Bel Air Finishing has developed The AutoHone, a state-of the-art reverse drag finisher. Unlike traditional drag finishers, the reverse drag finisher rotates media instead of parts. It then dips parts into the flowing media held within a rotating bin. The AutoHone combines this with robotic automation, enabling a turnkey solution to deburring, polishing, cleaning, and drying. The unique robot arm enables five dimensional motions, meaning parts can be inserted into finishing media at unique angles tailored to achieving specific finishing specifications. Following the finishing process, the robotic arm cleans the part within the optional ultrasonic cleaning station and can also dry the part in the optional drying station before placing the part back into the tray.
The AutoHone is capable of processing parts in as little as five seconds. It can also extend the life of cutting tools by up to 300 percent. This applies to both coated and uncoated parts. Tool honing with the AutoHone reduces the friction of cutting tools by removing microscopic burrs and sharp edges increasing cutting speed and providing a surface that coatings can adhere to better. When pre-coated pieces are honed, the AutoHone removes microscopic irregularities on the surface of the tool. These irregularities happen when parts are coated and the coating is unevenly distributed across the part’s surface. The removal of these irregularities reduces the friction of cutting tools on surfaces and increases the cutting speed.
The AutoHone has been used in almost every industry to process medical, automotive, aerospace, fire arms, machined parts, and 3D-printed parts. It is available with options to better adapt to any manufacturing environment. Bel Air can process samples of parts at its facility.
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