Deburring Metal: What You Need To Know
During the industrial steel fabrication process, some of the metal pieces can become burred with sharp edges. This can impact the overall quality of the part and can cause errors during the process of assembly. The following is some information about deburring metal pieces:
What Is a Burr?
A burr is a sharp or jagged edge of steel fabrication and can happen at any point in the fabrication process. A burr can occur during the stamping or forming of the steel. It can also happen during the casting and molding of the steel. Burrs also happen during the milling, grinding, or drilling process.
What is Deburring?
Deburring is essentially smoothing out any rough or sharp edges of a metal component. The burrs can snag other materials, so it is necessary to deburr them. Metalworkers use special deburring tools to shave away any burrs and rough edges that result in a smooth and clean edge and a more quality product.
What Tools Are Used?
There are some different tools used to deburr steel and other metals. Some are industrial while others are similar to sandpaper. The tool you use will largely depend on the fabrication you are working on. You can hand grind your metal parts yourself if you do not have a large volume to work with. However, there are also options for more volume.
One option is automatic deburring. Once the machine is finished cutting the part and you want to maximize your efficiency, you should consider implementing an automated deburring system. These machines will finish the parts much faster than you could yourself by hand. The machine can also ensure a more uniform result than if you deburred each piece yourself.
You can also use cutting fluid, which is a special metalworking lubricant. The cutting fluid is used to decrease the amount of heat and resistance between the deburrer and the metal. Over time, a metal deburring machine can generate a lot of heat, which requires you to shut the machine down until it is cool enough to use again. If you apply cutting fluid, you do not have to stop the machines as often and you can ensure a more uniform product.
You may also want to utilize machinery that finishes the steel or other metal and deburrs it at the same time. While an investment, this simultaneous system saves you an additional step of moving the parts from one machine to another. You will ultimately save time and money with a simultaneous cutting and deburring system in place.
