Why it is important to carry out this operation in the best way
Among the many processes that can be carried out in the metalworking industry – thanks also to the use of professional machines designed and manufactured by Volpato – polishing has an important place for the realization of the finished product.
This type of finish has in fact many different applications, and it is also a process that prepares the metal for subsequent phases and actual metal processes, such as chrome plating, gilding and silvering; in the case of stainless steel, for example, it represents the final solution.
What is polishing?
Polishing is the process of making the surface of an object shiny (in this case of metal), so that the body in question shines with reflected light. It is a precise and very delicate operation, if you want to obtain a quality result. In the reality of metals, as raw materials, there aren’t perfectly smooth surfaces, and therefore no less shiny. Each surface has a more or less marked degree of roughness and roughness, due to the microscopic asperities of the metal – these microscopic asperities disperse the rays of light in multiple directions and therefore often give an aesthetically less pleasant effect than a reflection on gloss.
Fundamental for anyone who works metal, this process serves precisely to file the microscopic irregularities of the metal surface, making it flat, homogeneous and smooth, as well as shiny – the reflection of light becomes uniform and controlled, and gives the typical bright appearance. The operation is carried out through controlled abrasion of the metal surface using very fine-grained abrasive brushes. It is a precision processing that must be performed with specific machinery and brushes; sometimes, in fact, it can also be used to cover any surface defects of the metal.
What is it about?
The metal polishing process is generally divided into three phases:
- Deburring: the first stage of processing where the particular metal element is abraded and polished to eliminate any burrs that may have been caused by cutting, shearing, welding, or defects produced by molding;
- Grinding: this is the intermediate phase in which the metal element is sanded with various abrasive products – for example belts of various grains, abrasive pastes, rope discs, cloths and cloths. Once the grinding is finished, the detail is ready to face other processes (such as satin finishing and polishing);
- Polishing: it is the final phase of the process with which all the marks and imperfections of the various preparation processes are eliminated. The piece of metal is then mirror polished using abrasive paste (finishing pastes) and cotton wheels. The pieces thus worked finally reach the typical shiny aspect.
Benefits and next steps
The polishing operation has several advantages both from an aesthetic and functional point of view, from the point of view of the final product offered to the consumer. First of all, thanks to mirror polishing, any processing burrs are removed and the various defects and imperfections that a finished product must not have to be qualitatively perfect and flawless are removed.
In addition, the mirror polishing of metal surfaces has an important hygienic function: in fact, the glossy surfaces do not allow impurities, germs, bacteria and dust to stick or nest inside the microscopic imperfections that the rough surfaces have. Therefore they facilitate the cleaning of the equipment, increasing the yield and resistance over time. In addition, polishing can defend metals from the attack of chemical agents that could deteriorate it and improves the ability of the material to drain powders or fluids.
The machines produced by Volpato to polish metals
If for your professional or industrial metalworking activity you need efficient, safe metal polishing machines that guarantee excellent results over time, Volpato has the right solution for you. In fact, the company has a vast catalog of machines designed and manufactured internally and also deals with the construction of turnkey production plants with a high degree of automation in order to obtain excellent results in finishing and processing materials.