The Problem:

The problem was not an obvious one as this is a lower volume component. However, the consistency was lacking accuracy which added time and compromising the quality of the product. The current hand-made, hand held needle deburring instrument added a significant amount of time to the process.

This specific component, used in aerospace manufacturing, was lacking a consistent chamfer. The high pressure turbine stator, made of Inconel 718, requires a blind hole of .0935 diameter. This challenge became more apparent as measured accuracy was not being achieved at a regular level.

The handmade deburring tool pencil grinder was very difficult to use and required that a skilled craftsmen spend more than 30 minutes per part to complete this process. This amount of time obviously added to the cost of producing the high pressure turbine stator.

The Solution:

Due to the fact that this was a unique application, there was not a machined tool to pull from the shelf. Unison Engine Components-Asheville approached E-Z Burr with the challenge to provide a custom built micro tool to meet their standards and requirements. The tool proved to be a successful solution with the required chamfer size of .005 – .015 to assure the consistency they were looking to achieve. In addition, the attention to detail also allowed the avoidance of damage inside the blind hole.

The Results:

Unison Engine Components-Asheville now has an Inconel 718 component that meets their standards of quality and consistency. They are proud to offer a unique product that may offer increased sales of this component.

The time savings alone, added productivity to the manufacturing capabilities and a more profitable operation. The introduction and ease of the machined deburring process also removed the tedious and mundane frustration from the labor force dedicated to manufacturing this component.

Pride in craftsmanship, a consistent finish and time saved. The features and benefits of making change, a pleasurable experience.

Since 1960, E-Z Burr has been providing innovative and versatile deburring solutions to customers. Over the last 5 years they have introduced and expanded their Carbide Series of deburring tools to produce successful results for rigid or hard materials.  “From the very start, our goal has been to provide tools that are durable, dependable and easy to use and maintain, while offering our customers a fair and reasonable price,” says Bill Robinson, President of E-Z-Burr. “We are always looking for new innovative ways to meet the needs of our clients.”

Summary

New tools increase the efficiency of automatic hole deburring. Some can handle holes as small as 0.030 inch diameter.

Click Image to Enlarge

E-Z Burr Small Hole Deburring Tool

Holes as small as 0.030 inch diameter can be automatically deburred with this tool. In this photo, a bracket with four burred surfaces can be deburred with a single Z-plus, Z-minus move.

E-Z Burr Deburring Tool Diagram

The E-Z Burr tool is designed with a single, flexible blade that retracts as it enters a hole. The double action deburrs the face and back face in a single move.

Since the first drill penetrated a piece of metal, deburring holes has represented a necessary additional step in the machining process. Essentially, removing a burr involves cutting a small chamfer on the edge of a hole to remove the metal ridge that remains after a drilling operation. Although this can be performed by hand using a file or burr knife, manual deburring involves substantial time and labor.

As machine shops become more process oriented, an important goal is to eliminate secondary operations. Hole-deburring is one area where manufacturers can save time without making a big investment in capital equipment. Like a cutting tool, a deburring tool can be used much more efficiently when it’s loaded into the ATC of a machining or turning center. By allocating a station in the tool magazine for a deburring tool, the operator can reduce cycle times and production costs. Instead of moving workpieces to the bench for handwork, the machine completes deburring automatically.

In-process deburring is a fairly simple idea that allows a machining center to complete holes in a single setup. Although automatic deburring slightly increases the machine’s cycle time, it offsets this extra time by eliminating the substantial chore of hand deburring. Additionally, hole-to-hole consistency is much better than that possible when deburring manually.

Double-acting deburring tools have existed for many years. Although several different tool designs are available, all share the same basic concept. These tools incorporate an arbor and a spring-loaded cutting blade that protrudes outside its circumference. When used on through-holes, the tool breaks the top edge of the hole as it enters and breaks the back edge as it exits the workpiece. During this operation, the cutting blade compresses inside the bore and adjusts to its taper.

