use tumbling media for wet tumbling.

You must ensure that the right amount of water, along with other compounds, is used with the media.

22. What Should I Use To Make The Tumbling Media Wet?

You can use plain water to wet the media.

You need to ensure that the pH of the water is fit for tumbling.