Qu'est-ce qu'une bille d'ébarbage en polystyrène ?

12 septembre 2024

Qu'est-ce qu'une bille d'ébarbage en polystyrène ?

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Physical properties

• Color: Transparent white, pure and beautiful appearance.
• Shape: Spherical particles, with a size between 0.2~1.2 mm, uniform size, can meet the deflashing needs of different precision parts.
• Volume: The density is 0.93-0.96 g/cm³, which is relatively light and easy to operate and transport. It can also be easily and evenly distributed on the treated surface in the application, with a wide coverage, effectively reducing working time and energy consumption during the cleaning process.
• Surface resistivity: Less than 109 ohms, with certain anti-static properties.
• Water absorption: Low, no deformation or performance degradation of the material due to water absorption. This property makes it suitable for applications that require moisture-proof or in humid environments, such as packaging and protection of electronic components and medical devices.
• Thermoplasticity: Its heat deformation temperature is 205°C and its melting point is 220° It has high heat resistance and can work stably within a certain temperature range. Within this temperature range, it can be plasticized by heating and then solidified into a fixed-shape product by cooling. This property makes it an ideal material widely used in manufacturing processes such as injection molding and extrusion molding.

Chemical properties

• Main component: Polystyrene, with stable chemical properties. It is not easy to react with most chemicals. It has good acid resistance, alkali resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, but is sensitive to some organic solvents such as benzene and toluene, and will swell or even dissolve.
• Odor: Odorless and tasteless, will not cause adverse effects on the working environment.

Avantages

Certain strength and stability

The tensile force is 2750, the bending stress is 21000, and the molding shrinkage is between 1.2 – 1.5. These characteristics indicate that it has certain strength and stability, and is not easy to deform or damage during the deflashing process. It can ensure long-term use, reduce the frequency of changing the medium, and save costs.

Uniform spherical particles

The uniform size can contact the surface of the workpiece more evenly, improve the effect and efficiency of deflashing, and compared with irregular-shaped media, spherical particles are more evenly stressed during movement, and can adapt to precision parts of different shapes.

Non-toxic, harmless and dust-free

Polystyrene deflashing beads are odorless, tasteless and non-toxic. In addition, its volume density is light, and it is not easy to raise dust during operation, keeping the working environment clean. This is especially important for the processing of precision parts, because if dust enters the inside of the part, it is likely to affect its performance and reliability. At the same time, a clean working environment is also beneficial to the health of workers, reducing health problems such as respiratory diseases caused by inhaling dust.

No residue

Its low iron content ensures that no impurities are introduced during the deflashing process. The anti-static property helps reduce the possibility of impurities being attracted by static electricity. It is particularly suitable for electrical and electronic fields that require high insulation performance, and can avoid failures or interference caused by static electricity during the deflashing process. This advantage ensures the performance and reliability of precision components.

No damage to the electroplating layer

Polystyrene deflashing beads have a high heat deformation temperature and melting point, and will not damage the electroplating layer due to temperature changes during the deflashing process. At the same time, its stable chemical properties will not react with the electroplating layer. This is very suitable for some parts with electroplated surfaces, because the electroplating layer usually has a protective and decorative effect. If it is damaged, it will not only affect the appearance of the part, but may also reduce its corrosion resistance and other properties.

Differences from nylon polyamide deflashing media

Physical aspects

• Shape: Polystyrene deflashing beads are spherical, while nylon polyamide deflashing media are cylindrical or irregular in shape. When the sphere contacts the workpiece, it is a point contact. Due to the special shape, it can roll and adjust its position more flexibly during the deflashing process to adapt to the surfaces of workpieces with different shapes. In this way, the deflashing force is relatively uniform, and it is not easy to form local over-grinding on the workpiece surface. The cylindrical medium is relatively regular during movement, usually rolling or sliding in a specific direction. This movement characteristic may result in a relatively narrow coverage of deflashing, and for some workpieces with complex shapes, all burrs may not be completely removed.
• Density: The volume density of polystyrene deflashing beads is 0.93-0.96 g/cm³, which is relatively lighter; while the density of nylon polyamide deflashing media is usually larger. The lighter density makes polystyrene deflashing beads lighter and easier to control during operation.

