How Much Do You Know about the Polishing Process?

At present, polishing technology is widely used in various industries. It is a traditional and necessary manufacturing process. On the market, there are also many different power tools, such as versatile grinding tool, versatile rotary tool, multi-function grinder pen etc. some of them also can polish with right bits. But how much do you know about the polishing process? Today we will tell about the advantages and disadvantages of the polishing processes.

Mechanical polishing

Mechanical polishing is currently widely used in various manufacturing industries. It is carried out on a dedicated polishing machine. It is mainly composed of a power tool with motor and a polishing disc. Of course, the versatile power grinder or power rotary tool with polishing function is also can get the job done. According to the material of the product to be polished, polishing consumables of different materials are placed on the polishing disc. Rough polishing and fine polishing consumables are selected. When polishing by high speed power tool, the grinding surface of the sample should be evenly pressed on the rotating polishing disc of power tool. The pressure should not be too large, and it should continuously reciprocate from the edge to the center of the disk. Through the relative grinding and rolling action between the extremely fine polishing powder and the grinding surface, the wear marks are eliminated and a bright mirror surface is obtained.

Advantages and disadvantages of mechanical polishing

Obviously, the advantage of mechanical polishing of power tool is low cost and simple operation. The disadvantage is low efficiency, and it is easy to cause uneven polishing surface, and it is difficult to control polishing time, so it is just suitable for small area surface treatment.

Electrolytic polishing

Electrolytic polishing is a kind of anodic polishing. It is a kind of electrolytic machining that uses the principle that the anode first dissolves in a specific electrolyte and an appropriate current density on the surface of the metal. It is also called electro polishing. At present, electrolytic polishing of stainless steel is favored by more and more enterprises and is an environmentally friendly polishing.

Usually it can be used to prepare the surface of the product before electroplating, or to finish the surface after plating, and it can also be used as an independent finishing method for the metal surface. At present, it is widely used in the processing of bearings, reflectors, cutting tools, measuring tools, bicycle parts, textile machinery parts, and medical equipment.

Advantages and disadvantages of electrolytic polishing

The advantage lies in the ability to polish hard and soft materials that are difficult to be mechanically polished, as well as thin-walled, complex-shaped, and small parts and products. The polishing time is short, multiple parts are polished at the same time, and the production efficiency is high, the cost is low, and the surface corrosion resistance of the product is increased. The key is that it will not cause deformation of the metal surface. The disadvantage is that the pre-polishing treatment is more complicated, the electrolyte has poor versatility, short service life, strong corrosiveness and difficult handling.