In the past, double-acting deburring tools have been available only for relatively large bore sizes. Deburring small holes was previously deemed to be impractical because of the problems involved in manufacturing tools strong enough to do the job, but small enough to fit into the holes. Additionally, the manufacturing technology necessary to downsize these tools was not formerly available.

E-Z Burr Tool Company (Plymouth, Michigan) addressed this problem by using new micro-machining techniques to manufacture these small tools. The company includes a group of small deburring tools known as the “micro series” in its product line. These tools can deburr holes as small as 0.030-inch diameter. Recently, this line of tools was redesigned to incorporate a holder with a replaceable blade cartridge. When the blade dulls, the operator simply removes the cartridge and inserts a new one. This eliminates the extra time and other problems associated with separate, miniature blades, arbors and setscrews.

Like many double-acting deburring tools, the micro series can deburr both sides of a through-hole. It’s designed with a single, flexible blade that retracts into the arbor to adjust to the hole’s diameter. As the rotating tool enters a drilled hole, the blade’s tapered cutting edge breaks the corner of the hole, thus removing any burrs. As the tool is fed farther into the bore, the hole’s taper acts as a wedge, pushing the blade back into the arbor.

The blade’s outside cutting edge incorporates a radius that prevents damage to the hole’s surface as the tool passes through the finished bore. Without reversing the spindle’s rotation or dwelling, the tool deburrs the backside of the hole when it is withdrawn by simply reversing the Z-axis feed direction.

Throughput is a driving force in the manufacturing business. Getting work out the door as quickly as possible while minimizing costs associated with non value-added labor often represents the difference between profit and loss. Consequently, it makes good sense to perform as many operations as possible in a single setup. Thus, automated deburring tools represent an additional means of reducing manufacturing costs. When employed as an automatic function in the overall machining process, hole-deburring no longer represents a production bottleneck.

IMTS 2008 was one of the best-attended shows in recent memory. In fact, the more than 92,000 attendees is the strongest showing since the year 2000. This year the show was two days shorter than in previous years, but obviously that did not hurt the attendance numbers. It is safe to say that the show “exceeded expectations and objectives” according to a quote that I read from the IMTS VP-Exhibitions, Peter Eelman.

The exhibits were bigger and better than ever, with all the usual contests, free t-shirts, models, and “free stuff”. I loaded up on the Boeing t-shirts at the MMS booth to bring back to my co-workers at the plant. I also took advantage of the free shuttle that was a great way to cover the massive expanse of the four buildings.

There was however a minor bump in the road when I arrived in the “Windy City” to find that my hotel was overbooked and that the reservation I made months ago through the IMTS website had fallen through the cracks. I actually felt like Jerry Seinfeld when he tried to pick up his rental car only to find out that they were out of cars. “Apparently you do not know what the word reservation means”. Aside from getting booked in another hotel and the overpriced and average at best food, I had a great IMTS experience.

The most impressive and unusual display was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that greeted you at the entrance to the Cutting Tool Building. The 10 rows or so of actual leather seating complete with soothing lighting, clouds and other Dreamliners flowing past the windows, made for a cool respite from the rigors of the show.

It seemed that this year’s focus was squarely on several industries such as: aerospace, power generation, farm & construction equipment, and medical devices. The small parts industry (medical) and the large part industries (power generation and oil patch) are definitely where it’s at these days. Automotive has become the “red-headed step-child” of the show. Perhaps that is due to the ever decreasing number of jobs in the rust belt states. Here in Michigan for example, we have lost 200,00 manufacturing jobs over the last 5 years.

Due to the shrinking local automotive market, we here at E-Z Burr have been developing products designed for aerospace and other hard-to-machine materials. It was nice to see that we are right in line with what IMTS was touting. In fact, in early 2009 we will be rolling out our new line of small diameter carbide tools to cover .125 through .250-inch diameter range. Our new Dovetail Carbide insert design has been successfully implemented at accounts such as G E and Williams International. Boeing is also is a large user of our Carbide Series Tools.

