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Deburr nylon parts?

no704

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Location
Tempe, AZ
Preferred methods of deburring small nylon parts? Vargas tool just tears them up, small file, maybe a small brass wire Dremel wheel?
 
Really eager to see if anyone has any great ideas here. For us we chamfer in the machine everywhere possible. Anything left with a sharp edge gets those nasty fuzzies that are impossible to get rid of by hand.

Typically we wind up dumbly scraping at the burrs with a scalpel until it is either mostly better or mostly scrapped. I have taken the propane torch to UHMW parts on rare occasion (with some amount of success), but my assumption is that nylon would just burn.
 
We used to use the white scotchbrite to help deburr a lot of our plastics. Doesn't help with holes though.
 
I was in a shop that was doing nylon parts. I remember something about soaking them in dry ice and acetone to make them hard, then deburring them. I did not actually work on them so i do not know how well it worked. I have made one part in my own shop from a customer print that required nylon. I profiled them on a CNC to keep the burr in front of the tool. Worked fairly well. Anymore if I make a part that says plastic on the drawing I use Delrin or PEEK, life is too short to mess with nylon.
 
Pound to a pinch your tool's not sharp ;- Hone a fresh (as in brand new) Vargas or Noga hook with a fine oilstone,(I use white Arkansas and a 8x glass) and keep that hook for plastic.

Deburring plastics also requires a very light touch.

My other fave plastic deburr tool is an old 3 sq' swiss file with the teeth ground off and again honed on a white Arkansas, ........I fit my ex swiss file scrapers to short 1/2'' hex brass (cos I have the shorts ) handles - held in place with an allen grub screw.
 
I have heard the sugestion that a hydrofen flame will work on nylon. There are jewlery torches that use an electolizer to make hydrogen. Perhaps send a part to the mfg for a test.
 
Pound to a pinch your tool's not sharp ;- Hone a fresh (as in brand new) Vargas or Noga hook with a fine oilstone,(I use white Arkansas and a 8x glass) and keep that hook for plastic.

Deburring plastics also requires a very light touch.

My other fave plastic deburr tool is an old 3 sq' swiss file with the teeth ground off and again honed on a white Arkansas, ........I fit my ex swiss file scrapers to short 1/2'' hex brass (cos I have the shorts ) handles - held in place with an allen grub screw.

I have a white stone on the shelf. I moved to diamond stones ( I have rough, med, fine). Check woodworkers supply of New Mexico to see what they are.
 
I have a white stone on the shelf. I moved to diamond stones ( I have rough, med, fine). Check woodworkers supply of New Mexico to see what they are.

I have diamonds as well Ron, but many many moons ago I was lucky enough to fid a tin box of all shapes and sizes of fine India and Arkansas stones, ....and while IMHO diamonds have their place stones are my go to.
 
Preferred methods of deburring small nylon parts? Vargas tool just tears them up, small file, maybe a small brass wire Dremel wheel?

I like a sharp exacta knife.

Great replies . I too like stones and such. Sharp honed tools always look better sharp carbide on the CNC is best. I like to use tools for nylon only on nylon. Best never to use nothing on nylon which has cut metal before it dulls them up.
 
for all kinds of plastic best thing I ever used was scotch bright, then an inspector told me about a propane flame that works best, also nylon we run them in the tumbler with plastic media it helps alot as well
 
When a good sized lot of nylon "lever arms" came through and needed deburring to meet spec. I went the dry ice and media in the tumbler. The parts came out dingy grey. But the Burrs were off! ;-)

I had to eat those parts, 'cause of "appearance. I ran them again in sudsy water with SS balls to clean 'em up. Whew! Saved my back side. ;-)
 
Get a ceramic knife. Square edged, thick (about 1/32nd) blunt, blade, but works amazingly well on plastics for a really clean trim.
I've got one hiding in the workshop, I'll grab a picture later
 
I use a Vargus-type for Nylon 6/6, Delrin, UHMW and etc. It works fine on straight edges and inside radii. I use the blade that is designed specifically for plastic. I keep the blade in a baggie in the tool box so I don't accidentally use it on metal. It needs to stay sharp. I have been very happy with it. I use a sharp razor blade on outside radii.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/33868993

Bill
 
Pictures of the ceramic knife as promised.
Gives a really clean trim with no gouging or dig-ins ...I was Technical Director of an injection moulding plant for years and we issued all our operators with these.

Ceram2.jpg Ceram1.jpg
 








 
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