PLASMA POLISHING (DEBURRING)

galvanic processing of parts is often associated with poisonous baths and chemical fumes. Still, galvanic processes are widely used in the industry. For example, electrolytic polishing of stainless steel machine parts, jewelry, medical implants or surgical tools. Engineering company Alliance Technologies, based in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, has enforced a breakthrough. A novel polishing method has been developed, and successfully implemented on a prototype machine.

Alliance Technologies has managed to control a highly unstable plasma, which is similar to a ball lightning in a water tank. The interesting thing about this plasma is that it has multiple functions: products surrounded by the plasma are polished, degreased and deburred in a single, short procedure. This technique, called Electro Plasma Polishing (EPP) is much more environmentally friendly and the product finish is of higher quality than alternative polishing techniques. Polishing usually ruins specified accuracies of parts that are processed. However, EPP preserves dimensional accuracies since only a very thin layer at the surface is affected by the plasma. EPP can be seen as a form of precision processing, which can achieve accuracies in the nano domain.

Alliance Technologies was founded a few years ago by former employees of Philips. Based on the expertise in developing process equipment for Electro Chemical Machining (ECM) and Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) gained at Philips, The Alliance is currently developing equipment and solving mechatronical problems for SMEs. Chief Engineer Albert-Jan Oosenbrug states: "The Alliance has become a specialist in unconventional precision machining technologies."

www.plasmapolishing.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• plasma
• polishing
• surface
• treatment
• technology
• ECM
• EPP
• EDM
• PECM
• Pemtec
• ECM-Valley
• Alliance
• Technologies
• Masévon
• green-technology
• environmental
• friendly
• high-voltage
• electronics
• aviation
• howto
• Bijoux
• Jewellery
• Medical
• implants
• precision
• parts
• micron
• roughness
• mirror
• stainless-steel
• innertube
• deburring
• tubes
• special
• electrolytic
• plasmatec
• oxidation
• unconventional
• machining
• robot
• quality
• washing
• contactless
• entgraten
• electro
• etching
• carbon-steel
• machines