The Mass finishing is a process for finishing mechanical parts by rubbing in a mixture of abrasives and chemical compounds. An often underestimated element of this process is the Mass finishing additive, a chemical added to improve the result. A good additive not only cleans parts (removing oils, oxides and dirt), but also protects surfaces and optimizes the action of the abrasives. The choice of additive is therefore crucial to obtain perfectly deburred, polished and ready-to-use parts.
Chemcut is a latest-generation Mass finishing additive developed by Finishtech to drastically improve the performance of your processes. Formulated to rapidly remove grinding and machining marks, Chemcut accelerates material removal, leaving a uniform surface ready for final polishing. This additive acts as a real “dopant” for the Mass finishing process: it speeds up metal cutting while maintaining a clean processing environment (parts and abrasives remain cleaner during the cycle). The result? Reduced cycle times and superior surface quality right out of the machine.
Multiple uses for additives Mass finishing
Mass finishing additives are formulated to meet a variety of surface treatment needs:
- Degreasing: Removal of cutting oils and grease prior to processing, ensuring that parts and abrasives remain clean during the process.
- Shining and polishing: Improving the shine of metals (steel, brass, aluminum, etc.) to obtain a mirror-polished appearance or, on the contrary, a uniform satin effect.
- Passivation and protection: Formation of a protective layer (especially on stainless steels) to prevent flash corrosion after treatment and prolong part life.
- Deburring and smoothing: speed up the removal of burrs and machining lines, to quickly level the surface of parts before fine polishing.
A well-chosen additive also facilitates rinsing and limits clogging: it keeps abrasives and parts clean by preventing the redeposition of loose metal residues or oxides.
Finally, some special additives act as process gas pedals, greatly increasing material removal rates. Chemcut belongs to this category of high-performance additives: its unique formula enables it to “boost” your most demanding Mass finishing operations.
Benefits of Chemcut for Mass finishing
By using Chemcut in your vibratory drums or centrifuges, you benefit from a number of technical advantages:
- Cycle time reduction: Chemcut’s controlled, aggressive chemical action speeds up surface smoothing. You achieve reduced roughness more quickly, which reduces overall Mass finishing time.
- Improved surface quality: Parts emerge with a much smoother, more homogeneous surface. For example, steel parts treated with Chemcut can see their roughness (Ra) reduced by 50-70% after the cycle, virtually eliminating grinding scratches.
- Preparation for polishing: By leaving the surface already honed(roughened), Chemcut simplifies the subsequent polishing step. The ultra-smooth surface obtained after Chemcut is immediately ready for mirror polishing or even coating treatment (electroplating) without intensive manual repolishing.
- Material compatibility: This product has been optimized for ferrous metals. It is effective on carbon steel, hardened steel, iron and even certain sensitive stainless steels. This makes it a preferred choice for industries working with these materials (mechanical engineering, tooling, automotive parts, etc.).
- Ease of use: Chemcut generates little foam, making it stable in vibrating tanks (no excessive overflow). What’s more, it’s biodegradable, making it easy to integrate into your industrial wastewater treatment facilities.
How to use: integrate Mass finishing Chemcut into your process
Integrating Chemcut into your Mass finishing workshop is simple and requires only a few adaptations. Here’s how it works:
Equipment required :
- A dedicated tank for preparing the Chemcut solution (mixing the powder in water at the recommended concentration).
- A dosing pump capable of continuously supplying your machine with solution, ideally with an adjustable flow rate of up to ~12 liters per hour to keep additive consumption under control.
- A suitable Mass finishing machine (circular vibrator, linear vibrator or centrifuge) for processing parts with media and additive.
Two-stage process: Finishtech recommends using Chemcut in a 2-stage process for optimum results:
- Step 1 – Smoothing (roughing): During the first phase, Chemcut is used with a low-abrasivity media. The additive lightly etches the metal surface, quickly softening edges and ridges. This stage generally lasts several tens of minutes, depending on the initial roughness of the parts. The end result is a uniform, matt surface, with machining marks greatly reduced or even eliminated.
- Step 2 – Polishing: Without necessarily changing machines, you can move on to a polishing phase. You can either keep Chemcut with a finer media, or switch to a specific polishing additive. In both cases, the aim is to enhance surface gloss. In just a few additional minutes, the part acquires a glossy or satin finish (depending on your requirements) and is free of any residual dust.
Each step must be accompanied by an appropriate rinse to remove debris. By following this procedure, Chemcut reveals its full potential: your parts are processed quickly and reproducibly, from initial rough deburring to final polishing.
Case studies: results obtained with Mass finishing Chemcut additive
To illustrate Chemcut’s effectiveness, here are two concrete applications that have been successfully implemented:
Case 1: Industrial bearings – elimination of grinding lines with additive Mass finishing
A company manufacturing mechanical bearings had problems with micro-scratches and roughness on the rollers of their bearings after grinding. By integrating Chemcut into their vibratory process, they achieved a spectacular improvement: 100% of grinding lines eliminated and a reduction in Ra roughness from 0.35 µm to 0.10 µm in 30 minutes of treatment. After treatment, the rollers went from a greyish appearance to a shiny metallic finish. This gain in surface quality directly improved bearing performance (less friction, less wear) while eliminating a manual polishing step previously performed by the workshop.
Case 2: Silver knives – effortless restoration and polishing
Another successful Chemcut application involves the restoration of antique silver knives. These precious pieces showed traces of oxidation (blackening) and fine scratches due to the passage of time. A gentle Mass finishing treatment, combining a mirror-polished media and the Chemcut additive, removed the oxidation and smoothed the surface of the blades without damaging them.
In just 20 minutes, the knives emerged with a revived lustre and a uniform polish, revealing the beauty of the silver as it was on the first day. The great advantage is that this restoration was carried out without any manual abrasive intervention, thus avoiding any risk of scratching or deforming the pieces: Chemcut operated evenly over the entire surface. This case demonstrates the versatility of the product, which is just as effective on hard industrial steels as on softer precious metals.
Conclusion: Chemcut, your ally for optimized finishes
In short, Chemcut is the must-have Mass finishing additive for anyone wishing to take their finishing performance to the next level. Whether you need to degrease and prepare your parts, eliminate stubborn machining marks or obtain a flawless shine, Chemcut offers a complete, fast and reliable solution. Its simple integration into your existing equipment and the tangible results obtained in the field (reduced cycle times, exceptional surface quality) make it a wise investment for any professional concerned with quality and productivity.
Ready to optimize your processes at Mass finishing? Don’t wait any longer to take action: contact Finishtech today to find out how Chemcut can transform your finishing operations, or to arrange a personalized trial on your parts.
Boost your workshop’s performance and get a head start by adopting Chemcut additive in your Mass finishing processes!
