Deburring and surface finishing ensure product quality

Whether it’s the automotive and supplier sector, machine and equipment industry, medical device and pharmaceutical industries, measurement, precision mechanics and sensor technology, tool and mold making or energy and environmental technology – demand is booming again in many branches of industry. The component manufacturing sector, however, is facing new and changed tasks. This is due to transformation processes, different production technologies such as additive manufacturing, new and optimized materials and the trend towards the automation and digitization of production processes, as well as new regulatory requirements. As different as these may be in the various industries, burr-free and optimally-finished surfaces tailored to product specifications are playing an increasingly important role. “On the one hand, the aim is to improve quality, precision and energy efficiency in deburring and surface finishing. On the other hand, it is about reducing costs,” explains Hartmut Herdin, CEO of fairXperts GmbH & Co. KG and organizer of DeburringEXPO, describing some of the key challenges facing companies.

As an information and communication platform with a clear focus on deburring technologies and precision surfaces, the leading trade fair makes it possible to compare technologies and services in a targeted and efficient manner that no other trade fair can match. This is also reflected in the fact that nearly all market and technology leaders are represented at DeburringEXPO.

Solutions spanning a wide range of industries and technologies

The diverse solutions presented by the exhibitors are designed to effectively meet current and future requirements. For manufacturers of medical products, one of the key issues is to meet the requirements of the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR), which came into force on 26 May 2021. For the first time, the MDR also focuses on particles for sterile products. These can arise from burrs, for example, which must therefore be reliably removed in a traceable process. In the automotive and supplier industry, the significant growth in demand for electric and hybrid vehicles is leading to an expansion of capacities for component manufacturing. Burr-free and high-precision surfaces are essential for numerous parts, including housings and rotor shafts. As far as internal combustion engines are concerned, the focus is on further developments and improvements aimed at lowering fuel consumption and emissions even more. The quality of the relevant surfaces plays just as important a role as burr-free precision machining, for example with ECM processes or laser technologies. The ever-stricter cleanliness specifications for precision parts used, for example, in measuring devices, the optical and sensor industry, and in manufacturing equipment for printed circuit board production, also need to be reliably deburred. Likewise, the quality of subsequent processes such as joining, sealing, coating or assembly can only be ensured by burr-free and appropriately finished surfaces. This year’s leading trade fair will also address these tasks in a theme park titled “Cleaning after deburring”.

The “AM Parts Finishing” theme park is dedicated to post-processing tasks for additively manufactured components. Solutions for removing support structures and powder residues, for smoothing and polishing surfaces and for preparing components for subsequent heat treatment or coating will be showcased.

In order to produce parts faster, better and more cost-effectively, the automation and digitization of deburring and surface finishing operations is gaining in importance across all industries. Against this backdrop, DeburringEXPO will be presenting innovative and practical solutions in the “Automated Deburring with Industrial Robots” theme park. Among other things, a compact robot cell will be used to demonstrate live all the steps from parts feeding, position detection, handling, burr detection by camera or sensor technology, and deburring with integrated tool change right through to quality control and the final placement of parts in goods carriers.

Bilingual expert forum – knowledge transfer as added value

High-quality, practice-oriented lectures ensure a valuable transfer of knowledge at the three-day expert forum integrated into DeburringEXPO. The simultaneously translated (German English) presentations will inform about basics, ways to optimize processes and costs, best-practice applications and trends, and also about the contents of the theme parks.

For further information, the exhibition program, and the provisional exhibitor list, see www.deburring-expo.com.