Disruptive surface
DLyte is a surface finishing system for metal parts requiring high performance or superior finishing. DLyte equipment uses the novel DryLyte Technology which brings significant technical advantages over competing technologies, such as abrasive finishing, robotic grinding and polishing, mechanical brush and grinding systems. In addition, it achieves a quality equivalent to manual grinding and polishing automated, fast and cost-effectively.
Unlike traditional surface finishing systems, the DLyte system obtains consistent finish, avoiding any marks on the surface or patterns and is able to process complex geometries without generating micro scratches on the surface and preserving the geometry. DLyte respects the tolerances of the piece, delivering a mirror finish.
The media used is formed by a set of spheres of non-conductive polymeric material that is capable of retaining liquid electrolyte without it being able to escape. When contacting a surface, the sphere can only contact the peaks of roughness, and it is only at these contact points that the oxidation and removal of material occurs.
In this way, the finishing is highly selective, and is better able to maintain the geometry of the piece. This selectivity allows dry electropolishing to achieve the same roughness reduction as liquid electropolishing while removing less metal overall.
“The process extracts the material only from the peaks
of the roughness, it does not round the edges but
penetrates the internal cavities of the piece to which
cannot be accessed mechanically.”
Comparison vs liquid electropolishing
and abrasive finishing
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHING
+ All surfaces contact liquid
+ General oxidation
+ Low discrimination
DRYLYTE TECHNOLOGY
+ Spheres contact on roughness peaks
+ Localized oxidation
+ Selective removal of metal
+ Geometry preservation
+ Improved corrosion resistance
ABRASIVE FINISHING
+ Plastic deformation of roughness peaks
+ Inclusion of broken abrasive
+ No improved resistance to corrosion
+ Rounding of peaks and geometry harm
-
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHINGDRY ELECTROPOLISHINGABRASIVE FINISHING
Just polishing in one step
Grinding + polishing in one step (macro and microscopic finishing)
Several steps required to perform grinding and polishing
No selective grinding: the electrolyte impacts on the valleys' surface)
It improves surfaces selectively, layer by layer, using polymeric particles with a larger diameter than the roughness profile (avoiding the electrolyte's impact on the valleys' surface)--
More than 5 times quicker than mechanical abrasive finishing
Long-lasting processes-
It does not round the edges of the pieces and preserves their geometry
It rounds the edges of the metal parts, since the system is based on applying pressure and movement with abrasive media-
Suitable to treat small corners and dead zones
Not recommended for small corners and dead zones, since it is not able to apply pressure and movement with accuracy-
It makes visible design flaws and material porosity, since DryLyte removes material by ion transport making
It causes plastic deformation of peaks, which can hide design flaws and material porosity-
Suitable for fragile parts, as the media does not apply mechanical forces to the workpieces
It may damage fragile parts, as the surface improvement is done by the application of mechanical forces-
Parts can be treated partially, by not applying electrical conductivity or covering a specific area of the piece, which protects the required areas
It requires the use of very hard materials to protect the areas which requires no treatment-
It achieves clean, inert, and biocompatible surfaces
It may cause broken abrasives inclusions on the surface, which requires a cleaning step-
Suitable for inner channels, by the application of internal cathodes which allow direct electrical conductivity through these channels
Not suitable for inner channels
<50% roughness reduction without modifing geometries
It achieves lower surface roughness (<80% roughness reduction, with low material removal and no patterns on the surface)
It generates scratches on the surface
Side effects (oxidation, passivation, milky surface & orange peel)
No side effects (oxidation, passivation, milky surface & orange peel)-
Non homogeneus results (since the polishing liquid takes a straight way along the surface)
Homogeneous results, as the current flows through the media randomly; this reduces differences in current density within the piece surface features-
Not suitable for all alloys
Suitable for any metal alloy, including cemented carbide (the process time is not affected by the hardness of the material)-
It increses corrosion resistance, but to a lesser extent than dry electropolishing
It increases corrosion resistance up to 4 times comparted to liquid electropolishing, while improving the parts' surface- -
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHINGDRY ELECTROPOLISHINGABRASIVE
Parameter adjustments for different surface areas are required
It does not require adjustments based on the surface to treat
It requires adjustment and maintenance of the media and partially replacement of it to keep the performance within the lifespan
Material removal is difficult to control for pieces with tight tolerances, as it is aggressive in terms of material removal per minute
Controlled and homogeneous results, since it is adjustable in terms of material removal per minute.-
It may generate sludge, which requires to be removed from the tanks and cathodes to keep the process stable
No need of electrolyte adjustment or maintenance, as it is performed automatically by the equipment; the metal removed from the work pieces remains in the media-
It needs replacement of a portion of the used solution for a good performance and to guarantee a high-quality metal surface finishing process
High-quality surface finishing within the whole lifespan of the media, which is replaced completely after its use.--
No need of peripheral equipment to treat parts
It requires waste water cleaning and recirculating systems and sludge treatment equipment-
No need to change the media within the process
It is necessary to change of the media and further handling of parts, since it involves several steps
-
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHINGDRY ELECTROPOLISHINGABRASIVE
Highly-corrosive and toxic liquid mixtures of phosphoric and sulphuric acids. This may be dangerous for professionals during handling.
