Automatic system removes Incalloy feather burrs

Pre-drying, deburring and cosmetic surface finishing system automatically removes feather burrs left on the blade tips of incalloy turbocharger hot-end wheels after grinding.

Feather burrs left on the blade tips of incalloy turbocharger hot-end wheels after grinding are now being removed automatically at a rate of up to 30 components per hour by a new pre-drying, deburring and cosmetic surface finishing system designed and engineered for cellular application by Guyson International.

The pre-drying facility avoids a 30-minute standing time previously needed to allow wet coolant to dry off before deburring.

Process times are immediately reduced as each newly machined component now enters the system without delay along a 4 metre gravity roller conveyor linked to the previous grinding operation and feeds into a midway positioned drying chamber where a series of pressurised air jets remove excess coolant from the vanes and a separate jet directed at the centre cone simultaneously removes excess grease.

Upon completion of the blow-off cycle the component continues down the conveyor ready to be manually loaded in a dry condition into the deburring chamber of a Guyson Multiblast RSB800 rotary spindle beadblasting machine.

The turbocharger wheels fit inside a centrally positioned component holder specially designed to protect the shaft of each turbine wheel during deburring operations.

The operator initiates the automatic process cycle by using two palm buttons that for safety reasons require simultaneous operation.

The component then rotates under a group of four adjustable and independently controlled blast guns for between 30 to 45 seconds during which time a controlled and uniform flow of compressed air and Turbonox stainless steel bead deburrs and cosmetic finishes the blade tips without dimensional change.

A final 15-second airwash removes residual dust and spent media from the component surface.

Variations to the process can be made to accommodate different sizes and types of component by changing the number of guns in use or making adjustments to the stand off distance and angle of each blast gun, the pressure and type of blast media employed, the speed of component rotation or the period of the blast and airwash cycle.

(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 30 October 2002).

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