Due to the positive response of this new product, we will be featuring a complete offering in our Carbide Series to cover ranges of .125 through 1-inch diameter, available right off the shelf. Diameters of 1–2 inches are delivered in less than 3 weeks, and up to 6-inch diameter tools have been recently quoted as well. We currently stock inserts with aggressive angles as a stocked option with the latest coatings recommended for Titanium, Inconel, and high-nickel alloy applications.

Overall, the atmosphere of the show was positive and upbeat. Of course, the show was prior to the financial market meltdown and bailout legislation battles of the past several of weeks. The need for precision manufactured products is a worldwide market. We at E-Z Burr are proud to say that we will continue to innovate and increase our productivity at every level of the manufacturing process for whatever industry we are serving.

The first machine driven deburring tool patent was filed in 1911 by F.A. Pica patent # 1,008,363. The original tool was an adaptation of a boring bit to accommodate a countersink portion on the backside of the hole.

To set or activate the deburring process was a laboring process. After boring each hole the machinist must stop the spindle, move a mechanism to engage the deburring insert, start the spindle to begin the deburring process and then again, stop the spindle and disengage the insert and retract. The size and consistency of the countersink was somewhat guesswork at the time, but ultimately did the job.

In 1943 hole deburring saw the first dramatic update when A. Fried separated the boring and deburring process with patent # 2,314,084. This helped to achieve a higher quality and accommodate the higher production volumes of the day. This improved the machining process which could be set to perform desired deburring operations. But with this tool the cutter still had to be projected and retracted by hand which still made it labor intensive.

The onset of 1950’s led to many updates in deburring leading up to the high volume production requirements of today. It was in 1952 when the most notable change was by S.A. Cogsdill. He eliminated the hand operated deburring process and provided an adjustable tool with his patent # 2,620,689. This tool can be set to perform desired chamfer sizes and is activated by a spring and plunger, taking the hand operation out of the process.  With this improvement, deburring became an automated process.

Today’s tools offer many solutions to accommodate the many varieties of applications and materials. Looking at the technical aspects of each application, material and individual customer’s goals, E-Z Burr has taken the process of deburring to the next level.

Since 1960, E-Z Burr has been providing innovative and versatile deburring solutions for customers. Over the last 5 years they have introduced and expanded their Carbide Series of deburring tools to produce successful results on hard to machine materials and higher production volumes.

A Case Study

Skyway Precision Inc. is a comprehensive CNC World Class Machining operation, located in Plymouth Michigan. It is Skyway’s commitment to provide their customers with experienced machining processes and quality products that are delivered on time with an industry competitive cost.

Established in 1968, Skyway prides itself by making their mark on the preferred supplier list of many major global manufacturers and has forged a reputation as an industry leader in the production of machined components.

Problem:

After working with Skyway on several projects, they asked E-Z Burr to provide a solution to a deburring challenge to reach the backside of a large 80lb component. The Nodular Iron component is an 11.6 inch Hub with 22 holes, 10 @ .425 diameter and 12 @1.093 diameter.

Skyway was removing the 80lb hub from the Hyundai-Kia Hi-V50D machine, and placing it on the workbench to manually deburr the rear of the holes by using a countersinking tool in an air drill. This method proved to not only be cumbersome, but also time consuming and costly.

The weight of the hub required heavy lifting and positioning while performing this secondary operation by hand on the workbench. The extra handling required further man-hours and was a challenge in maneuvering. In addition, the countersink tool was expensive, and the life of the tool was very limited. The tool would wear quickly and required re-sharpening or replacing often. This extra operation was an added cost to the machining process.

