NOVEL LAPPING MACHINE USES RUBBER AND DIAMOND TO FINE-POLISH

The system works best on hard materials, such as carbide tools. Form punches, dies, cutting punches and moulds, which until now had to be worked by hand, can now be lapped automatically. Improvement in the life of mills, drills and other cutting tools is reported and the process is suitable for polishing PVD (physical vapour deposition) and CVD (chemical vapour deposition) coatings.

Comparable in appearance to a sand blasting machine and used in a similar way, the AERO LAP is entirely different in its operation. It requires the component to have a good surface finish at the outset so that a mirror polish can be achieved.

The media are nothing like sand either. Instead, a high-speed flow of what are essentially rubber balls, in a variety of sizes from 0.5 to 2.0 mm diameter, is directed at the workpiece. Coating the surface of the balls, with the help of a liquid additive, is a diamond powder. It is either 3 to 5 microns in diameter or of an even smaller mesh size, according to application.

At the end of the process, a consistent finish is achieved on all surfaces, without altering their geometry. The equipment is convenient to use, as it operates using a normal compressed air supply, and there is only limited creation of dust and noise.

Model YT100 is for components up to 200 x 200 mm, while YT300 can accommodate 300 x 300 mm components.