Aluminum is a relatively soft metal that is easily nicked, scratched and damaged by
handling – both during the part manufacturing process and after. Restoring
aluminum to a uniform and smooth surface finish can be accomplished with mass
finishing.The aluminum part on the left clearly shows the scratches and damage due to heavy
handling. The part on the right is the result of a simple mass finishing process to
create a uniform, matte surface finish. The part (aluminum cylinders) were vibratory
tumbled in a wet process with a general purpose (KM) Ceramic Media and
cleaning/lubricating compound for 2 hours.
Ceramic Media is typically used with harder metals such as steel; however, in this
case, there was no need to further polish the part. If a higher polish is required, a
lighter cutting Plastic or Synthetic Media can be used in a (potentially) longer cycle
time. This step would be followed with a polishing step
