Vibratory Bowl Mass Finishing Systems
Vibratory Bowl Finishers operate by placing a mixture of your parts together with polishing media in a bowl-shaped machine that uses vibration to agitate the parts and media. At the end of the cycle, the parts travel up a ramp to discharge the parts and recapture the polishing media for the next batch of parts.
As in other lapping processes, a polish is achieved as the parts move past each other with the abrasive media between them. A very simple version of this is the rock polishers many of us played with as children. The rocks along with grit (silica or sand) and water were sealed inside a canister that was then placed on a belt or bars that rotated causing the rocks, grit, and water to tumble against each other thus polishing the rocks.
Unlike rock polishers, the media used in modern vibrating polishers is engineered to match the features of the parts being polished. When properly selected the media allows for even internal features and holes to be polished and deburred all in one easy operation. From ceramics, to plastics, to steel, a wide variety of materials and shapes allow you to tailor the media to your specific application requirements.
Important too, is the shape of the bowl. While a classic u-shaped bowl allows for rotation of the parts and media around the central hub of the bowl, a key-shaped bowl incorporates a bulge about half-way up the bowl which then tapers back to a narrower size towards the top.