Electrolyte media with very low acid concentration, which can be handled and stored without additional safety measures
It usually requires compound and chemical accelerators in large amounts, which involves a danger for workers during handling
High risk for workers in case of accidental splashes, as the liquids are corrosives at high temperatures
No risk of accidental splashes, since the media is solid at low temperature-
Handling and maintenance of the tank and the cathode cleaning operation involves risks for the workers, as metals removed from the work pieces remain in the liquid and partially attached to the cathode
Workers are not exposed to the cathode, since metal removed from the work pieces remains in the media
Handling of sludge and compounds with high concentration of metals may be also harmful for workers if protective measures are not strictly ensured
It may require specific safety measures because of gas filtering, to protect human health and environment
DryLyte volatile organic compounds (VOC) are very low, thus requiring no specific safety measures and far below the limits to be dangerous for human health or environment--
It does not generate dust during the process
It generates dust, which can be dangerous for the health, since the particles that cause damage are often invisible to the naked eye; this is why the eventual health effects of exposure can take many years to be visible-
Silent process
The proceess is usually very noisy and can lead to hearing loss in case of inadequate hearing protection or prolonged exposure to noise in the workplace-
No need of additional manual finishing steps
It may require in some cases a final manual buffing to achieve the required surface quality, which involves an additional exposure to dust and toxic particles to workers-
Cleaning method based on a soft ultrasonic or steamer process to remove the electrolyte that remains on the surface of the piece
It requires a complex cleaning process involving toxics to remove any abrasive, oil or other products that remain on the surface of the piece
-
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHINGDRY ELECTROPOLISHINGABRASIVE
It requires additional safety measures to be put in place for proper disposal, due to environmental concerns related to highly corrosive and toxic mixtures of phosphoric and sulfuric acids and sludges containing metals
No additional safety measures required, due to the low acid concentration in the electrolyte
It requires compound and chemical accelerators in large amounts, which involves an eventual risk of discharge into the environment
The post-dip can cause a discharge in waterways or drains
The handling of the electrolyte reduces the probability of discharge in drains and waterways
Liquids used in liquid electropolishing and in the post-dip can cause a discharge in waterways or drains
Sludges and liquids need to be treated by specific services to ensure environmental compliance conforming to regulations.
