Although these rotors can pose a nesting or impingement problem for mass media finishing methods such as barrel and vibratory finishing, edge finish can be accomplished uniformly with a high-speed spindle finish process in a dry abrasive environment with blasting grains lasting a few minutes
Turbo-finishing—or turbo-abrasive machining—is a loose, abrasive machining method that can deburr and produce edge contour effects very rapidly. The method is especially useful for the final machining and finishing of larger complex rotating components. These types of parts often are not good candidates for other mass media finishing techniques and until now have required very tedious and expensive manual deburring.
The turbo-abrasive machining (TAM) process can automate much of this work, not only reducing labor and costs, but improving the uniformity and consistency of edge and surface effects in a way not possible to duplicate with single-point-of-contact machining methods.
This uniformity and the isotropic nature of the edges and surfaces that are developed can also markedly improve the surface integrity and fatigue resistance of many types of critical components.
(Above: Model TF-522 Turbo-Abrasive Machining Center for High-speed dry spindle finishing)
Turbo-Finish Parameters
There a number of processing parameters that will contribute to the results on a given part, and are controllable and repeatable with a programmable process control technology. These parameters include:
- Part rotational speed
- Part positioning (including distance from or depth of fluidized bed envelopment)
- Time cycle of rotation and counter-rotation
- Abrasive grain velocity within fluidized bed
- Abrasive grain size
- Abrasive grain composition and pretreatment
TAM technology has several advantages over other mechanical finishing processes, such as a high flow of free abrasive grain that allows for penetration of abrasive media particles into difficult to access part areas that require edge and surface finish improvement. Another advantage is lower energy consumption, especially in contrast to pressure-blast surface finishing. It also has very simple tooling, processing and maintenance requirements.
The combination of rapid deburring and high rates of metal removal can mean a significant improvement in the physical and mechanical properties of metal surfaces that can enhance surface integrity. These changes include developing residual compressive stress, surface isotropicization, surface profile skewness correction, contact rigidity and load-bearing ratio improvements.
To see the Turbo-Finish process see the video below as a Turb0-Finish machine cycles through the high-speed finishing of a turbine engine disk parts.
Subtractive Manufacturing Technology Blog 
Reblogged this on Turbo-Abrasive Machining and commented:
TAM technology has several advantages over other mechanical finishing processes, such as a high flow of free abrasive grain that allows for penetration of abrasive media particles into difficult to access part areas that require edge and surface finish improvement. Another advantage is lower energy consumption, especially in contrast to pressure-blast surface finishing. It also has very simple tooling, processing, and maintenance requirements.
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