Breaking Old Mechanical
Finishing Habits
CHanging tHe prOCess earns One FinisHer a $2+ MilliOn annual COntraCt.
By Bob Pinchot
Osborn
M
echanical finishers have
been taught—whether
through passed-down
knowledge, schooling or hardearned experience—that "surface
foot per minute" (SFPM) is the
rule of thumb in finishing.
While SFPM is a good starting
point, however, it shouldn't be
thought of as the end-all for your
finishing processes. It is another
variable within the process that
Many variables should
be defined and monitored when considering
mechanical finishing.
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JUNE 2013
needs to be defined and monitored, but it should not be the
one variable from which all others
become defined.
When we look at mechanical finishing, the first and most important
items that should be considered
are the shape and type of part.
From this, buff and compound
choices can be made, and process
parameters determined.
Advancements in buffing wheels,
compounds and equipment allow
us an increasing variety of process
options. Using these tools to your
advantage can put the benefits of
quality improvement, increased
productivity and cost savings at
your fingertips.
Build By sHape, size
The following project is an
example that followed the mindset
of building a process around the