Chamfer/debur cast edges

C

Chriscos

Plastic

Joined

Mar 8, 2006

Location

NYC

• Oct 15, 2020

• #1

Hello, hope everyone is coping with the insanity that has become life.

I'm doing some machining of castings (engine parts for a custom race motorcycle) and am wondering if there is an easy way to automate the deburring/chamfering of the edge produced when facing a cast pad. The horizontal Z depth has just been machined and the vertical XY surface coordinates are the cast surface. This edge is not accurate so running a rigid chamfer tool along the CAD profile will end up with a very irregular chamfer.

Is there any clever way to do this? I'm thinking of a flexible chamfer chamfer tool shaft but have not seen anything similar.

Chris

 

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Winterfalke

Stainless

Joined

Mar 26, 2011

Location

Huron

• Oct 15, 2020

• #2

If I were setting this up I would cast the pad oversized, then mill it down to an appropriate profile. Then you have a known edge to deburr.

 

B

B88I45

Plastic

Joined

Jul 6, 2016

• Oct 15, 2020

• #3

We are in the same situation, our robot uses grinders with built-in compliance but we really want run the parts in our CNCs. We will probably use a soft disc backing pad to de-flash. Check out Pushcorp, they do robot compliance grinding.

 

V

Vancbiker

Diamond

Joined

Jan 5, 2014

Location

Vancouver, WA. USA

• Oct 16, 2020

• #4

I'd try the orbittool from JW Done. they are designed to deburr hole intersections, but I think they would work for what you need.

 

Mechanola

Stainless

Joined

Mar 21, 2011

Location

Äsch

• Oct 16, 2020

• #5

Got files?

 

TeachMePlease

Diamond

Joined

Feb 11, 2014

Location

FL

• Oct 16, 2020

• #6

Do you need a machined chamfer, or just no burr?

If just no burr, pick the appropriate diameter and grit of brush from Xebec.

XEBEC Brush™ Surface | XEBEC(R) Deburring Technologies

I believe their stuff is available on MSC if you don't have a tooling distributor who can get them.

 

B

Booze Daily

Titanium

Joined

Sep 18, 2015

Location

Ohio

• Oct 16, 2020

• #7

If you machine a big enough chamfer on, it won't look irregular.

 

C

Chriscos

Plastic

Joined

Mar 8, 2006

Location

NYC

• Oct 16, 2020

• #8

Thanks for all the responses!

Milling the pad profile merely moves where the irregular chamfer needs to happen to a different location. I try to cast a large chamfer on the perimeter of a pad for a self-creating chamfer but this is not always possible.

The robot compliance approach is cool but way beyond the budget.

The Orbitool is cool but would not work in this case. Maybe a new version with a protecting ring that is lower and smaller than the angled cutting surface would work.

Oh, the files are IN the computer!

A chamfer is nice but a deburr may be what I can get, those brushes seem made for the job.

As always, size matters.

Chris

 

dandrummerman21

Stainless

Joined

Feb 5, 2008

Location

MI, USA

• Oct 16, 2020

• #9

Chriscos said:

Thanks for all the responses!

Milling the pad profile merely moves where the irregular chamfer needs to happen to a different location. I try to cast a large chamfer on the perimeter of a pad for a self-creating chamfer but this is not always possible.

The robot compliance approach is cool but way beyond the budget.

The Orbitool is cool but would not work in this case. Maybe a new version with a protecting ring that is lower and smaller than the angled cutting surface would work.

Oh, the files are IN the computer!

A chamfer is nice but a deburr may be what I can get, those brushes seem made for the job.

As always, size matters.

Chris

Click to expand...

I have probed raw casting edges to see where they are, and have the program go to macro variable x/y locations based on measurements.

Not quick but you can get uniform chamfers on surfaces that don't repeat that way.

 

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CarbideBob

Diamond

Joined

Jan 14, 2007

Location

Flushing/Flint, Michigan

• Oct 16, 2020

• #10

Plus vote on brush steel wire or abrasive brush and hard packed convoluted wheels too.
Contact angle and speed/pressure can give you different many shapes of the "deburr/hone" operation.
This a fiddle fart to figure out. Your first effort will probably not come out so great but be a learning step.
Any of these need an ongoing and continuous comp during runs. Some more than others.
They do make filament abrasive bushes with PCD the grit but insane expensive.
For me a must but I was oh-my heart attack at the price tag.

How important is the shape or the chamfer to use? Is a radius okay. A "waterfall" type edge? How far can the Z be violated?
Perhaps a solid tool to chamfer and a brush to blend?
Bob

 

Nerdlinger

Stainless

Joined

Aug 10, 2013

Location

Chicago, IL

• Oct 16, 2020

• #11

Tumbling may be an option. If you don't already have one there are small ones readily available. Good luck!

 

C

Chriscos

Plastic

Joined

Mar 8, 2006

Location

NYC

• Oct 17, 2020

• #12

Probing the edge is not really an option, it is a series of complex lines/arcs with an occasional spline. Parts are too big to tumble. The abrasive brush will most likely be my solution. A perfect chamfer is desired, a deburr/blend then hand cleanup is acceptable.

Some edges are where gaskets and mating parts bolt, so not much is needed, but some are edges where your hand and arm can pass while working on the parts so need a little something more.

Some of the parts are on instagram under #hypermono. The edge on the cast magnesium is pretty brittle and burrs can be knocked off but the edge does not really get knocked down unless you do something additional. I have the issue on other client parts but can't post pics of them.

Chris