COMPOUNDS ARE KEY TO MASS FINISHING SUCCESS
Machinery and media are nothing in the mass finishing world without the right compound.
A manufactured object can be designed to specifications, but if it doesn’t look and feel finished, it may be rejected. A metal alloy can be structurally perfect, but surface corrosion may make it less presentable. Process water may work well for initial cycles before contaminants wear down its effectiveness over time. The right compound for a given mass finishing process can solve each of these problems and more.
Also known as chemical additives, compounds are an essential element of a mass finishing process and the key to maintaining a stable, high-quality, mass finishing operation.
Compounds can help degrease, brighten, polish, protect against corrosion, and provide stain resistance.
One of their key functions though is keeping the process clean by continuously flushing contaminants such as tiny metal fines from the work piece or minute media fines out of the mass finishing system.
As indispensable tools for recycling process water and ensuring an eco-friendly finishing operation, the importance of compound selection can make or break a mass finishing process. Here are four common types of compounds to consider:
Liquid Compounds:
Liquid compounds are the foundation of the modern surface finishing process. Thanks to their ability to remove contaminants such as metal and/or media fines from the process, they keep the components and the media clean while ensuring a repeatable, high-quality, mass finishing process.
Recirculation Compounds:
Recirculation compounds are formulated to provide a consistent process quality for every application and ensure long service intervals for process water thus reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
These compounds are best for use in closed loop water recycling systems, but can also be used in flow-through processes.
Grinding Pastes:
Grinding pastes are suitable for treating almost any metal or metal alloy. These compounds serve as a buffer between parts to prevent part-on-part impingement and are available in wet and powder form. Dry pastes offer the advantage of easy dosing and can be used with process water recycling systems while wet pastes can produce a smoother finish.
Polishing Pastes:
Polishing pastes produce smooth, high-gloss finishes on a wide variety of parts ranging from turbine blades to cutlery and surgical instruments. Much like grinding pastes, dry polishing pastes are easy to dose and can be used with process water recycling systems. Wet pastes produce extremely low Ra values.
