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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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In house buffing of engraved cylinders

I need to know if there is a way to buff out burrs in a chrome plated or ceramic engraved roll once you have received it into the company and are ready to put it into use. We normally put them into our coaters and let them run while setting the doctor blade on there surface with the coating supply filled, until we finally knock down all the burrs. This could take anywhere from 8 to 16 hours, which is all lost time. Can anyone help with some suggestions.

Richard Hovasse
coating and laminating - Winchester, Massachusetts, USA
2007

Put the monkey on your engravers or platers shoulders! Ask them to deliver flat engravings and/or flat chrome.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
2007

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I am unfamiliar with your rolls and/or application; however, if these rolls are long or heavy, it sounds as if they may have to be worked in place. Perhaps the best method would be to acquire a flat non-woven belt and run it like a sander either in place or while rotating. The non woven material can be gotten in larger sizes or sheets. If the burrs are too high, you may want to start with a fine abrasive grit belt.

AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
2007

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2007

Hi Richard,

You cylinders shouldn't come to you with burrs. On the engraving machine the diamond can be set to remove any small burrs at the top of the cell. Generally burrs should be so small that they will be removed almost as soon as the doctor blade touches them.

If it's not being moved away, there are a few possibilities:
1) The Cu deposit is not at the correct hardness or ductility.
2) The diamond tool isn't set correctly.

I would look to your engraver to address this issue. You can look at the cell shape to see if they are badly burred before you run them. If they are, go back to your engraver and complain.

Jonathan Timms
- Shanghai