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Good Vibrations

To try to better evaluate the re-quirements of a modern project of Surface Finishing, it is interesting to analyse the perspective of its sustain-ability towards the next twenty years.Mass metal finishing, for example, produces important volumes of waste characterized, mainly, by the contents of heavy metals, mineral or synthetic abrasives, residuals of bonding agents (the ones used for the abrasive media like plastic or ceramic chips), and other kinds of pollutants generated both by the manufacturing process (lubricants, demoulding chemicals, etc.), chemi-cal compounds used for the finishing processes, or for the water treatment processes.The energy consumption of a process depends also from the way the process is designed – every machine consumes energy and requires maintenance in the time (i.e.: the lining of the working bowls to be restored after his life end, peculiar spare parts, etc.).The costs paid for the waste disposal and for the waste transport, neverthe-less, are a growing factor of costs for almost all the industrialized countries of Europe. This aspect is, of course, important also in several countries out of Europe.

The Japanese Style - 和風

Japan for example, is one very advanced Country from this point of view and, as far as the "waste reduction" strategy is concerned, the Japanese have started from decennia to adopt some clever finishing processes that, from the be-ginning, where tending to generate reduced volumes of waste.The sensibility of the environmental sustainability of mass finishing in Eu-rope is, day by day, growing, also look-ing at the evident change of weather all over. By the way, in Japan this sensibil-ity in the applications of mass metal fin-ishing started many years earlier than in Europe, before the climatic change. One reason maybe was not directly con-cerned with the environment but with the finishing costs? It does not matter, the important is that someone started to give an important example how to change in positive. This is one probability to be considered indeed, by the way, many eco-friendly processes are most convenient than "classic" ones simply due to their sim-plicity. As an example, the dry finish-ing (simple deburring) of small cupper plates with a dry process means to use a single finishing machine, then parts come out deburred and dry whilst, with a classic wet deburring process,

the typical configuration is a machine for finishing, one for drying and a centrifugal filter for mud filtering and water-compound recycling in closed cycle loop. The difference of costs is immediately evident, also from invest-ment point of view this comparison is clear.

Laser cut components deburred in 5 to 20 min

Laser cut components in Alu

Aerospace alu machined component

MFN page 39 - Vol. 18 - September issue

Good Vibrations

Good Vibrationsby Paolo RedaelliContributing Editor MFN andRollwasch® Italiana S.p.a.Tel. +39.0362.930 334Fax +39.0362.931 440

: paolo@mfn.li

Last but not least, a dry waste is normal-ly corresponding in volume/weight to the total volume/weight of the original pollutant whilst, in a wet process, the original volume/weight of the pollut-ants is increased by the water treatment additives, and the final must conserve a final residual humidity with a major average volume/weight of about 60%. The message is that, to consider a modern project of Surface Finishing, it is more and more important to con-sider, besides the Industry 4.0 kind of modernization, also and in parallel, a strategy from the environmental point of view. To make an example based on the fin-ishing strategy already adopted about twenty years ago by some Japanese manufacturers of zinc alloy compo-nents, the finishing process where based on dry tumbling of metallic workpieces with media made with re-siduals of natural leather, impregnated with vegetal oil and mineral abrasives – on the other hand the main European competitors, working with plastic or ceramic media, water and compounds, where forced to pass through a drying step the workpieces and employ a waste water treatment system, adding further costs and additives, thus generating a much higher final cost per component than the Japanese.A typical way of saying in Japan is: "simplicity is cleverness".With great respect to the cleverness and class of the Japanese culture and

to their determination to win in almost all their industrial challenges, the above example is referred to years ago and does not mean that in Europe the resources are not enough "strategical" to compete with.In the modern technologies offered by some European-made finishing pro-cesses, there are some interesting and sustainable opportunities. Most of those "alternative solutions" are not yet well known and widespread in the modern European industries, this is why "good vibrations" editorials may help to look for "good" alternatives. One interesting example of "simplicity" is the rotary tumbling process of oxy-cut, laser-cut or plasma-cut components with "casted iron" media or, alterna-tively, with special polymeric media.This kind of finishing process is simple and requires low energy resources.A similar application is also developed with vibratory finishing equipment, both trough or circular types combined with special polymeric media and pro-duces interesting results with average cost reduction in the order of 25% to 50% - as well, the investment costs and the energy costs are much less.The Japanese style, to resume, has shown its capacity to anticipate the market needs, respectively to European, American and other Asiatic manufac-turers, providing vanguard solutions and modern strategies that, in the same time, are satisfying competitiveness and environment friendly products –

the automotive industry, with Toyota (for example), has for sure given to the world a sustainable "option" with the hybrid technology – same with the fuel cell technology, they are now already working on products ready for the mar-ket whilst other manufacturers are still improving "classic" (or old?) solutions.

