If you’re a parts manufacturer in the Pittsburgh area, you’re probably familiar with abrasive flow machining. AFM is a finishing process used to deburr and polish the inner and outer surfaces of a workpiece. Many Pittsburgh-area manufacturers use AFM because of the many benefits it provides compared to other, more traditional finishing methods.
AFM uses a semi-solid abrasive medium, typically a mixture of abrasive particles and a carrier fluid, that is hydraulically squeezed along the outer surfaces and inner passages of a workpiece. As it flows along the surfaces of a workpiece, the abrasive medium smooths away burrs and other surface imperfections. During the process, flow rate, pressure, and duration are carefully controlled to achieve the desired surface finish.
The Advantages Provided by the Abrasive Flow Machining Process
The AFM process provides many advantages, including:
- Finishing complex internal geometries that are inaccessible by conventional methods.
- Uniform finishing of inner and outer surfaces, eliminating burrs and irregularities.
- It produces consistent and repeatable results.
- Ability to improve surface finish and reduce roughness to extremely low levels.
- Capability to refine and polish surfaces without causing distortion or damage to delicate workpieces.
- AFM is highly versatile and can be customized to finish parts made from a wide range of materials, including metal and plastic.
What Industries Use Abrasive Flow Machining and Why?
Many industries use AFM for various reasons:
- In the aerospace industry, AFM is used to finish critical components such as turbine blades, engine components, and hydraulic manifolds, where precise internal surface finish is crucial for performance and reliability.
- AFM is employed in the automotive industry for finishing applications such as intake and exhaust manifolds, fuel injector nozzles, hydraulic valve bodies, and transmission components.
- The healthcare industry uses AFM to finish medical implants, surgical instruments, and other components with intricate internal features that require precise surface finishing to ensure biocompatibility and functionality.
- AFM is utilized to finish molds and dies with complex internal cavities for applications in injection molding, die casting, and stamping processes.
- AFM is applied in industries such as optics, electronics, and precision engineering for finishing components with intricate internal features, ensuring precise functionality and performance.
- AFM is employed in manufacturing hydraulic and pneumatic components such as valves, cylinders, and fittings to ensure smooth operation and tight tolerances.
- AFM helps in finishing intricate internal passages in cutting tools, dies, and molds, improving part quality and ensuring high precision and longevity of the tools.
Abrasive Flow Machining Services and Products for a Wide Range of Industries
Deburring & Finishing Technologies is the company to see when you need expert abrasive machining services and products in the Pittsburgh, PA, area. We’ve been serving local manufacturing companies across a wide range of industries since 2009. Our team of factory-trained engineers, technicians, and support personnel are here to assist you with all your deburring, polishing, and finishing applications.
Deburring & Finishing Technologies can handle just about any AFM project. We also offer custom mixed abrasive flow media. Call us at (412) 849-1522 or contact us through our website to speak with a member of our engineering team about your AFM project.