Solution:

The E-Z Burr Carbide Series Tool offered Skyway a variety of options designed to do the rear of the holes while the hub was still in the machine. “While we have a standard selection of diameters and lengths available off the shelf, we designed a special 9” long tool for this unique application. “The tool was tested at 550 RPM @ 8.8 IPM (1.087 hole), to accommodate their specifications”, says Robinson. “This gives them the ability to deburr the backside of the hole efficiently while the hub remains in the machine.”

For the smaller holes on the hub, a standard length tool at 1750 RPM @ 11 IPM (.425 hole) is used to deburr both the top and bottom all in one economical pass.

Skyway prefers to use the more aggressive E-Z Burr carbide insert that is also a standard option. The increased angles and positive cutting features provide just the right amount of pressure and engagement to produce the desired chamfer.

Results:

The introduction of the E-Z Burr Tool to the process eliminated the need to remove the part from the machine to do the rear of the holes.  The danger and additional manpower was dramatically reduced with the new process. In addition, the time spent using the countersinking tool and the cost associated with the tool were eliminated and resulted in more profit to the bottom line.

Eliminating the need to remove and transfer the part created a safer working condition for the machine operators and a better job quality allowing the operator to focus on performance while meeting production schedules.

This solution led to productivity, saving Skyway 15 to 20 minutes per part. While the countersinking tool would last a day or two, the E-Z Burr carbide insert proved to run a month before the need of replacement. The tool itself remained in the machine while the insert was being replaced adding to the ease of use and gained efficiency in manufacturing.

This process then led to further engineered improvements by using a short pilot drill to start the hole and chamfer the top of the large holes. The pilot hole eliminated the “walking” and breakage problems and prolonged the life of the expensive long drill to perform its function.

“E-Z Burr prides itself on more than just providing superior deburring tools. We get involved with our customers to solve production problems where deburring parts are an important measure in the final product,” says Robinson.  “Problems should not be a roadblock and time is a precious commodity in production. We have the ability to accommodate tight timelines of days or weeks. The particular tool we customized for Skyway was designed and delivered in less than 2 weeks.”

In business since 1968, Do-Rite Tool, Inc. (Garden City, Michigan), an eight-person job shop occupying 5,000 square feet, processes runs varying from one to 1,000 pieces. Its main source of work stems from the automotive industry, and the company cites milling and turning flat and round stock as its areas of expertise.

In March 2005, Do-Rite ran a part consisting of two flanges (six holes per flange) with a center section, and the diameter of each of the finished holes was 0.484 inches. To drill each hole, the drill had to penetrate a top flange, passed by a 0.407-inch wide groove, and continue through a bottom flange. (See photo below.) This essentially resulted in 12 holes that required deburring. The holes were extremely close in proximity to the wall of the hub, and some holes blended into the grooved portion between the flanges.

When drilling the six holes in the part, a burr was created on each of the two entries and two exits. Not only were the holes close to the wall, but also the burrs between the two walls needed to be removed.

To make the job profitable, it was imperative that the company remove the burrs in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Because of these time and monetary constraints, deburring these tools by hand was simply not an option, according to the company.

Dave McDonald, president of Do-Rite, first considered using a wire wheel mounted in the CNC and interpolating around the part within the undercut. However, this process would have been less than ideal for several reasons. When drilling a hole, the drill breaks through the steel, and the drill point or the chisel edge starts to push out a burr, or even a cap if speeds and feeds are too rapid. This pushed-out part represents the weakest part of the burr. Then when the full drill diameter breaks through the wall of the outer edge, the drill tends to extrude a burr around the hole. This extruded burr is firm. The process of interpolating a wire brush around the part within the undercut might remove the more firm part of the burr, but Mr. McDonald theorized that the weaker burrs would be pushed back into the hole, thus interfering with the ID of the hole.

This scenario would have called for a follow-up process using a 4-inch wire brush to clear the burrs from the ID of the hole. The machine operator might have to chase the burr from the slot into the hole, and from the hole back into the slot until the burr breaks loose.

