After laser cutting, the parts cannot immediately enter the assembly phase. Therefore, an angle grinder is needed to remove the burrs produced during the cutting process.
Other processes, such as flame or plasma cutting, often leave coarse burrs and slag on the surface of sheet metal parts (see Fig. 1).
Figure 1 Slag
These “hard” burrs can impede efficient processing in subsequent steps.
Nowadays, modern automatic deburring machines can efficiently remove burrs, rounded edges and corners, and finally present clean and polished sheet metal parts. This enormously reduces scrap rates and production costs and increases the competitiveness of the product, demonstrating its advantages.
Advantages of double sided angle grinder machine
The efficiency of an angle grinder that can process both sides is doubled and the workpiece does not need to be turned. Just use the angle grinder once to deburr on both sides (see Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 Deburring effect
Compared to a single-sided angle grinder, the double-sided angle grinder saves more than 50% of time and eliminates redundant workpiece movement and loading and unloading time. This machine can save you between 40-80 euros per hour, making it a wise economic choice.
Even if the machine is only used a few hours a week, it can still provide a substantial return on investment.
The double-sided angle grinder is also suitable for sheet metal parts that only require processing on one side. This saves time in pre-sorting or turning the workpiece, especially when dealing with larger parts or heavy flame cutting parts, which can be time-consuming and pose high risk factors.
However, depending on the manufacturing process, companies may also choose to increase the loading and unloading process to compensate for the limitations of a one-sided angle grinder. By doing so, they can achieve a better return on investment and gain a competitive advantage by producing superior products.
Advantages of Single Side Angle Grinder Machine
Single-sided deburring machines still have value in certain fields of application.
Unlike double-sided angle grinders, single-sided angle grinders come equipped with a vacuum table that provides support for smaller parts to be repaired and processed safely. On the other hand, with the double-sided angle grinder, smaller parts tend to fall out of the seam of the work unit.
This is why many laser OEM companies prefer single-sided deburring machines, especially when dealing with a large number of different sized parts.
If the one-sided angle grinder is equipped with a universal rotating brush, it can fillet the sheet metal parts placed on the vacuum table. The universal rotating brush moves onto sheet metal parts from multiple directions to produce the best rounding effect on the inner and outer contour of the material. The processing effect is uniform regardless of the shape and direction of the part, and the unique rounding radian can reach 2.0mm.
In addition to deburring and filleting, the last brilliant process of one-sided processing equipment is surface roughness treatment (Fig. 3).
Fig.3 Effect of surface treatment
To achieve this, the equipment is equipped with a separate surface treatment unit.
In summary, one-sided deburring equipment can play a crucial role in certain fields. It is not only suitable for processing small parts, but also for large and wide sheet metal parts.
For example, when processing laser or plasma cut parts, it is necessary to take into account unique functions such as uniform rounding. In contrast, the one-sided deburring machine is more flexible and easier to meet the requirements of deburring, filleting and other surface treatment of sheet metal parts.
How to choose the angle grinder machine
The main factors to consider when choosing between a single-sided or double-sided angle grinder are the range of parts and the production process.
A one-sided deburring machine can cover a wider range of parts and produce a more uniform fillet effect. However, it takes more time and can increase the cost of processing the material.
Using a double-sided deburring machine can improve production and processing efficiency, but it is less flexible in processing multiple parts.
When selecting a model, it is not always necessary to look for a device that covers all parts. If an angle grinder can cover 80% of the material range, it can be considered sufficient to meet demand and achieve the capacity target.
If a company needs to handle some special parts, they may choose to outsource deburring work to complement their capabilities.
If necessary, the company can also calculate whether it is more economical to purchase two angle grinders: a double-sided angle grinder to improve the efficiency of processing large quantities of workpieces and a single-sided angle grinder to process small parts, which is more flexible and efficient.
Furthermore, having two sets of the most advanced deburring equipment and combining them perfectly can be an excellent choice for enterprise production.
