Mass Finishing Work Piece Handling Series, Part 3 â Maintaining Wear Linings
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Adequate wear linings are an important factor in ensuring work pieces are efficiently handled in a mass finishing machine. Along with the method speed of transfer as well as the media selection and separation, the condition of a machineâs wear lining factors into the quality of process results.
Thick linings assist with work piece handling by providing a cushioning effect, yet thin or damaged wear linings allow unwanted knicks, scratches, and dings.
With more than 80 years of expertise in surface finishing, Rosler can assist with all aspects of your mass finishing process including proactively eliminating potential work piece handling issues.
Observing Machine Conditions
Regularly checking the lining of your work bowl(s) and trough(s) for wear is one way to ensure parts donât get accidentally damaged during processing. Inspecting linings consistently will help identify repairable issues before permanent damage to the machine occurs.
To effectively finish work pieces, media must be matched to the specific finishing task and the initial state of a work piece.
For example, media used for deburring/edge radiusing and surface grinding can be very abrasive. If not properly protected by a suitable wear lining, the steel construction of a work bowl would be completely worn through in a few hours by contact with the media and work pieces.
Polyurethane and, to a certain degree, rubber are excellent lining materials providing wear protection for thousands of operating hours. Even these materials wear through and must be periodically replaced with a new lining. Small areas can be temporarily patched with Polyurethane Repair Kits until the unit can be removed and professionally relined.
If a reline is required, only use a qualified reline supplier such as the lining shop at Rosler.
Relines are available in different degrees of hardness (shore A) and different qualities. Always make sure that the lining material is suitable for your specific mass finishing process. More information about specifying liner materials is available in a previous blog post.
Side-by-side comparison of a vibratory bowl before and after relining
Maintaining Process Stability
Checking your work bowl lining for wear and replacing it in a timely manner is essential for the stability of your mass finishing process as a whole.
In addition to worn work bowls, failure to ensure a proper protective lining can create other problems including:
- Work pieces getting stuck in the machine and, therefore, jeopardizing the integrity of different work piece batches.
- Media, water, and process chemicals can leak from the machine if the metal processing bowl is worn through and holes or cracks appear.
- Severe machine malfunction can occur when media or parts can get trapped in worn spots during the separation phase when the finished work pieces are separated from the media.
- Damage to the work bowl that is beyond repair, causing unnecessary downtime and requiring costly replacement parts. A weakened bowl can crack and make the entire machine unusable.
Check your bowl lining at least monthly for wear or rips. The areas around drains, the parts loading chute, and around the unload areas will see the highest wear and are especially crucial.
The ânail testâ makes checking the liner thickness easy. Push a nail through the liner until you hit the base metal and record the thickness of the liner. Keep track of the liner thickness over time to predict when you will need to replace your liner.
Most liners are between 5/8 and 1 in (15-25 mm) thick. Plan to get your machine relined when the thinnest part of your liner is less than 1/4 in (6 mm) thick.
Just as optimal media mix must be regularly monitored, so must the condition of a work bowl. If not, the entire process and downstream operations may suffer.
The Rosler Way
Maintaining adequate wear linings protects your work pieces, equipment, and overall mass finishing process. Contact us for mass finishing expertise and insight.
The complete Mass Finishing Work Piece Series includes:
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