
After heat treating and laser cutting stainless steel parts, the edges generally need to be deburred and the surface needs to be cleaned from scale and discoloration prior to polishing. A two-step vibratory tumbling process is normally used to achieve a uniform surface finish.
The part on the far left in the picture shows the burrs and slight discoloration on the edges. The first step was to tumble the parts with a Ceramic Media to get a the uniform, tumbled, matte finish shown on the part in the center of the picture. For this particular part a 2 hour cycle time with a general purpose tumbling compound resulted in the finish seen.
The second step (far right in picture) was also a 2 hour vibratory tumble with a Precision Ceramic polishing (porcelain-type) media and a high lubricity tumbling compound. The surface is improved to a more uniform and brighter finish and the part is ready for a clear coat or further polishing as needed.