Oyx cut parts tumbled with casted iron pyramids

Hot forged alu parts descaling and smoothing

The final automatic separation in round vibrator

Mass Fin ish ing

T rial is the "keyword" that for Rollwasch means: test, test room, test lab.Trial is repeated and emphasized for any new Rollwasch "finishing project", where a completely renewed show-room and test-room is going to be inaugurated in September 2017, with a double concept:

Show-room

To demonstrate the "state of the art" of the new solutions, with peculiar atten-tion to the hardware.

Test-room

To demonstrate to new potential cus-tomers the real capacity and assure the required quality and quantity.

nyway, Rollwasch maintains the "Pilot-production" service.

Pilot-production

It is possible to launch and develop projects with the aim to support im-portant R&D projects, with a participa-tion to the costs. Support is also given in cases where extended trials and/or real finishing simulation in several conditions, or in repeated conditions under statistic evaluation of the results, are required.

Most of the projects developed with the "Pilot Production" service are protected by "NDA" or "Non Disclosure Agree-ments". To create the most favourable environment where to operate in these conditions, at Rollwasch a specific "NDA" area has been created. This area includes "Wave Finishing" robotic islands, vibratory finishing, drag finish-ing, carving finishing, ultrasonic wash-ing, aspersion washing, sand blasting and similar processes.

A double metrology area has been provided to keep separate the two environments, respectively, the Trial

The Best Way For Trials"open door" and Show room, open to any new project and the Pilot produc-tion area, restricted to specific projects and limited mainly to NDA agreements. The two metrology labs are working in parallel and with high quality me-trology devices, although oriented to different areas.

Rollwasch new Show-room and Test-room remark the difference between wet and dry processes areas.

In the Dry-process area Rollwasch shows machines able to apply new generation finishing processes like:

Vibrodry1 units for dry finishing with vibrators and special polimeric long life media range "QF"2;

It is also foreseen to show Rotodry3 tumbling processes machines, units for dry finishing with rotary barrells and special polimeric long life media range "QF" or with special media in hard metal;

In the "dry" processes area, it is finally foreseen to show machines for "HPM-DRY-TECHNOLOGY", where HPM is the achronym for "High Performance Media", the latest design of Rollwasch high density finishing media;

Rollwasch is mantaining the promise to follow its "Road Map 2030", an im-portant program explained in details on Rollwasch Website at the section

Jenoptik rugosimeter detecting a surface

Vibrodry finishing machines, type SMR

1 Vibrodry is a special Rollwasch dry finishing process (patent pending - I)2 QF media, achronym for "QuattroFinish" media is a special Rollwasch polimeric media with long life (patent pending - I) 3 Rotodry is a special Rollwasch tumbling process (patent pending - I)

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Mass Fin ish ing

"news": http://www.rollwasch.it/en/news;

In fact, with the program of dry fin-ishing processes, like "Vibrodry", "Rotodry" and "HPM Dry Technology", combined with the high automated and low polluting finishing processes

"Microfluid"4, Rollwasch is following an innovative and revolutionary path, based on continus R&D activity, tend-ing to offer alternative and competitive solutions to the market of today and tomorrow, with common sense.

For Information:Rollwasch® Italiana S.p.a.Via San Carlo, 2120847 Albiate (MB), ItaliaTel. +39.0362.930334, Fax +39.0362.931440E-mail: info@rollwasch.it, www.rollwasch.it

Rotodry finishing of aluminium machined parts

Rotodry Tumbler type DMF-A100 - open barrellAluminium laser cut Rotodry finished parts

Rotodry Tumbler type DMF-A100 - closed

HPM Dry Technology vibratory finishing unit HPM system with suitable vacuum filter

4 Microfluid is a special Rollwasch wet finishing process (patent pending - I)

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