Why Not Use Manual Deburring?
While manual deburring has been around for decades, and the people who are good at it are regarded highly for their manual dexterity and patience, this simply isn't a glamorous job. It creates a lot of metal dust, it's repetitious, it's boring … therefore it is a good candidate for automation.
ICON Health & Fitness came to this conclusion recently.
"With a deburring machine, we could get rid of five deburring positions," said Cody Kelley, a plant manager for the company's club division. "Then we could assign those people to other jobs," he added.
Kohl Burmester, a manufacturing engineer for the same company, explained that many of the components that go into the company's products are cut with a laser or a plasma cutting machine. The oxidation has to be removed before powder coating, and this is where the deburring and graining steps come in. Many of the fitness machines ICON manufactures for the health club industry get grained, textured, and sent out for chrome plating.
The company has a lot riding on the appearance of its products. You might not be familiar with the company name, but you probably recognize a few of the company's brands, which include Nordic Track®, Pro-Form®, Weider®, Healthrider®, and Freemotion Fitness®.
"All of it has to be precision work," Burmester said. A small scratch can have a big impact. "A scratch, even a small one, means that we have to remove the coatings and rework the part."
The company also provides quite a bit of equipment to professional sports teams. You wouldn't think a linebacker or a goalie would care how their fitness machines look, but it is a high-profile market and the demands are strict.
"They also want really nice-looking equipment with no flaws," Kelley added.