Another possibility is that the firm burr may not be completely removed, and it might protrude. Such burrs, which would be too firm for the interpolating wire brush, would require manual filing or another means of removal. Ultimately, a 100 percent gage check for each hole would be required to prevent burr obstruction.

Mr. McDonald then came across an advertisement for a line of hole deburring and chamfering tools manufactured by E-Z Burr Tool Company (Plymouth, Michigan). After referring to the company’s Web site, Mr. McDonald determined that carbide deburring tools might help address the problem.
height adjustment feature
The close proximity of the holes to the wall of the hub made it challenging to reach between the flanges without distorting the tool. With its height adjustment feature, the carbide insert could be lowered, while maintaining enough pressure to remove the complete burr.

E-Z Burr recommended its standard Carbide Series tool, the CRB0484-B. Ground to a 0.477-inch diameter to ensure clearance in and out of the holes, the tool measures 5 inches in length, with a 3/8-inch shank diameter. Made of 1215 medium carbon steel, the product deburrs both the top and bottom of each hole in one pass at a recommended speed of 2,000 rpm and a recommended feed rate of 0.006 ipr.

As the revolving tool is fed into the workpiece, the carbide insert removes the top (front) burr. When the insert deburrs, it begins to collapse into the arbor. The polished crown of the insert is designed not to mar the ID of the hole. Once through the hole, the feed direction is reversed. Consequently, the insert will deburr the rear of the hole as the tool is retracted. The customized height adjustment feature enables the carbide insert to be lowered. Do-Rite used this feature to minimize interference between the wall of the hub and the hole location.

To complete the project, the part was drilled, reamed and then deburred on all four sides. The company drilled and chamfered a total of 8,800 holes; however, because of the configuration of the part, 8,800 holes equated to 35,200 chamfers.

Because each of the holes was so close to the wall of the hub, it was challenging to reach between the flanges without distorting the tool, says the company. With its height adjustment feature, the carbide insert could be lowered, while maintaining enough cutting pressure to remove the complete burr. Thereby, interference between the wall and the hole location could be minimized.

The same attribute can also be beneficial to the operator when the tool is first run, as the chamfer size can be fine-tuned within seconds while the tool is still in the spindle.

Other attributes of the tool (as noted by Do-Rite) are durability and ease of use and setup, all of which enabled the company to increase productivity while offering an end product that met its quality standards. The carbide tool required less time to complete the project than the alternative involving a wire wheel brush or hand deburring.

The company reports that this tool helped it streamline deburring and chamfering operation time by a total of 8 hours.

Burrs may be the last concern that an engineer or machinist wants to think about in designing a new part focusing on tolerances and production rate. However, the problem remains and calls for attention to develop a quality product. It was nearly a century ago that a solution was discovered and the first deburring tool went to market.

The first machine driven deburring tool patent was filed in 1911 by F.A. Pica patent # 1,008,363. The original tool was an adaptation of a boring bit to accommodate a countersink portion on the backside of the hole.

To set or activate the deburring process was a laboring process. After boring each hole the machinist must stop the spindle, move a mechanism to engage the deburring insert, start the spindle to begin the deburring process and then again, stop the spindle and disengage the insert and retract. The size and consistency of the countersink was somewhat guesswork at the time, but ultimately did the job.

In 1943 hole deburring saw the first dramatic update when A. Fried separated the boring and deburring process with patent # 2,314,084. This helped to achieve a higher quality and accommodate the higher production volumes of the day. This improved the machining process which could be set to perform desired deburring operations. But with this tool the cutter still had to be projected and retracted by hand which still made it labor intensive.

The onset of 1950’s led to many updates in deburring leading up to the high volume production requirements of today. It was in 1952 when the most notable change was by S.A. Cogsdill. He eliminated the hand operated deburring process and provided an adjustable tool with his patent # 2,620,689. This tool can be set to perform desired chamfer sizes and is activated by a spring and plunger, taking the hand operation out of the process. With this improvement, deburring became an automated process.

