When our Eyes Deceive Us, We can Rely on Superfinishing

 

I’m always fascinated by what we cannot see with the human eye. As complex as they are, our eyes cannot see the smallest valleys and peaks on metal surfaces, for example. But when we know this ruggedness is present on a microscopic level after metal removal, it is important to make these surfaces as smooth as possible to make the contact area between mating parts more stable.

This process, known as superfinishing or microfinishing, is a secondary operation that follows grinding or hard turning operations as a last surface preparation operation. The process removes surface finish peaks and provides a good load-bearing surface of undisturbed base metal, hardness and structure. Superfinishing is a high precision operation for removing minute amounts of surface material on dimensionally finished parts. The process uses fine grit adhesive particles bounded in stick form for cylindrical work, and in cup or cylindrical form for spherical work.

For more information on this process, click here.