The cryogenic deburring process uses very low temperatures and polycarbonate media to remove burrs from machined parts. Plastic or metal parts are placed in a chamber, cooled to cryogenic temperatures so that the burrs become brittle, and then impacted with non-abrasive polycarbonate media so that the burrs are removed quickly and cleanly.
Unlike other parts deburring methods, the cryogenic deburring process removes only the surface imperfections and does not affect the surface finish or geometry of machined parts. Edges are maintained without rounding. Little to no dust or residue remains. The cryogenic deburring process can accommodate thin-walled parts as small as 0.025” and larger, inch-based parts with greater mass.
What Causes Burrs in Machined Parts?
To achieve a part’s net shape, machine shops and manufacturers use cutting tools for turning, drilling, milling and other types of machining operations. These processes can also stretch workpiece materials beyond the point where they can return to their original dimensions. If a material contains a crack, this stretching may cause the crack to grow and eventually fracture. This creates burrs, raised areas or projections that can cause part misalignments or other problems.
Types of Burrs
Machinist handbooks and other technical resources generally define four types of burrs:
- Roll-over burrs are produced when a cutting tool exits a material.
- Tear burrs are created when material is torn away from a workpiece.
- Cut-off burrs happen when the workpiece is separated before cutting is complete.
- Poisson burrs are formed when a tool’s cutting edge extends beyond the workpiece.
All of these burrs can be difficult to remove, but hard-to-reach burrs are especially challenging. As many machine shops and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have discovered, however, the cryogenic deburring process provides a safe, clean, and cost-effective to traditional hand, vibratory, and tumbling methods for deburring machined plastic or metal parts.
Blind Holes, Through Holes, and Other Hard-to-Reach Burrs
Cryogenic deburring is especially effective at removing machined burrs from blind holes, through holes, and other hard-to-reach part geometries. The non-abrasive media that Nitrofreeze® uses is sized from 0.015” (smallest) to 0.060” (largest) to accommodate specific challenges. Our Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) company can also develop low-cost custom fixtures to ensure burr removal from blind holes, through holes, and other recessed areas.
Cryogenic Deburring and Part Materials
Cryogenic deburring is suitable for specialty polymers and commodity plastics that include Delrin®, Teflon®, Tefzel®, Torlon®, polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This parts deburring method is also used with machined parts made of ABS, PET, HDPE, PEEK, DAP, PPS, CTFE, Viton®, and nylon. In addition, cryogenic deburring is used with liquid crystal polymers (LCP), precipitation hardening (PH) stainless steels, and beryllium copper.
Manual Deburring vs. Automated Deburring
Some manufacturers and machine shops still use manual deburring methods to improve the surface quality of machined parts. Hand deburring doesn’t require machinery or equipment, but it can’t match the consistency of batch processing. Plus, manual deburring is labor-intensive and time-consuming. By contrast, the cryogenic deburring process removes surface imperfections consistently, efficiently, and cost-effectively. This computer-controlled technique delivers repeatable and reliable results every time.
Is the Cryogenic Deburring Process Right for Your Machined Parts?
What’s the best way to remove hard-to-reach burrs from your machined parts? Contact the experts at Nitrofreeze® to review your requirements. No job is too large or too small, and our standard turnaround time is two days after receipt. If your metal or plastic part is a viable candidate for cryogenic deburring, we can perform sampling to demonstrate our process. The consultation is free of charge.
To learn more, contact us at the phone number and email listed below.
(508) 459-7447 x109 | info@nitrofreeze.com