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Manual Deburring Complex Aluminum Parts

Houdini

Titanium
Joined
Nov 28, 2017
Anyone have real world experience deburring complex organic curves on 6061 Aluminum parts.
We have some parts with a lot of 3 dimensional curves that need deburring after the machining.
they are 1.5" round by 24" long 6061 shafts with a few curves.
We need to do batches of 240 parts monthly, and hand deburring with a Noga deburr tool and a triangle knife is too time consuming.
Wish I could just throw them in the tumbler, but they are too long and heavy, they would just beat each other up.
Real world Suggestions?
 
Anyone have real world experience deburring complex organic curves on 6061 Aluminum parts.
We have some parts with a lot of 3 dimensional curves that need deburring after the machining.
they are 1.5" round by 24" long 6061 shafts with a few curves.
We need to do batches of 240 parts monthly, and hand deburring with a Noga deburr tool and a triangle knife is too time consuming.
Wish I could just throw them in the tumbler, but they are too long and heavy, they would just beat each other up.
Real world Suggestions?

Picture? I'm trying to visualize where burrs would be on a part as described above.

Regards.

Mike
 
Hi Houdini16:
Have you already considered and rejected abrasive brush deburring in the machine that makes the parts?
It's more forgiving and often faster than running a complex toolpath with a cutter, so if you can accept the brushed finish, it's worth a look.

I've never tried it but some on here have, and from what I remember, it worked well for them.

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining
 
Sometimes the time spent creating toolpath to run a chamfer tool or ballnose endmill over the burrs pays off in the end.

Yes, this is the situation, as Im sure you have seen where too much work, not enough machine time.
So we have to get parts in and out of the machines ASAP, but people do have the time to manually deburr.
So I try not to waste machine time, while a guy is sitting there for a 30min cycle.
 
tube-1.jpg
This was to show the customer we removed large scratches, but it will work as a reference.
 
Hi Houdini16:
Have you already considered and rejected abrasive brush deburring in the machine that makes the parts?
It's more forgiving and often faster than running a complex toolpath with a cutter, so if you can accept the brushed finish, it's worth a look.

I've never tried it but some on here have, and from what I remember, it worked well for them.

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

I am not sure if they would go for brush marks, but I also dont know if those abrasive brushes break down abrasives into the coolant,
As I am a one man shop with 4 brand new CNC machines, I dont want to chance abrasives getting into the coolant of the machine.
 
Yes, this is the situation, as Im sure you have seen where too much work, not enough machine time.
So we have to get parts in and out of the machines ASAP, but people do have the time to manually deburr.
So I try not to waste machine time, while a guy is sitting there for a 30min cycle.

Okay, more info is good. What condition is the aluminum? T651, or dead soft? What kind of cutters are you using? Can you provide a picture of the burrs and features? There might be something that can be changed without increasing cycle time, or it might just be a situation where the operator has to deburr during cycle time. If they weren't deburring, what else would you have them doing?
 
Okay, more info is good. What condition is the aluminum? T651, or dead soft? What kind of cutters are you using? Can you provide a picture of the burrs and features? There might be something that can be changed without increasing cycle time, or it might just be a situation where the operator has to deburr during cycle time. If they weren't deburring, what else would you have them doing?

In truth what will happen in the near future is currently the operator would be sitting there if not hand deburring.
But work load is increasing drastically and more machines bought and need fed, So it will be better to add lollipop to deburr, and increase cycle times,
because tech will be running more machines, and wont have time to be manually deburring anything.
But currently I already have 3 orders of these things already done, and they take 5 hours to hand deburr per order, YUK!
 
Based off the shape I would try to use a small ball end mill or ball burr and add toolpaths to deburr in the machine. Especially on an oddball shape like that, deburring by hand is definitely tricky and going to be inconsistent.

The other option might be abrasive blasting, like sand or glass bead blasting. Then it could be done outside the machine, but unless there’s a lot more to the part than it looks, a deburring toolpath wouldn’t take long.
 
It sounds like your best option is to increase cycle time 15sec/part and do it in the machine. Have someone hand deburr the parts that are already ran and be done with it.

Without seeing the part, 30min sounds like a lot of time for that part. There has to be some time in that program you could knock off to allow for the extra deburr time.
 
I like blue roloc 3m discs for aluminum. You can get into the sharp internal corners. We use 1.5” mostly. If you go over an edge twice you get a nice radiused edge.
 
As I am a one man shop with 4 brand new CNC machines
If you're a 1 man shop, then deburr as much as you can in the machine.
Do you have Mastercam? They have a great Deburr toolpath and Model Chamfer toolpath where it's basically 3-4 clicks and you have the toolpath.
 
Hi Houdini16:
Have you already considered and rejected abrasive brush deburring in the machine that makes the parts?
It's more forgiving and often faster than running a complex toolpath with a cutter, so if you can accept the brushed finish, it's worth a look.

I've never tried it but some on here have, and from what I remember, it worked well for them.

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

Bingo. Brush research Nam power. In aluminum it will last a very long time. Lots of Different grits available to suit your deburring needs. Run them basically like a face-mill over the feature.
 
So it will be better to add lollipop to deburr, and increase cycle times,
because tech will be running more machines, and wont have time to be manually deburring anything.
Lolipop or ball nose endmill vs abrasive brush
Guess who normally wins but a brush will not like really big burrs without affecting other things.
Sometimes you have to look at why the program left a burr.
Yes a brush used hard will put abrasive bits in the coolant and this a reasonable concern. Hopefully it sinks with the chips but one can add a filter on the pump outlet.
Not sure the brush mark thing concern. Done right it only kisses a rad onto the corners.
Bob
 
View attachment 335908
This was to show the customer we removed large scratches, but it will work as a reference.

We hand finish a lot of odd shaped parts with steel wool on a rotating arbor, we use 5lb rolls of steel wool from McMaster Carr.
We have them mounted in a Dual Draw table and they work pretty good, #2 steel wool is our go to.
You can test with a hardwood dowel with about a 2" long slot cut lengthwise from the end, slide the wool in the slot and wrap it as tightly as you can before turning on the spindle then pet it with a piece of flatbar until the flailing wool gets locked down. I use a tiny bit of hard candle wax on the arbor for a smooth matt finish on my parts.

DO NOT PUT THE SPINDLE IN A HOLE OR SLOT IN YOUR PART, the arbor will grab the part, beat you with it then throw it across the room.
IMG_2607.jpgIMG_2598.jpgIMG_2597.jpgIMG_2594.jpgIMG_2593.jpg
 
"complex organic curves" do not lend themselves to manual deburring. What costs more, 45 more seconds of cycle time (you can run a 4 flute chamfer mill REALLY fast) or a scrapped part because the operator gouged it while deburring?
 








 
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