Metal Finishing Capabilities
We offer high quality metal finishing options on most products manufactured at TMS. Most exterior and/or interior surfaces may be ground smooth to 125 Ra. or 32 Ra. with a brush finish depending on the part configuration. For larger projects, we have established partners ideal for painting, powder coating, buffing, conversion coatings, anodizing, passivation and electro-polishing. The combination of our in-house and partner surface finishing processes and robust knowledge base is powerful and available to you to get the surfaces you need whether it be aesthetically pleasing, smooth, mirror like and or corrosion resistant. The right part material, surface preparation and surface treatment is paramount when your application demands it. We understand and we work hard to get what our customers need. Contact us by phone, or use our request a quote form, and we will work to support your needs.
Manual Finishing
A very popular method of polishing stainless steel parts is a manual finishing technique. Trained polishers apply different grades of abrasives to the parts and accomplish a polish pattern desired by the customer. The manual finishing process requires a lathe and a properly trained person to hand work the parts with abrasives. The recipe for the desired finish is usually trial and error until the desired finish is accomplished. The recipe is then written down and stored until the next time the part comes through for polish. Beautiful and aesthetically pleasing parts are the result of this laborious method. TMS specializes in polishing stainless steel and copper parts.
Robotic Finishing
TMS has 3 robotic polishers in house. They are all designed to do different things. A skilled Robotic Engineer on staff programs the robots to polish what normally a person would do. Once the robot is programmed, a skilled and trained operator loads and unloads the robots, inspects the finished pieces with an eagle eye for quality characteristics and packages the parts at the machines and readies the parts for shipment to the customer. Robotic polishing can be very consistent in quality, but must be constantly checked to ensure each piece meets strict quality standards. Abrasive belts are used in the robotic process and a recipe is developed, just like manual polishing, and stored once the customer approves the end product. At TMS, many of our food grade polishes are applied by a robot and quality checked by a profilometer. The Cleanline Waste Receptacles are polished by a robot, as well as car wash vacuum domes and our standard line of conical TMS hoppers.
#3 Finish
Grain finish. Also called Grinding, Roughing or Rough Grinding Very coarse finish. The material is polished to a uniform finish between 60 and 180 grit.
Architectural Finish
Also called Brushed, Directional or Satin Finish a #4 Architectural Finish is characterized by fine polishing grit lines that are uniform and directional in appearance. It is produced by polishing the metal with a 120 – 180 grit belt or wheel finish and then softened with an 80 – 120 grit greaseless compound or a medium non-woven abrasive belt or pad. A brush finish is a surface that is washed then ground with an abrasive. The surface of the part will have a series of uniform lines that give the part’s surface texture. Most major spin lines, draw marks, grain patterns, discolorations, and pits will be in an unnoticeable state. The finish will visually hide most minor imperfections that remain. There are no tolerances that are held with this finish. A brush finish is purely for cosmetic appearance only. This finish is very economical when compared to chemical or smoother polishing operations and a good looking part is necessary.
RA Finish
An RA Finish is more aggressive than a brush finish. The difference between the two is the RA surface finish is held to tolerances on an RA scale. The finish’s visual appearance is typically not as bright and textured. It usually is more dark and smooth. Often, this polish is suitable for parts that are to be used in sanitary type conditions.
Dairy or Sanitary Finish
This finish is commonly used for the medical and food industry – almost exclusively used on stainless steel. Great care should be taken in removing the surface defects in the metal – like pits – that could allow bacteria to grow. This finish is produced by polishing with a 180 – 240 grit belt or wheel finish softened with 120 – 240 grit greaseless compound or a fine non woven abrasive belt or pad.
Process Finish
This finish is the surface the processing of the part creates and the surface collects during that processing. When there is minimal deformation, typically the part’s surface is covered in a light oil film with minimal metal fines and minimal surface roughness. On the opposite end of the spectrum, severe deformation typically leaves a surface with a heavy oil-paraffin film with more metal fines and a rougher surface. In drawn parts, surfaces have a grain pattern on large reduction draws and typically have marks left from processing called draw lines for many materials. A draw line is a vertical line that is cut into the surface caused primarily from particulates that collect on the form die due to adhesion wear. Spin lines form during spinning. They are concentric like rings on faces and parallel lines on diameters.
