E-Archive

VOL. 18 November ISSUE YEAR 2017

Cover Page

in Vol. 18 - November Issue - Year 2017
A New Vision Of Finishing Technologies For Components With Complex Geometry

The increased performance of several kinds of components in Aerospace, Power Engineering, Automotive and Industrial Vehicles fields mitigates reduced surface roughness in specific areas, with homogeneous results all over the component, even in cases of concave and convex surfaces that normally react to finishing media kinetic energy in a quite different way.
At the same time, of course, strict geometric tolerances have to be respected.
The new vision revealed by Rollwasch LERFIT program is offering much more than a modern range of finishing systems or high performing machines combined with top range media and compounds.
Indeed, the LERFIT program is an engineering philosophy where all the actors of the surface finishing process belong to an overall strategy resulting from a complex and unceasing R&D activity of Rollwasch® in the last ten years, with an important list of developed and improved patent pending solutions.
A concert of Leading Edge Robotic solutions is offered with the LERFIT philosophy, combining innovative and exclusive solutions, most of which are covered by Rollwasch® patent pending design or by a PCT Patent Cooperation Treaty, here some examples:
Wave Finishing with Multi Channel Design, offering the finishing rotary bowl designed with "n" concentric channels (2, 3 or even more) able to assure immediate change of media abrasive rate (always for dry mode finishing), from one channel to the other. It also assures different peripheral speeds and tangential pressures over the surfaces exposed to the wave finishing process, combined with rotary variable speed. Therefore, the robot gripper can expose each work piece to several angles, depth, and tank-channels having different kinds of media, thus offering a way of finishing like no other in the world.
Rotodry Finishing is an innovative program of dry processes combined with rotary tanks like wave finishing, drag finishing, disc finishing, rotary barrels and similar concept of machines (based on special abrasive media and finishing compounds). This offers top efficiency in the management of workpieces because of the absence of water and, accordingly, of corrosion phenomena. In addition, there is no need to worry about drying the parts after the finishing tasks and/or managing the wastewater treatment and relative waste increase. With the Rotodry Finishing tasks, this is a problem which belongs to the past.
Quattrofinish media, is a new family of innovative "polymer injection moulded abrasive media" (also called "QF" media) offering several levels of abrasives and densities, with the common characteristics of very long lifetimes. This program of innovative media offers a rich list of shapes, sizes and varieties, including "dry mode" finishing media, which have an excellent grip over the surfaces. QF media are able to reduce waste up to important factors (like 10 times) and to reduce general costs associated with the use of classic media. A new shape in the QF range, half cone and half pyramid, is called "Pyrakon".
Vibrodry Finishing, is an innovative program of dry processes combined with vibratory finishing machines, both for free or fixed parts (i.e. in centerless vibratory bowls) and similar concept of machines (based on special abrasive media and finishing compounds) offering top efficiency in the management of workpieces because of the absence of water and, accordingly, of corrosion phenomena. In addition, there is no need to worry about drying the parts after the finishing tasks and/or managing the wastewater treatment and relative waste increase. With the Vibrodry Finishing processes, this is a problem that belongs to the past.
Media Smart 2.0 - is a centralized automatic management of media, based on automatic loading/unloading of media or, where needed, the automatic levelling of the media (reduction or increase of level inside a working bowl) in order to allow the robotic loading/unloading of the workpieces in automatic centerless vibrators.
Eccentric Finishing, is an innovative variant of the well-known "drag finishing", based on the eccentricity of the axes of the workpiece combined with a rotary tank for the media. This design can be applied in combination with wave finishing systems instead of using, for example, two or three robots over a Multichannel rotary tank. Eccentric finishing allows to "shift" from one channel to the following enabling interaction with the robot just for loading and unloading the work pieces.
Multidrad Finishing, an extremely interesting "transfer" system, is composed by "n" drag finishing drills (generally 3, 4, 6 or 8) over a main rotary head, shifting from same number of finishing tanks (static or rotary type) at fixed intervals. This kind of technology allows multi-tasking finishing processes with the most different combinations possible such as simple drag, eccentric finishing, carving, with robotic assistance for loading/unloading.
Carving Finish, is a sophisticated technology offering angular control of a full rotary head with its rotary drills, part combined with eccentricity of the rotary head combined with a static or a rotary bowl - a true substitute of the robot for many applications. A peculiar version of carving finish can be applied also to a wave finishing system unit when more finishing points are needed (i.e. 2, 3) - the evolution of this technology is offering many interesting opportunities both on automation and on very complex components to be processed.
To summarize, the LERFIT philosophy engineering platform is easy, it is an
"open" and "flexible" system that can design and offer tailor-made solutions based on all the above skills.
To resume:
Like no other in the world, Rollwasch is able to offer tailor-made multi-tasking solutions with priority to dry finishing processes, meaning very low noise impact, zero water and associated management of waste water and drying/passivation tasks;
Rollwasch, with the LERFIT philosophy, offers 360° robotization also thanks to devices like the Media Smart 2.0, and is able to provide assistance to discharge and recharge media in fully automatic or semiautomatic mode;
Flexibility and a wide set of smart solutions Industry 4.0-ready is guaranteed.
Last but not least, a final aspect of the LERFIT philosophy is the coherence with the increasing volume of "non-disclosure agreements" and "confidentiality agreements", consisting in the choice of Rollwasch to reduce, as much as possible, advertisements in terms of pictures, videos and examples of the Leading Edge Robotic Technologies developed, by means of public sources.

For Information:
Rollwasch® Italiana S.p.a.
Via San Carlo, 21
20847 Albiate (MB), Italia
Tel. +39.0362.930334
Fax +39.0362.931440
E-mail: info@rollwasch.it
www.rollwasch.it