Ultrahigh-purity valve inner channel polishing

For semiconductor, chemical, food
and pharmaceutical industries

THE COMPANY

The client is a company that designs and produces high quality industrial valves for any gas applications in medical, automotive and industrial sectors. It specializes in Ultrahigh-Purity and High-Purity components.

THE PROBLEM

As reported by the customer in their first call, the former surface finishing system (abrasive flow machining) came with several disadvantages. Firstly, it required a substantial equipment investment and customized tooling for each piece. Additionally, the running costs were high due to the media used. Moreover, parts needed to be treated individually, leading to inefficiencies in processing. The process also lacked surface homogeneity for complex features and was unable to finish blind holes. Furthermore, the lowest achievable roughness was limited to 0.05 micrometers, necessitating an additional step to passivate the surface. It is worth noting that abrasive flow machining only finished internal features and could only be applied to high-pressure-resistant pieces.

THE GOAL

The customer was seeking ways to increase production capacity, improve quality, and reduce the cost of polishing the inner surface of gas supply components. The company required polishing of the components to attain higher quality and repeatability, thereby enhancing the part’s performance and preventing corrosion and particle generation caused by turbulent flow resulting from a rough surface.

Regarding the polishing target, it involved achieving a mirror surface finishing that is scratch-free, with no pitting or deburring. The goal was to achieve no dull and/or stain areas, uniform shininess, and a significant reduction in roughness to reach an Ra value of 0.15 micrometers (5.9 microinches).

THE SOLUTION

GPAINNOVA successfully achieved the desired technical specifications for the metal surface, resulting in the lowest process time and cost. These specifications encompassed achieving a high-gloss finish, eliminating burrs, ensuring defect-free internal and external surfaces for the valve. These improvements were crucial in reducing turbulence caused by surface irregularities, preventing premature failure and corrosion, and maintaining tight tolerances.

Furthermore, the client transitioned from their previous time-consuming five-step process to an automated one based on DLyte, which involves just three steps: machining, a finishing process executed by DLyte PRO500, and a post-dip cleaning station.

Time savings with DLyte were significant. With a processing time of 29 minutes, the DryLyte Technology was able to achieve the highest surface finish for a batch of 64 pieces.

Are you interested in learning about the production increase, the comparison of previous and current costs per piece, or how DLyte can boost your business? Download now our free case study!

TECHNICAL BENEFITS

01. Geometry and tolerance preservation & homogeneous results across the piece
02. Best-in-class concerning surface roughness (Ra under 0.05 micrometers)
03. Stable results among different batches within the electrolyte lifespan
04. Longer lifespan for treated parts
05. Faster and easier surface finishing processes

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS

01. Reduced footprint
02. Time and cost reduction
03. Exposure of workers during process and maintenance
04. Handling and storage of media
05. No need for multistep processes
06. Easy waste management