Cleaning and Deburring of Casted Parts

Deburring is a slight cropping of unwanted material on the surface of manufactured parts, ferrous or non-ferrous, which may be dangerous for handling or hamper the structural integrity of the material. Most of the times deburring happens after machining but the casting process also sees its fair share of surface imperfection.

Deburring is a pre-finishing process where after die casting is done the manufactured part is exposed to various methods of removing deformities. The process of deburring is sometimes time-consuming, which is why companies decide to outsource or completely avoid the process. But there is a reason why deburring is a necessary aspect of manufacturing die casted parts.

Why is Deburring Necessary?

While some manufacturers try to avoid deburring due to the cost and time associated with the process, at Eurobalt Engineering we make sure that the parts you receive are near perfect and we also understand the importance of deburring. The whole process is necessary for the soundness and longevity of the manufactured part. Here are some points on why deburring is necessary:

Prevent fractures
When burrs are left unchecked, there might be uneven surface pressure and increased stress in certain areas. No matter the application of the parts produced, stress and uneven pressure is never a good sign and can cause fracture, all because of burrs.
Increase fatigue life
Fatigue life or fatigue strength is the limit to which a part can perform a specified function before reaching failure. Unchecked burrs can hinder the stress cycle of a part resulting in earlier than expected failure.
Avoid corrosion
Deburring helps remove the burrs but it also assists in making the surface area even. Due to an uneven surface, there is a possibility of corrosion which does not benefit the longevity of the casted parts.
Dampen static charge
Uneven surfaces and burrs have higher tendency of holding static charge. Not removing burrs can result in the retention and dispersion of static charge.
Decrease friction
Casted parts primarily form the cover of other movable parts. The movement of parts produces friction but when two surfaces are not clean and have burrs the movement is hindered, there is an increased level of friction and heat production becomes a massive issue, all because a small burr has not been removed.
Safe handling
Cropping of metal or non-metal parts may result in cuts and accidents. As for handling a casted part, hidden burrs may cause difficulty in handling. Splints and protrusions can cause some serious damage, so cleaning and deburring are necessary to avoid those incidents.

Types of Deburring Techniques

There are five different casted parts deburring techniques in mass use, and each has their own specialty. All five can provide quality deburring, so the choice depends on your preference to one of the five techniques.

Manual deburring
The earliest and most common deburring technique used in manufacturing plants is manual deburring. By the name itself, it is probably clear that manual deburring is concerned with direct human effort in cleaning and deburring.
This technique is a tried and tested method since manufacturers have started surface treatment. It is an old, useful, extremely time-consuming, and also expensive technique of deburring. While manual deburring allows a level of flexibility, there is still the problem of manpower associated with the technique.
Thermal deburring
This technique is a fast and efficient way to target and eliminate multiple burrs at the same time. It is also useful in reaching difficultly accessible burrs. While the heat resistance capability of casted part should be kept in mind, thermal deburring can definitely get the job done by burning off burrs without causing structural damage.
Mechanical deburring
Another generally utilized method of deburring in a manufacturing plant is mechanical deburring. Similar to machining, mechanical deburring is a process where milling and grinding methods are used to even out the surface and get rid of burrs.
While machining is known for causing burrs, special tips and rotating plates attached to the machine can help grind the surface to a clean and burr-free finish. It is also a faster alternative to the manual deburring technique.
Electrochemical deburring
By the name it can be deduced that this technique is concerned with electricity and chemicals for the purposes of deburring. Something called “electro chemical machining” is used in some manufacturing plants to eliminate burrs.
Electricity with salt or glycol solution is used to attack and dissolve burrs without harming the surrounding parts. When precision is needed in elimination of burrs, then this technique comes in handy.
Cold deburring
While thermal deburring is concerned with burning off the burrs, the cold deburring technique breaks the burrs. The burrs are exposed to rapid cold temperatures and then the embrittled burrs are broken off by using a high-pressure spray. There is no loss of integrity of the casted part and the process can attack multiple burrs at the same time.

Some Ways of Avoiding Deburring

Deburring is a time-consuming process, working on the same manufactured tool causes loss of valuable time and wastage of manpower. There are some cases where deburring is unavoidable, but you can also utilize some manufacturing techniques to avoid burrs, or grossly minimize it. Here are some ways in which the creation of burrs can be minimized and deburring can be avoided:

Down milling
There is a proven method of creating fewer burrs and in turn avoiding the deburring process, it is the down milling technique. When milling is done downwards on casted parts, there are fewer chances of burr formation.
With the help of down milling, the number and size of burrs are greatly reduced when compared to up milling.
Design
One of the major ways in which deburring can be avoided is by focusing on the design before the casting process can begin. The design should be done in such a way that extra milling and machining can be avoided.
Even if they cannot be avoided, the design of casted parts should be in such a way that burrs can be situated in areas that are easily accessible for burr removal. While deburring may not be avoidable here, the time loss is less significant when design aids the deburring process.
Avoiding unnecessary deburring
There is a simple way by which deburring can be reduced, not doing it all the time and for every single burr. During the manufacturing process, it should be recognized that when a burr is at the place where it will not cause friction and there is no discernable way it can cause harm, deburring should be avoided.
However, a manufacturer needs to be totally sure that the burr they are leaving behind will not cause any harm in the future. It is more of guess work, but unnecessary work should be avoidable if possible.
Managing the breakthrough process
One of the major reasons for creation of burrs in casted parts is the process of machining. Sometimes casted parts need to go through extra machining to make threads and drill holes in them, this is where burrs are created.
One of the ways burrs can be avoided or minimized during machining is managing breakthrough. When cutting tools break through the bottom of a casted part, that is when burrs are created. While breaking through the hole exit, the speed and angle of extrusion should be watched thoroughly. This will help in creation of smaller, thinner, and manageable burrs.

Eurobalt Engineering Provides Cleaned and Deburred Casted Parts

We are a metal working company and one of our major businesses is die casting. We produce die casted products of various shapes and sizes and, depending upon the request of our clients, we can also provide surface finishing, coating, and painting.

Our factory is equipped with deburring machines that we use to finish die cast parts. We offer different techniques to our clients and also, depending upon the materials in use, we utilize the best possible solution to get near perfect results.

Working with us, you will find manufacturing, pre-finishing, and finishing work done all under one roof. There will be no need to outsource any work, as we will handle all the production process for you. All you have to do is send us drawings and we will handle the rest.

So, pick up your phone and get in contact with our sales department who will guide you through the entire process and also provide you with post-delivery support. You can also write us an email and explain what parts you are casting and we will happily provide you with cleaned and deburred finished parts.

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