Carbide-roll burnishing tools by Elliott Tool Technology produce a mirror-like surface finish while eliminating secondary operations, machining setups, and operator labor and cost. These cost-effective, easy-to-use carbide rolls from Monaghan Tooling Group improve surface irregularities and tool marks, producing optimum surface finishes of 4-20 microinch (0.1 to 0.5 µm).

They are ideal for both CNC turning centers and manual lathes, for OD and ID/OD burnishing applications. This technique can eliminate secondary processes, such as grinding, honing and polishing, by automating those processes in the primary CNC machine. Doing so saves setup and processing time and labor costs and also enhances machinery utilization and shop floor productivity.

Carbide rolls can be reconditioned several times, yielding economical tool life. Shank sizes are available from 1.5" to 2.0" in diameter, or 40 mm to 50 mm, to process overall length of 9.5 " (241.3 mm) to 18" (457.2 mm). Roll radius from 0.032" (0.787 mm) to 0.093" (2.36 mm) are available.

Spherical surface burnish tools, available in either 1" or 25 mm square shank size, with a .125" radius, are for burnishing spherical and contoured surfaces to finishes as low as 2 to 8 Ra microinch. Other sizes and spherical designs available on request.

Carbide roll burnishing is ideal for a wide variety of parts and ductile metals under Rc40, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum and cast iron. A Concord, NH job shop recently experienced the benefits of this tooling in a heavy machining horizontal table lathe application. An exceptional finish was needed on the ID of a roughly 6' diameter ring made of a stainless grade with an average hardness of Rc33. The ID had both parallel and tapered walls. Starting with a pre-burnished surface finish of 120 Ra microinch, they were able to obtain a single digit surface finish in a single pass at 450 sfm and 0.035 ipr. This eliminated many hours of fine boring and hand polishing. "I would estimate we are machining these parts in 1/10th the time we were previous: from 40 hours to 4 hours," said the company President, "We're very happy with it!"

Elliott carbide roll tools increase the surface hardness through the cold working process and compressive forces, and increase metal's resistance to fatigue and failure at stress points while producing a dense and uniform surface.