What is vibratory finishing / barrel finishing?
Mass finishing, also known as barrel finishing after the company Walther Trowal („Trommel-Walther“), is a mechanical process for surface treatment and finishing. Deburring. Rubber, Plastic- or Metal parts together with abrasive media, usually water and, if necessary, additives, in a rotating drum or vibratory trough. This removes protruding burrs, smoothes edges and grinds surfaces.
The drum process
The components are placed in the drum together with chips (e.g. ceramic or plastic-based abrasives). Rotation or oscillation creates a relative movement that leads to uniform mechanical processing:
- Filling the parts and abrasives
- Addition of water and, if necessary, abrasive
- Processing over a defined time
- Drying and separation of parts and chips
The Deburring per drum is particularly suitable for robust, simply shaped components. Delicate or soft parts could become deformed or damaged.
Advantages:
- Cost-effective for large quantities
- Uniform Deburring and edge rounding
- Automatable and reproducible
Typical applications of mass finishing / barrel finishing
- Small metal parts from stamping or forming technology
- Rubber parts with stable geometry (e.g. Buffer, simple seals)
- Plastic injection moulded parts with pronounced release rates
- Preparation for assembly, painting or further processing