Finishing Services

Tumbling

At a glance

Applicable Materials

Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel

Colors

n/a

Texture

Slightly rounded edges, smooth, slightly matte finish, does not hide all machine marks

Can be applied with

Any finish

About the Process

Tumbling is a finishing process that is used to clean, deburr, and slightly smooth smaller parts. Tumbling uses a horizontal drum where parts are placed, along with a media, such as sand or ceramic chips. The drum rotates slowly, causing the media to slide repeatedly over the parts, breaking any sharp edges and lightly smoothing the surface. Tumbling is fairly inexpensive due to the small amount of manual labor involved to run the process.

Design considerations

  • Because parts cannot be masked prior to tumbling, consider adding features such as threads and engravings after this process.
  • Tumbling is a rough process, so parts with thin features are not ideal for this finishing option.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Working with Copper: Design, Machining, and Finish Requirements

Copper is a truly versatile metal. Copper has a naturally beautiful, shiny finish that makes it desirable for artwork, cookware, kitchen backsplashes, countertops, and even jewelry. It also has excellent material and electrical properties for engineered, complex parts, like EDM electrodes. There are many benefits to using copper for machined parts. Copper is one of […]

Learn More

Solving 7 Common Challenges for CNC Machining Aerospace Components

Nowhere is the precision and quality of CNC machining more important than in the aerospace and aeronautics industries. But crafting components that are both light enough to fly and strong enough to land requires milling a variety of exotic materials to incredibly tight tolerances. In this webinar, experts discuss the challenges of designing and manufacturing […]

Learn More