Fintek highlighting surface finishing advances at Mach 2020
Above:
High energy stream finishing with robot loading and unloading.
Courtesy Fintek
Many advances are being made in high energy stream finishing, with applications for the aerospace sector. Particularly, OTEC’s ‘Pulsfinish’ technology that produces rapid relative motion between the process media and workpiece by quickly changing the direction of rotation of the work holding heads in a programmable and controllable way. High speed acceleration and deceleration increases the finishing forces on the workpiece making it possible to deburr effectively, hone edges and evenly smooth surfaces from Rpk 0.2µm to 0.1µm, in under a minute.
SF machines with new step control are already proving very effective superfinishing systems for aerospace turbine blade manufacturers. This enables the blade angle to be changed during processing to target specific surfaces for precise material removal without affecting the integrity of the blade profile – especially leading and trailing edges.
Recently, Fintek applied the OTEC technology in a research project sponsored by Innovate UK, to assess its effectiveness in mass finishing additively manufactured parts.
Since Mach 2018, OTEC has redesigned their CF range of disc finishing machines. Based on an all-new compact modular welded construction, with a conservative footprint, CF machines are easy to install where space is at a premium. Improved storage for compound container and pumping station keep a tidy factory floor and removes trip hazards. User input is made easier through a larger colour touch display and up to 1000 surface finishing programmes can be stored to ensure accurate repeatability. Integrated Industry 4.0 options allow remote machine maintenance and control. Importantly, the new CF series retains OTEC’s patented zero-gap disc-to-drum technology that allows extremely fine and thin workpieces, down to a sheet thickness of 0.08mm, to be processed.
“OTEC’s drag, disc, stream and stream with pulse finishing, machines are able to meet the exacting standards of surface finishing required by manufacturers in aerospace, top level motorsport, automotive, medical device and tool making. Also, with ISO9001 and AS9100 accreditation, we use the same technology in our subcontract division,” commented Jamie Phillips, Fintek operations manager.
