Manual, Flexdeburr, RC‑660 Series
Document #9610‑50‑1017‑10
Pinnacle Park • 1031 Goodworth Drive • Apex, NC 27539 USA • Tel: +1.919.772.0115 • Fax: +1.919.772.8259 • www.ati‑ia.com
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Interior corners represent a complex situation for compliant deburring tools. In general, the cutter must not
be allowed to simultaneously contact both perpendicular surfaces of an interior corner. The resulting force
imbalance in two planes will cause severe tool chatter. The customer is advised to create a tool path that
prevents the cutter from simultaneously contacting two perpendicular surfaces. A tapered cutter may reach
further into such an interior corner if the tool is presented in an inclined orientation and closer to the tip of
the tool (Note: When working near the tip of a tapered cutter, the surface cutting speed is reduced.)
When deburring interior radii, a similar situation may arise. The customer is advised that no attempt should
be made to deburr an interior radius less than 1.5 times the diameter of the desired cutter (Rmin = 1.5 x
Cutter diameter). Depending on the depth of cut, failing to follow these guidelines may result in excessive
cutter contact resulting in excessive tool chatter.
When running the robot program the first time, observe the path with the radial compliance air supply turned
down to approximately 0.35 bar (5 psi). When the robot path speed is increased, it is important to notice
that robot may deviate from the programmed path. Verify that at operational robot path speed, the bur is
deflected but contacts the work surface. Once the robot path has been confirmed, the compliance force of the
bur should be adjusted, as described in
, in order to achieve a correct depth of cut.
4.5 Cutter Operation and Bur Selection
The RC deburring tool performs best in “climb milling”, a scenario where direction of travel and bur
rotation are the same. In the case of the RC deburring tools, the bur rotation is clockwise when viewed
from above. Climb milling therefore involves clockwise motion around the part being deburred. In climb
milling, the heaviest cut is made as the tool enters the work piece and the chip becomes narrower as the cut
is completed. In “conventional milling”, the bur travels in a direction opposite of bur rotation. This may aid
in bur stability for some operations; however, the cutting edge of the tool is subjected to higher friction and
cutting forces. Tool wear is accelerated in this mode and surface finish quality will generally be reduced.
When “conventional milling”, extra care must be taken around corners. This poses a potential hazard where
the cutting force can deflect the bur causing the bur to break as the robot continues along its path.
The selection of a bur is highly dependent upon the part material and geometry, and the depth of cut. It is not
practical to present all the possibilities in this document. Please see
for a short
list of burs and suitable applications. It is worth mentioning here that a specific family of burs is available
for working with die cast alloys, aluminum, and plastics. These burs have fewer teeth and increased relief to
minimize chip loading.
Plastics represent the most difficult deburring challenge due to the phenomenon of chip re‑welding. In this
process, if the bur is dull or the feeds and speeds are not correct for the material removed, chips will melt
and weld to the cutter or the work piece. This problem can quickly load a bur and produce unacceptable
results. In general, the traverse or feed rate of the deburring tool will be higher for plastics to minimize this
behavior. This solution results in larger cuts, which more effectively remove heat from the bur‑tool interface.
4.5.1 Bur Selection
Standard length commercial burs are used with Flexdeburr products. The length of these tools
is typically around 2 inches for 1/4” shank diameter burs (50 mm for 6 mm diameter). Avoid
using longer shank burs are available from industrial suppliers and appear in their catalogs with
descriptions such as “long” or “extended” shank. Using extended or long shank burs in the
Flexdeburr place higher loads and vibrations on the motor bearings resulting in reduced motor life.
Bearing failure caused by the use of extended shank burs is not covered under warranty.
CAUTION:
Do not use long or extended shank burs with the Flexdeburr.
Long shank tools can lead to premature failure of the turbine motor and
is not covered under warranty. Use standard length commercial burs with
the Flexdeburr.
ATI can provide guidance in bur selection; however, only experimentation will yield the results
desired. The following table is presented to assist in bur selection.