Wash Finish
This finish is the same as a process finish except the part is washed. The washing of this part in a mild alkaline heated solution removes a majority of excess oil and particulates that collect on the surface during the manufacturing process.
Mechanically Cleaned Finish
A clean finish is a surface mechanically cleaned with a mineral spirit cleaning agent. A thin layer of the cleaning agent that is virtually unnoticeable by touch yields a clean looking part.
Passivate
A surface that needs to have superior corrosion resistance should be passivated. Passivating is either treating or coating a metal in order to reduce the chemical reactivity of its surface. Toledo Metal Spinning Company does not have this process in-house, but can be outsourced on the part built for you.
Electropolish
A smooth and highly reflective electropolished surface is obtained by electro-chemically polishing a part. Toledo Metal Spinning Company does not have this process in-house, but can be outsourced on the part built for you.
Metal products are polished to improve appearance by creating a beautiful smooth and shiny finish. Polishing also increases the part's durability by removing imperfections that may be on the surface. Polishes help to prevent corrosion and removes oxidation, allowing the products to be used in markets such as food processing or medical devices.
Manual finishing and robotic finishing are two popular processes for applying a smooth, shiny finish to metal.
Manual Finishing
Trained polishers apply different grades of abrasives to the part, accomplishing a polish pattern desired by the customer. Manual polishing is a skill that the polisher must be trained to do. It requires a lathe to rotate the part through the process, and the knowledge and understanding between the various abrasives and their effects on the metal. Once a part is finished, the correct abrasive and pattern will be written down and saved for future use.
Robotic Finishing
A skilled robotic engineer will program the robot to polish what normally the manual polisher would do. Robotic polishing can be very efficient and result in beautiful finishes. The robots utilize abrasive belts int he same way a manual polisher would, with the process stored for future use. Each part must be inspected for the highest quality result.
The process of polishing metal is creating a smooth and shiny surface by using a chemical treatment, or polishing by hand. Depending on the type of polish, the metal may be shiny, or result in a mirror-like finish.
It is also important for sanitary-grade products to have the correct polish applied. This helps to prevent food-grade or medical device equipment to accumulate bacteria or corrosion.
Roll Forming is the process of bending the metal sheet or blank into a curved shape. This is typically achieved by passing metal through a series of rolls that progressively bend the material into the desired curve. Roll bending is achieved by determining the angle of the rollers and the exact pressure needed from the rollers. At Toledo Metal Spinning Company, we use the roll bending process in our daily routines to roll our cylindrical tanks and tubes.
The rolls, or rollers, are the pieces that support the metal sheet or blank. These apply a specific amount of pressure (designated by the controller) to ensure the material is formed into the proper shape. It is also extremely important to keep in mind the minimum and maximum radii, because that will directly impact the size of the cylinder or tube being formed. Another important term to understand is the amount of pinch given in the initial bend of the material. In the video below, notice the pinch happening between 3-5 seconds in, and then again from the front point of view, between 13-15 seconds. The pinch bends the metal, while holding it between the two rolls. There is a certain amount of pressure applied to ensure that the material is bent and rolled through the rolls at the correct angle.
When a part is spun, deep drawn, or stamped, there is often excess metal around its outside, or around the flange. Trimming removes the excess metal, sometimes even the flange, depending on the part and its dimension requirements. This can be done on a hand lathe, or by an automated machine.
Welding metal is a fabrication process of joining two metals of similar materials together. This occurs by using very high temperatures to melt the base metal (parent metal) to the filler, and then allowing the weld to cool, or fuse together. Filler material is not used in every weld, but it is very common. For example, while seam welding, filler is not necessary.
Material
In welding, the materials being welded together must be similar, while during soldering, different materials can be joined together.
Melting
In soldering, the metal is heated up to be bonded to the base metal, but it is never softened. In welding, the base metal is melted to the material it is connecting to. This requires high temperatures, while soldering does not.
Techniques
There are many techniques to welding, while soldering is typically used for electronic devices where the components can be connected together electronically.
Durability
Welds can be extremely strong and durable, while soldering is not. Soldering is much softer, but is not used for holding tough components together like welding is.
Metal products are polished to improve appearance by creating a beautiful smooth and shiny finish. Polishing also increases the part's durability by removing imperfections that may be on the surface. Polishes help to prevent corrosion and removes oxidation, allowing the products to be used in markets such as food processing or medical devices.
