Electrolytic deburring and polishing
The new CoolPulse 200™ electrolytic deburring and polishing machine from Extrude Hone performs four key functions: deburrs, polishes, stress relieves, and cleans - all in one finishing process. During the process, stainless steel or aluminum workpieces are not subject to mechanical or thermal stresses, and the process exhibits high efficiency in production.
Environmentally friendly process
CoolPulse is ideally suited for small to medium-sized workpieces that may be inherently delicate or intricate by design. Typical fields of applications are medical components such as scissors, scalpels, stents or orthopedic implants and sophisticated parts for aerospace, semi-conductor, and the automobile industry. CoolPulse ECM technology from Extrude Hone is virtually applicable for nearly all conventional metals and metal alloys.
In the CoolPulse ECM process, the workpiece to be machined is immersed in an electrolyte solution, the “liquid tool,” as a low voltage is applied. The proprietary electrolyte used in the process is a chilled, non-fuming, odorless, near-neutral solution, rendering it very safe for handling, and is considered environmentally friendly. The solution possesses high electrical resistance, enabling high selectivity and high discrimination for the removal of burrs and peaks on workpiece surfaces.
As a rule, and unlike other electrolytic processes, outside surfaces of the workpiece can be processed in the absence of complicated conformal cathode tooling. The liquid bath used in the CoolPulse process is able to treat many different types of metals with only minor changes to the electrical settings on the machine.
Brilliant results
While the CoolPulse 200 is optimized for edge effect (deburring), substantial surface and cleanliness improvements are a natural by-product of the process. CoolPulse processing is capable of removing rough surfaces or producing ultra-smooth surfaces, and is designed for small- to medium-sized workpieces, producing bright, or mirror like, finishes on stainless steel and bright to matte finishes on aluminum.
In addition, “short process times are a prominent feature.” says Jim Koroskenyi, Product Manager at Extrude Hone: “The CoolPulse process is significantly faster than typical electropolishing. Average cycle times range from 15 seconds up to 3 minutes; smaller components typically take 10 to 15 seconds.”
