Tool edge preparation – wet blasting

Improved macro and micro geometry of the cutting edge is essential to enhance and extend cutting tool performance and tool life. To ensure a stable performance of the cutting tool, it is important to achieve a homogeneous rounding along the major and minor cutting edge and corner, and to that end there has been much research and development over recent years to achieve greater accuracy and control in edge preparation. Image: Accurately prepared edges are key to efficient cutting and long tool life Wet blasting offers exceptionally high quality results that are increasingly being recognised across many applications. And because no harsh chemicals are used - and no dust is created - wet blasting machines reduce waste and are kinder to the environment, as well as deliver the best possible surface finish. Wet blasting combines compressed air, abrasive media and water in a slurry form to clean and prepare surfaces. The water creates a lubricating effect, which increases the flow of particles across the surface being treated. Unlike dry blasting, the liquid cushion also protects delicate surfaces whilst eliminating any potentially harmful dust. Wet blasting results in surfaces that are extremely clean and reactive, with no embedded secondary contamination from the media. To provide simultaneous cleaning and degreasing, the water can be heated and mild detergent added to ensure the effective removal of oily surface contamination. The most advanced wet blasting systems use software programs to combine and monitor precisely controlled flows of liquid, gas and solids, which are mixed then accelerated through focused blasting nozzles. Changing the air and slurry pressures, blast abrasive, slurry concentration, number and angle of attack of the blasting nozzles allows for a range of processing effects to be achieved, from harsh to soft. For example, media concentration, process temperature, additive and blast pressures can be carefully controlled to provide an extremely consistent surface finish that can be reproduced time after time. Image: The wet blasting process For consistent precision cleaning, the concentration of abrasive media in the sump is normally kept between 12-20%; this enables the perfect balance between abrasive action and particle flow to be maintained during processing. Lubricating the media eliminates static build-up and washes the process material continuously during processing to deliver the cleanest possible surface. Vapormatt's Programmable Gun Crown innovation enables tool manufacturers to extend tool operating life, improve surface quality and increase production capacity. The system increases the number of blasting parameters that can be programmed for edge preparation and is compatible with a range of Vapormatt machines, enabling users to achieve exceptional results on a variety of different tool sets. The programmable gun crown features eight blast nozzles, each fully adjustable to offer a range of processing angles. Being fully automated the user has precise control over the K factors and edge radii required to increase tool life. This means that with a single gun crown, programmed via the HMI, a customer can hone and finish a range of different tools, each with different K factors and radii, without having to change gun angles for different recipes. Image: The programmable gun crown offers procesing of multiple features on a range of tools without having to change the gun Vapormatt manufactures a wide range of equipment suitable for cutting edge and face processing of all HSS and carbide tooling including rotary shank tools (drills, taps, mills etc.) indexable inserts, hobs and saws. It also offers a custom engineering service (Wet Blast Support Services) to help businesses to incorporate wet blasting process technology into existing equipment or into in-house designs for critical process machinery.