Two Types Of Abrasive Machining, What They Do And Why You Might Request One Over The Other
Machining is a broad industrial term that includes many different subtypes of machining. One of these subtypes of machining, abrasive machining, is further broken down into two more subtypes. If you have never heard of abrasive machining before or you do not know what it does, the following information will bring you up to speed and help you decide if either of the two subtypes of abrasive machining are something you could use on your next project.
Abrasive Flow Machining
Rather than cutting a piece of material, abrasive machining refines and hones the edges and interiors of cut pieces. In abrasive flow machining, an abrasive compound is swirled around the interior of a shape to make it smoother, or applied to the edges and slid repeatedly through a machine that keeps the abrasive compound on the edges while the machine moves the object. This type of machining is especially good at creating very smooth surfaces and gently widening pipes of all shapes and sizes by just marginal fractions (e.g., you need to take a one-inch wide pipe down two millimeters).
Abrasive Jet Machining
Abrasive jet machining, on the other hand, is a cutting technique. The material you want cut is blasted at a high velocity with an abrasive compound, either to remove small amounts of the material or to weaken it just enough to make it easier to cut without warping it or breaking it. You might choose abrasive jet machining if you are trying to get a perfect form from tungsten or thin sheets of polyvinyl (which may crack and fall apart when cut with some other machining processes). Abrasive jet machining is extremely slow, but it is also extremely precise, more precise even than abrasive flow machining. For that reason, you may want to use this process when you need the cuts and measurements on your projects to be spot-on.
Why You Might Request One Process over the Other
When you decide that your project needs smoothing or interior surfaces that are much more slippery, you might choose the abrasive flow process. Everything from car parts to ventilation shafts might undergo the abrasive flow process to get a polished, smooth and/or slippery surface. If you want absolute precision in the dimensions and cut edges of your piece, and you have plenty of time to spare to create the items your factory needs, you would choose the abrasive jet process. If you need help for all of the above, then you could inquire of the industrial machining plant as to which process would be best suited to accomplish everything. Contact a business, such as Tri-State Fabricators Inc, for more information.