Today’s tools offer many solutions to accommodate the many varieties of applications and materials. Looking at the technical aspects of each application, material and individual customer’s goals, E-Z Burr has taken the process of deburring to the next level.

Since 1960, E-Z Burr has been providing innovative and versatile deburring solutions for customers. Over the last 5 years they have introduced and expanded their Carbide Series of deburring tools to produce successful results on hard to machine materials and higher production volumes. “From the very start, our goal has been to provide tools that are durable, dependable, easy to use and maintain, while offering our customers a fair and reasonable price,” says Bill Robinson, President of E-Z-Burr. “We are always looking for new, innovative ways to meet the needs of our customers.”

A Case Study

Skyway Precision Inc. is a comprehensive CNC World Class Machining operation, located in Plymouth Michigan. It is Skyway’s commitment to provide their customers with experienced machining processes and quality products that are delivered on time with an industry competitive cost. Established in 1968, Skyway prides itself by making their mark on the preferred supplier list of many major global manufacturers and has forged a reputation as an industry leader in the production of machined components.

Problem:

After working with Skyway on several projects, they asked E-Z Burr to provide a solution to a deburring challenge to reach the backside of a large 80lb component. The Nodular Iron component is an 11.6 inch Hub with 22 holes, 10 @ .425 diameter and 12 @1.093 diameter.

Skyway was removing the 80lb hub from the Hyundai-Kia Hi-V50D machine, and placing it on the workbench to manually deburr the rear of the holes by using a countersinking tool in an air drill. This method proved to not only be cumbersome, but also time consuming and costly.

The weight of the hub required heavy lifting and positioning while performing this secondary operation by hand on the workbench. The extra handling required further man-hours and was a challenge in maneuvering. In addition, the countersink tool was expensive, and the life of the tool was very limited. The tool would wear quickly and required re-sharpening or replacing often. This extra operation was an added cost to the machining process.

Solution:

The E-Z Burr Carbide Series Tool offered Skyway a variety of options designed to do the rear of the holes while the hub was still in the machine. “While we have a standard selection of diameters and lengths available off the shelf, we designed a special 9” long tool for this unique application. “The tool was tested at 550 RPM @ 8.8 IPM (1.087 hole), to accommodate their specifications”, says Robinson. “This gives them the ability to deburr the backside of the hole efficiently while the hub remains in the machine.”

For the smaller holes on the hub, a standard length tool at 1750 RPM @ 11 IPM (.425 hole) is used to deburr both the top and bottom all in one economical pass. Skyway prefers to use the more aggressive E-Z Burr carbide insert that is also a standard option. The increased angles and positive cutting features provide just the right amount of pressure and engagement to produce the desired chamfer.

Results:

The introduction of the E-Z Burr Tool to the process eliminated the need to remove the part from the machine to do the rear of the holes. The danger and additional manpower was dramatically reduced with the new process. In addition, the time spent using the countersinking tool and the cost associated with the tool were eliminated and resulted in more profit to the bottom line.

Eliminating the need to remove and transfer the part created a safer working condition for the machine operators and a better job quality allowing the operator to focus on performance while meeting production schedules.

This solution led to productivity, saving Skyway 15 to 20 minutes per part. While the countersinking tool would last a day or two, the E-Z Burr carbide insert proved to run a month before the need of replacement. The tool itself remained in the machine while the insert was being replaced adding to the ease of use and gained efficiency in manufacturing.

This process then led to further engineered improvements by using a short pilot drill to start the hole and chamfer the top of the large holes. The pilot hole eliminated the “walking” and breakage problems and prolonged the life of the expensive long drill to perform its function.

“E-Z Burr prides itself on more than just providing superior deburring tools. We get involved with our customers to solve production problems where deburring parts are an important measure in the final product,” says Robinson. “Problems should not be a roadblock and time is a precious commodity in production. We have the ability to accommodate tight timelines of days or weeks. The particular tool we customized for Skyway was designed and delivered in less than 2 weeks.”