Surface refinement with Mass Finishing
The new AF media generates a particularly smooth and/or a pre-plate finish on high-end work pieces.
The new AF plastic media from Walther Trowal allows placing an excellent luster finish on high-value work pieces. At the same time, a specially developed mix of mineral abrasives improves the stability of the finishing process. Moreover, the abrasive mix facilitates the compound handling and the overall operation of the mass finishing machine.
The new AF media generates a particularly smooth and/or a pre-plate finish on high-end work pieces in combination with a high luster. For example, it produces excellent finishing results on turbine blades for jet engines or orthopedic implants, such as artificial knee joints.
For the new media Walther Trowal utilizes an innovative mix of mineral abrasives that was specially developed in the company”s chemical lab. It produces not only a very smooth surface finish with a high luster, but it also keeps the pH value of the process water stable over a long period of time. This allows the compounds to develop their full effect. Another benefit is that the pH value does not have to be monitored so frequently anymore and that this value does no longer have to be corrected with special additives. Therefore, the compound dosing has been greatly simplified and does no longer require any special process knowledge.
First results have shown that finishing processes can be successfully run with the new media within a relatively wide hardness range of the process water. Furthermore, the new mix of mineral abrasives is wearing at a lower rate resulting in a higher media uptime. Therefore, the new media allows operating the mass finishing equipment much more economically.
Angelika Helten, manager of the Walther Trowal laboratory in Haan, explains, why the company has placed such a high priority on this development: “In some high-intensity finishing applications – based on the underlying physical events – over time the pH value of the process water becomes smaller. With the new media we were able to develop a long-term and sustainable system that no longer requires the addition of corrective chemical additives. The new mineral abrasives mix is also beneficial to those customers, who have to deal with less challenging finishing tasks. Apart from maintaining the stability of the pH value, the AF media offers numerous additional advantages.”
Basis for the new development was the bestselling high-quality media type V 2030. This is approved for many applications, for example, in the aerospace, automotive and medical engineering industry.
Christoph Cruse, general sales manager at Walther Trowal, explains, why this development project was so successful: “Walther Trowal is one of the few companies who develop and produce the components for the entire mass finishing process in-house. This includes the equipment, the consumables and the process water cleaning systems. All of them are perfectly adapted to each other. Such an arrangement allows us to offer a significantly more comprehensive professional support after receipt of a purchase order than distributors who are dependent on different suppliers. In the end it is our close proximity to our customers that makes us so successful.”
Walther Trowal supports its customers not only through processing trials with the customer work pieces in its test lab. The company offers also comprehensive support with all kinds of approval procedures, in the field of work place safety, REACH conformity questions or Cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certification.
The entire exhaust air, generated during the production of the AF and all other Walther Trowal plastic media, undergoes a thermal after-treatment and is in full compliance with environmental regulations.
Surface finishing technologies from the inventor of the “Trowalizing” process
Since 1931 Walther Trowal has been developing and producing systems for the refinement of surfaces. Initially focusing exclusively on mass finishing – the term “Trowalizing” derived from the company”s cable address “Trommel Walther -Walther Trowal has continuously expanded its product portfolio.
Over time the company has developed a broad range of machinery and systems for mass finishing, shot blasting and coating of mass produced small components.
With the invention of new systems like, for example, drag finishing and the development of special finishing methods for 3D printed components the company has proven its innovative capabilities again and again.
Walther Trowal develops and implements complete surface treatment solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into the linked production systems existing at the customers. This includes the entire process technology, perfectly adapted to the specific surface finishing requirements of the work pieces: Equipment and the respective consumables always complement each other in a perfect manner.
Each individual work piece and each manufacturing process must meet special technical requirements. That is why the experienced process engineers in our test lab, in close cooperation with the customers, develop the optimal process technology for the finishing task at hand. The result: Work piece surfaces that meet exactly the required specifications…with short processing times and a high degree of consistent, repeatable results.
Walther Trowal is one of the few manufacturers who develops and produces all machines and mass finishing consumables in-house… including ceramic and plastic grinding and polishing media as well as compounds.
The company”s equipment range also includes all kinds of peripheral equipment for handling the work pieces like lift and tip loaders, conveyor belts and roller conveyors, in addition, special driers for mass finishing applications and, last-but-not-least, systems for cleaning and recycling of the process water.
With its exchange program for wear items like work bowls, which are part of a continuous recycling program, Walther Trowal conserves valuable resources and, thus, makes a significant contribution towards sustainability in the field of industrial production. Quick technical support and the global repair and maintenance service ensure high uptimes for our equipment.
Walther Trowal serves customers in a wide range of different industries all over the world, for example, automotive, aerospace, medical engineering and wind power.