Deburring (Tumbles)
A burr is a raised or jagged edge on a metal part, most often appearing after it has been processed. Generally speaking, it's unwanted material that can be fixed using a process called deburring. To learn more about deburring, you can take a peek at our value-added page of our website, or listen to our deburring podcast.
These burrs can throw off specifications, measurements, or simply just be dangerous when in contact. For this reason, Fedtech offers deburring as a value added service on processed or unprocessed parts. Deburring is basically a finishing method used in processing, typically after a metal is machined (waterjet cut or laser cut here at Fedtech). Often times the material has some sharp edges that need to be smoothed down, or deburred.
There's a few different means of deburring, you could use abrasive substances, abrasive cloths, die grinders, or even sanding. Sometimes it's a combination of a few different methods, since the pieces are sometimes irregularly shaped and have seams that need deburring as well.
In metalworking, the method most used in deburring is the tumbler, which is a vibrating system where small work pieces and media are vigorously rotated inside of the tumbler with the parts to continuously smooth the jagged edges. A barrel tumbler is a great tool for finishing simple parts, but not so much for intricate parts with many punches or designs.
If you have any questions about deburring, or any other value added services, feel free to Contact Fedtech, and our sales team will be happy to assist you.