Say Hello to Marlin’s New Parts Finishing Machine

November 19, 2014 | Wire Forms

Prima_W_309_RBB_(Wet)_Belt_Sander_from_ButferingOne of the biggest concerns with manufacturing custom steel forms, particularly for products intended to be manually handled, is the elimination of burrs and sharps. These blemishes are more than just unsightly, they’re a safety hazard that could cause cuts and other injuries.

Traditionally, the removal of a burr or sharp from a wire form would require intense manual labor. A worker would have to manually grind or sand down the irregularity until it was smooth. Recently, Marlin Steel’s owners have taken steps to reduce or eliminate burrs. For example, the introduction of the medium frequency direct current welder helps to largely eliminate burrs and other deformities caused by welds by reducing the time it takes to complete a weld, reducing the chance that heat stress can lead to a burr or sharp.

Another method for minimizing burrs is the use of electropolishing, which can strip small burrs and sharps from the outer layer of a metal form. However, larger irregularities would still require more intensive deburring processes to remove sharps and burrs.

To help make sure that burrs and sharps on metal forms can be eliminated quickly and completely, we here at Marlin Steel have added yet another specialized piece of factory automation to the production floor: The 37” Prima W 309 RBB (Wet) Belt Sander from Bütfering (also known as Steelmaster).

What the Steelmaster does

For decades, the Bütfering brand has been a leading manufacturer of wide belt sanders. This parts finishing machine, in particular, is a wet sander for parts finishing and deburring. It uses one large contact roller and two oscillating brush units to grind down irregularities in a metal form, rendering the piece being serviced shiny and smooth.

Both the machine and the parts being processed are kept cool using a wet cooling system to lubricate parts and prevent excessive wear and tear during operation. To prevent contamination of the coolant, a special filtration system is integrated into the machine to collect loose metal shavings; this prolongs the life of both the coolant and the machine.

When parts are coming out of the machine, the coolant is removed through the use of two “air knives,” high pressure air jets that force excess liquid and other debris from the parts being deburred.

The Prima W 309 Belt Sander is designed to accommodate parts up to 37” wide. This allows it to debur some very large parts quite easily. On top of that, the Steelmaster series of industrial belt sanders also features an option to adjust the height of the sanding devices to match the thickness of the parts being sanded (typically between 120 and 0.5 mm).

In short, this new belt sander will provide outstanding surface quality for the parts Marlin Steel processes for clients.

Find out more about how Marlin Steel works to provide quality, engineered quick today!

Discover why steel is better than plastic for material handling containers