Deburring
- DeSta::Microcut
What is deburring?
In an industrial environment, deburring is the process of removing burrs from a workpiece. Burrs are sharp edges, fraying or splinters on workpieces and usually occur during the manufacturing process or when machining materials such as metal, plastic or wood.
Why is deburring necessary?
Deburring is of great importance when it comes to quality, functionality and corrosion resistance as well as the long-term use of workpieces. This removes protruding and sharp edges. The risk of injury decreases and potential downtime costs are reduced. In addition, the removal of burrs minimizes scratches and damage caused by stacked parts during transport. To reduce the risk of corrosion, workpieces are often galvanized, painted, primed or powder coated. If workpieces are not deburred, the coating adheres less well due to a reduced surface quality compared to deburred surfaces and the coating may flake off earlier. This makes it less likely that workpieces will be damaged, thus reducing rejects.
Deburring plays an important role in many industries, for example in aerospace, mechanical engineering, the automotive industry, medical technology, the electronics industry and toolmaking. Deburring achieves benefits such as preventing material fatigue, reducing wear, improving functionality and increasing safety.
Precise deburring is essential for a wide range of end products, as it brings significant advantages. These include
FunctionalityBurrs can increase wear, which impairs the function and service life of components.
SafetySharp edges and burrs pose a risk of injury, especially if components are touched or processed manually.
Surface qualityCleanly deburred surfaces look better and ensure better adhesion of coatings.
Hygiene: Clean surfaces are particularly important in medical technology and the food industry to prevent contamination.
What types of burrs can occur and what methods are available?
Workpieces can be manufactured and machined using various processes, such as welding, casting, cutting and machining. This often results in subsequent burr formation:
- Tear burrs
- Rollover burrs
- Welding burrs
- Chip rate
- Flash
The range of deburring processes used is wide, as it can be used to deburr metal or plastic components, for example. Choosing the right process and the right parameters is therefore essential in order to achieve the desired result. In general, a distinction is made between thermal, mechanical, chemical and physical processes when deburring with a machine. The following list shows some examples of the respective processes:
Mechanical processes
- Machine grinding
- Manual deburring
- Vibratory finishing
- Pressure flow lapping
Chemical deburring
- Chemical bath deburring
- Electrochemical deburring
Physical procedures
- High-pressure water jet deburring
- Ultrasonic deburring
- Hydro-erosive grinding
- Sandblasting
- Glass bead blasting
Thermal deburring
- Laser deburring
- Thermal Energy Machining (TEM)
Which materials can be deburred?
In principle, all materials that form burrs during cutting, machining, drilling or forming can be deburred. The deburring of metal is of great importance in industrial production, but it also plays a significant role for other material groups. The following overview is a brief summary without any claim to completeness.
MetalSteel, copper, brass, aluminum, titanium and a variety of alloys.
PlasticThermosets and thermoplastics such as ABS, polycarbonate and nylon.
CeramicsAluminum oxide, silicon nitride and other technical ceramics.
Composite materialsMaterials made of two or more different materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastics.
What should I know about deburring with DeSta::Microcut?
DeSta::Microcut is your reliable service provider for deburring your precision cutting units. Our employees draw on their know-how and many years of expertise in sheet metal processing. The result is reliably manufactured precision components to solve your individual challenges. DeSta::Microcut also offers a wide range of services such as waterjet cutting, laser fineblanking, CNC bending, CNC milling, laser marking and downstream processes for high-quality results.
Important aspects of deburring: tolerances, surface roughness and finishing
Various tolerances play a decisive role in deburring, depending on several factors. The most important tolerance classes include the surface roughness (in micrometres), the burr height (maximum height of remaining burrs), the edge radius and the shape tolerances, which describe the precision of the original component shape after deburring.
A common parameter for specifying surface roughness is the average roughness Ra in micrometers. It indicates the calculated average between peaks and valleys on a surface. DIN 3141 specifies different classification series for surface specifications. Series 2, which is frequently used in practice, specifies roughness values from Ra 12.5 (roughened) to Ra 0.1 (very finely finished).
After deburring, various post-processing operations may be necessary depending on the desired end result, including cleaning, polishing, coating, heat treatment and measuring. Deburred components contribute significantly to the longevity and safety of products by preventing material fatigue, reducing wear, improving functionality, increasing safety and enhancing corrosion resistance.
Does Desta::Microcut offer customized deburring services?
Desta::Microcut offers a comprehensive range of services as a complete solution for your workpieces. After cutting and/or CNC milling, the team is also happy to take care of deburring. The service spectrum covers a wide range of options, from barrel finishing and machine deburring to scotching and manual deburring. Talk to us!
How long does the deburring process take for typical projects?
The duration of the deburring process depends on many parameters. Among other things, the material used, the component geometry, the tolerances to be adhered to, the desired surface quality and the number of workpieces have an important influence on the duration. Guide values for the duration of typical deburring processes range from a few seconds to several minutes per workpiece or per processed component quantity.
