Barrel tumbling is a time tested method to deburr, polish and create a desired surface finish. Vibratory tumbling is a new (well…newer) technology that also works great and has replaced barrel tumbling for deburring and surface finishing for lots of reasons. The aggressiveness of a vibe is largely limited by the tumbling media being used.
Welcome back – barrel tumbling. Extremely aggressive processes can be achieved in barrel tumblers. Rough cut, laser cut, parts with lots of slag and scale, heavily rusted parts can be tumbled successfully part-on-part in a barrel tumbler. The weight of each part acting on the others creates an environment in the barrel that will clean these parts in a way that a vibe never could. Adding a grit to the process will add to the cutting action.
Sure, it’s a loud process. It can even be a little dirty. But the results speak for themselves.
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