Tube Deburring Machinery
Deburring is a necessary part of the production of metal components and parts. Burrs are leftover sharp edges on a workpiece that are the result of processing. They are commonly found on metal parts. To finish a workpiece, special grinding and finishing tools are used to deburr and smooth the workpiece’s surface.
Every fabrication process, whether it is laser cutting, punching, or waterjet shaping, leaves some form of rough edge. This is also true of tube manufacturing where the inner diameter (ID) and the outer diameter (OD) require deburring using specially designed tube deburring machinery.
What is Tube Deburring Machinery?
In the normal deburring process, visible burrs are removed from the surface of the workpiece. Deburring using tube deburring machinery requires a different approach since burrs can be present on the exterior of the tubing and on the interior. The process of deburring tubing involves the use of an abrasive that deburrs the ID and OD of the tubing.
Burrs occur in tubing when it is cut. They are little flakes of material that are left on the surface of the ID and OD. In order for the tubing to be moved on to further process, the burrs have to be removed. This is accomplished by tube deburring machinery.
Tube deburring machinery is a necessity for tube manufacturing in order to prepare finished tubing for shipping. All deformities must be removed for the tubing to be formed and shaped. Swaging, flaring, and beading can only be performed on completely finished and smooth tubing.
Types of Tube Deburring Machinery
Deburring of tubing can take several forms depending on the needs of the final product. The most common form of tube deburring creates a smooth flat end to the tubing such that it can be shaped during fabrication. In this type of deburring, the OD and ID are deburred, and the end of the tube is given a smooth finish.
There are two forms of deburring, which are manual and machine. Manual deburring is time consuming and labor intensive. The process requires several applications and may not always produce the best results.
Tube deburring machinery uses an assortment of tools to perform the deburring process, which include crimped wheel brushes, plain end brushes, and cable wire brushes. The type of brush bristles and their abrasiveness is determined by the type of material to be deburred. Tube deburring must be performed carefully to avoid deforming the tubing and destroying its tensile strength.