The waste generated can be handled by standard waste management services
Sludges and liquids need to be treated by specific services to ensure environmental compliance conforming to regulations-
Low water consumption, as it only needs water to adjust conductivity of the media
Large amounts of water are generally necessary to finish, especially for high quality surface finishing requirements; if different materials are processed in the same media, a heavy flow of water is required to prevent pollution
-
LIQUID ELECTROPOLISHINGDRY ELECTROPOLISHINGABRASIVE
It usually requires previous steps to finish the workpieces completely, as well as peripheral equipment to store and treat sludges and liquids
It replaces several finishing steps, including the corrosion resistance improvement in just one compact equipment
It requires several steps to finish the workpieces completely, as well as peripheral equipment to treat water and sludges and an isolated plant to improve corrosion resistance
It requires to be isolated and to put in place specific safety and regulatory measures
There is no need of an isolated plant to process parts, with the consequent reduction of required space in the factory-
It requires replacement and deep cleaning of the tanks to process different materials
It achieves quick an optimal ROI and major savings for high-end applications requiring defect free surfaces (it can process different materials in the same equipment just replacing the media)
It may have some hidden costs including high scrapping ratio-
5 times quicker than abrasive finishing with the consequent reduction of required space in the factory
Long-lasting processes
DLyte solutions consist of three different
typologies based on DryLyte technology,
divided into two types of systems.
Immersion systems
Surface finishing processes by immersion are carried out by placing the metal pieces to be treated in a working bowl or tank filled with electrolytic media, consisting of solid bodies that completely cover the parts. The consumable material chosen may be of different types, depending on the results sought. For this purpose, different kinds of consumable are used: dry polymeric particles without any additive or polymer particles mixed with a moderator liquid that enhances final brightness.
The consumable reduces the surface roughness without impacting on the original geometry, since the metal removal is based on ion transport instead of abrasion of the surface. DLyte’s equipment uses electricity with specific electrical parameters and moves the parts fixed by fixtures inside a bowl full of media. Every time an electrolyte particle impacts the metal surface, there is an ion transport that removes irregularities from the peaks of the surface.
Dry
Dry surface finishing is a patented technology for grinding and polishing metals by ion transport using free solid bodies. This system is based on solid media with no liquid added.
It works by combining the electrical flow created by the high-precision rectifier with the movement of the pieces through the electropolishing media. This results in an ion exchange, removing material only from the peaks of roughness.
How it Works
It is based on dry solid particles for immersion systems. These bodies collide with each other, starting an ion exchange and removing the outer layer of the metal part, to eliminate imperfections on the metal piece.
Dry Surface Finishing’s Benefits
+ Faster surface finishing processes.
+ Easiest to manage.
+ For simple geometries.
Dry Suspension
Dry Suspension is a revolutionary solution based on a new electrolyte that combines polymer particles and a moderator liquid, especially designed to improve the results of conventional dry electropolishing processes.
How it Works
The Dry Suspension consumable consists in a mixture of solid particles and liquid for immersion systems. These free bodies collide into each other, starting an electrolysis process that eliminates imperfections on the surface. The moderator liquid improves the final gloss of the part.
Dry Surface Finishing’s Benefits
+ For complex geometries.
+ Shiniest results.
+ Part protected by the liquid: minimizes undesired
oxidation and reduces the contact surface.
Projection systems
The Dry Projection technology, released to be used in the DLyte eBlast machine, is a new solution that provides a stream of solid-electrolyte particles propelled by a moderator liquid media to improve the surface quality. The media is projected towards a localized area of the piece.
In comparison to liquid electropolishing, this moderator liquid is not directly involved in the surface finishing process. Its main function is carrying the particles; its specifically developed composition contributes to maintain the connectivity and conductivity between particles during the process. Additionally, this liquid creates a protective layer over the metal surface, accumulating especially in roughness valleys, thus protecting the surface from pitting.
Electro-Blasting
This new projected electropolishing opens up a wide range of possibilities for the treatment of metal surfaces with non-homogeneous roughness or complex geometries (the current main obstacle of AM parts), as well as large, heavy pieces. This feature can provide finishing solutions in sectors such as 3D printing, automobile industry, railway and specially injection molds.
How it works
The Dry Suspension system is based on a mixture of solid particles and liquid for projection systems.
Particles collide with each other through the liquid emulsion which, when agitated, becomes conductive.
Dry suspension’s benefits
+ Higher adaptability and customization.
+ For complex geometries.
+ Part protected by the liquid.
How to know which
technology meets your needs
Our surface finishing experts provide guidance about the technology and system that better suit to your surface finishing challenge. Those are some of the key factors which need to be taken into account for a successful choice:
