CDMC and Aluminum Finishing

Deburring solutions are used in the manufacturing centers of many types of industries across the globe. As sheet and plate metalwork figures into the manufacture and production of many types of products and consumer goods, the need for high-quality metalwork output has prompted many manufacturers to seek out deburring or finishing solutions that offer consistent, repeatable results on the production line. And of the many types of metalwork being done for consumer goods, few are more prevalent than the work being done with aluminum.

Aluminum, with its natural resistance to corrosion, excellent electrical conductivity, and strength in alloys, is used to make motors for cars, casings for iPhones, airplane components, heat sinks used to dissipate heat from electronics, and in building materials such as windows, skylights, door frames, and gutters. According to the Aluminum Association, most of the aluminum products production in America comes from one of three main areas: sheet, plate, and foil; extruded products; and electrical conductors. The total aluminum products exports for the U.S. and Canada (in 2008) was 7,458 million pounds – with a large percentage of that total coming from mill products.

As aluminum is a parts material that can be easily fashioned into any number of products, CDMC, with its considerable experience in brushing and finishing solutions, has been working with contract manufacturers of stamped aluminum parts on a variety of projects. The CDMC team of highly experienced designers, manufacturers, and engineers is routinely developing solutions that are tailored to aluminum manufacturing customer needs. In every case, each variable that could affect finished product result is identified and controlled by CDMC finishing technology. In some cases, the need can be addressed by one of our standard machines. In other cases, CDMC engineers approach the problem as a new project that requires a custom-built solution from the ground up.

One such project – which concerned the manufacture of aluminum doors for front-loading clothes washers – allowed the contract manufacturer to make use of CDMC technology and eliminate the need for a labor-intensive hand-brushed process. With CDMC working on the project, the contractor was able to make use of an operator-loaded Model 9060 with a custom-engineered brush assembly that addressed the modest production numbers with enough speed and efficiency to keep the finishing of each workpiece under the seven second cycle time limit. CDMC engineers also made certain that the results were uniform and precise – offering a perfectly consistent brush finish on every piece.

To address the growing needs of the aluminum products manufacturing industry, CDMC is helping engineer various configurations of deburring and finishing machines that are meant to accommodate different types of aluminum parts. Customer requirements for specific cycle times and finishing details drive the engineering of many new finishing solutions that help aluminum manufacturers meet their manufacturing and industry goals.