Manual finishing and robotic finishing are two popular processes for applying a smooth, shiny finish to metal.
Manual Finishing
Trained polishers apply different grades of abrasives to the part, accomplishing a polish pattern desired by the customer. Manual polishing is a skill that the polisher must be trained to do. It requires a lathe to rotate the part through the process, and the knowledge and understanding between the various abrasives and their effects on the metal. Once a part is finished, the correct abrasive and pattern will be written down and saved for future use.
Robotic Finishing
A skilled robotic engineer will program the robot to polish what normally the manual polisher would do. Robotic polishing can be very efficient and result in beautiful finishes. The robots utilize abrasive belts int he same way a manual polisher would, with the process stored for future use. Each part must be inspected for the highest quality result.
The process of polishing metal is creating a smooth and shiny surface by using a chemical treatment, or polishing by hand. Depending on the type of polish, the metal may be shiny, or result in a mirror-like finish.
It is also important for sanitary-grade products to have the correct polish applied. This helps to prevent food-grade or medical device equipment to accumulate bacteria or corrosion.
Roll Forming is the process of bending the metal sheet or blank into a curved shape. This is typically achieved by passing metal through a series of rolls that progressively bend the material into the desired curve. Roll bending is achieved by determining the angle of the rollers and the exact pressure needed from the rollers. At Toledo Metal Spinning Company, we use the roll bending process in our daily routines to roll our cylindrical tanks and tubes.
The rolls, or rollers, are the pieces that support the metal sheet or blank. These apply a specific amount of pressure (designated by the controller) to ensure the material is formed into the proper shape. It is also extremely important to keep in mind the minimum and maximum radii, because that will directly impact the size of the cylinder or tube being formed. Another important term to understand is the amount of pinch given in the initial bend of the material. In the video below, notice the pinch happening between 3-5 seconds in, and then again from the front point of view, between 13-15 seconds. The pinch bends the metal, while holding it between the two rolls. There is a certain amount of pressure applied to ensure that the material is bent and rolled through the rolls at the correct angle.
When a part is spun, deep drawn, or stamped, there is often excess metal around its outside, or around the flange. Trimming removes the excess metal, sometimes even the flange, depending on the part and its dimension requirements. This can be done on a hand lathe, or by an automated machine.
Welding metal is a fabrication process of joining two metals of similar materials together. This occurs by using very high temperatures to melt the base metal (parent metal) to the filler, and then allowing the weld to cool, or fuse together. Filler material is not used in every weld, but it is very common. For example, while seam welding, filler is not necessary.
Material
In welding, the materials being welded together must be similar, while during soldering, different materials can be joined together.
Melting
In soldering, the metal is heated up to be bonded to the base metal, but it is never softened. In welding, the base metal is melted to the material it is connecting to. This requires high temperatures, while soldering does not.
Techniques
There are many techniques to welding, while soldering is typically used for electronic devices where the components can be connected together electronically.
Durability
Welds can be extremely strong and durable, while soldering is not. Soldering is much softer, but is not used for holding tough components together like welding is.
Metal products are polished to improve appearance by creating a beautiful smooth and shiny finish. Polishing also increases the part's durability by removing imperfections that may be on the surface. Polishes help to prevent corrosion and removes oxidation, allowing the products to be used in markets such as food processing or medical devices.
Manual finishing and robotic finishing are two popular processes for applying a smooth, shiny finish to metal.
Manual Finishing
Trained polishers apply different grades of abrasives to the part, accomplishing a polish pattern desired by the customer. Manual polishing is a skill that the polisher must be trained to do. It requires a lathe to rotate the part through the process, and the knowledge and understanding between the various abrasives and their effects on the metal. Once a part is finished, the correct abrasive and pattern will be written down and saved for future use.
Robotic Finishing
A skilled robotic engineer will program the robot to polish what normally the manual polisher would do. Robotic polishing can be very efficient and result in beautiful finishes. The robots utilize abrasive belts int he same way a manual polisher would, with the process stored for future use. Each part must be inspected for the highest quality result.
The process of polishing metal is creating a smooth and shiny surface by using a chemical treatment, or polishing by hand. Depending on the type of polish, the metal may be shiny, or result in a mirror-like finish.
It is also important for sanitary-grade products to have the correct polish applied. This helps to prevent food-grade or medical device equipment to accumulate bacteria or corrosion.