Sheet Metal Deburring: Why this step is essential

Sharp edges and burrs are dangerous. Employees can quickly suffer cutting injuries, leaving them unable to work. Companies should deburr sheet metal and round edges to increase safety in the workplace and reduce downtime costs. In doing so, companies not only protect their own employees but also those employees who are responsible for the assembly or further processing of the sheet metal parts further along the production chain. Deburred and edge rounded sheets can be transported and processed virtually without any risk of injury.

As soon as companies begin deburring sheet metal, they not only increase safety in the workplace but also the product quality. Deburring and rounding edges provides products with better protection – for example, when the sheet metal parts are stacked on top of each other for transport. Burrs cause scratches, which then cause complaints among customers. In addition, deburring and rounding the edges ensure that coatings adhere better and do not flake off during powder coating, galvanizing, wet painting or priming. This minimizes the risk of corrosion.

Burrs are not only dangerous for employees but also for tools and machines, such as press brakes or roller levelers. The components of these tools and machines wear out faster if they regularly come into contact with sharp edges and burrs. Deburring and edge rounding sheet metal is essential to protect the tools and machines, increase their service life and reduce repair and maintenance costs.

Companies often rely on manual procedures when deburring sheet metal. Experts remove the edges, burrs and splatters with brushes or an angle grinder. The major disadvantage: Manual deburring requires companies to invest a lot of time. In addition, the results are never 100 percent reproducible because they always depend on the experience and daily form of the employee.

This is a difficult combination, considering that time and cost pressure are constantly increasing, as are the demands on the surface quality of sheet metal parts. Requirements of 0.5 millimeters for thin sheet metal are not uncommon when rounding edges. That is why more and more companies have begun looking for an alternative to manual deburring.

Investing in a deburring machine pays off quickly. Companies can assume that employees deburr sheet metal four times faster with a modern deburring machine when compared to manual procedures. The return on investment can be achieved after only 500 operating hours and 1500 working hours. Beyond that point, the user achieves permanently higher profit.

A look at the German town of Lichtenau also shows how a deburring machine helps companies to achieve greater efficiency. This is where the headquarters of Eisen- und Stahlhandel Straub GmbH are located. The company processes 4,000 tons of material every month. Its core business consists of cutting and bending reinforced steel as well as cutting, drilling and sandblasting steel profiles.

Previously, four employees worked to remove the millimeter-thick burrs with angle grinders. It took three days to deburr 1000 parts. The costs for staff and equipment were correspondingly high, amounting to thousands of euros per year. At the same time, the company was confronted with increasing time and quality pressure. “Our customers always want two things: parts with consistently high quality and these parts as quickly as possible”, explains the production manager, Simon Straub. “We were looking for a solution which would enable us to react quickly and flexibly in order to fulfill these requirements. Naturally, without sacrificing quality.”

Eisen- und Stahlhandel Straub GmbH invested in a modern deburring machine. The machine deburrs the edge with an oscillating drum. At the same time, cross belt units round off sharp edges with sanding blocks. Deburring and edge rounding the parts takes only a few seconds. This creates capacity for additional orders.

KTS GmbH shares the same experience. The company specializes in flame welding, CNC milling and part finishing. Its customers include companies from the machine building and commercial vehicle industries. Here too, employees spent long hours removing burrs with angle grinders. Until KTS invested in a deburring machine that removes large burrs on both sides of even complex parts.

“Thanks to the machine, parts are free of burrs within minutes,” says the managing director, Mario Koch. “With the system, we can deliver more quickly and react to customer requests rapidly. This strengthens our position as a high-quality system supplier.”