Performance

• Deflashing effect: Polystyrene deflashing beads will not damage the electroplating layer while deflashing, and will not leave any residue. It is suitable for precision parts with high precision requirements, while nylon polyamide deflashing media may need to be adjusted and optimized for some special and complex workpieces.
• Scope of application: The spherical media of polystyrene deflashing beads are evenly stressed during movement, which can reduce scratches and damage to the workpiece surface. They are especially suitable for workpieces with high surface quality requirements, such as precision plastic parts and electroplating surface. Nylon polyamide deflashing media are mainly cylindrical, and the contact with the workpiece is usually line contact or surface contact. This contact mode may produce greater friction on the workpiece surface during deflashing, and is more suitable for workpieces such as metals and plastics that require high wear resistance.

Application Field

Electronic Components

• Background: Electronic components, such as chips and microprocessors, have extremely high requirements for cleanliness and dimensional accuracy during the production process. As electronic devices become increasingly miniaturized, any residual burrs or tiny impurities may cause component failure or affect electrical performance. Traditional mechanical deflashing methods often cannot meet these high-precision requirements, while polystyrene deflashing beads perform well in cleaning electronic component housings and internal components. Its non-abrasive spherical design ensures that the surface layer of the component will not be damaged or cause static electricity problems when removing burrs.
• Application: Bosch, a well-known German electronics manufacturer, uses this technology to deburr precision connectors. The results show that the defective rate of connector components has dropped by about 15%, production efficiency has increased by 20%, the production qualification rate of components has been significantly improved, and electrical failures caused by burr problems have been reduced.

Precision rubber parts

• Background: In industries such as automobiles and medical equipment, precision rubber parts need to maintain a high degree of surface finish and dimensional accuracy. Traditional deflashing methods may cause damage to the rubber surface or excessive wear, while polystyrene deflashing beads can effectively avoid this due to their soft material properties.
• Application: Polystyrene beads are widely used in the production lines of automobile manufacturers such as Toyota. Toyota introduced polystyrene deflashing technology in the manufacturing process of automobile engine seals, successfully reducing the occurrence rate of surface defects of rubber seals: burr problems were reduced by 30%. Since the beads will not remain on the seals while ensuring sealing performance, Toyota’s production costs are effectively controlled.

Precision plastic parts

• Background: Precision plastic parts are widely used in industries with high precision requirements such as medical and aerospace. Deflashing is critical in the manufacturing of these components, especially on plastic parts with complex shapes or many cavities. Improper deflashing media can damage the surface of plastic parts or affect their functionality.
• Application: US medical device company Medtronic uses polystyrene deflashing beads in the cleaning process of plastic housings of its medical implants. Results show that this non-abrasive material can remove micro-burrs while maintaining the smooth surface finish of the plastic without affecting the functionality and safety of the implant. This process successfully reduces the need for secondary processing and improves the efficiency of the production line. By introducing this process, Medtronic has increased the qualified rate of plastic implants by about 18% and shortened the production cycle by 12%, saving the company a lot of time and cost.

Economic Benefits and Environmental Protection

Economic Benefits

• Improve Production Efficiency: The high-efficiency deflashing performance of polystyrene deflashing beads can greatly shorten processing time and improve production efficiency. Compared with traditional deflashing methods, the use of polystyrene deflashing beads can increase production efficiency by more than 40%.
• Reduce Costs: Due to the long service life and low loss rate of polystyrene deflashing beads, it can reduce the production costs of enterprises. Compared with traditional deflashing media, the use of polystyrene deflashing beads can reduce costs by more than 30%.

Environmental protection

• Non-toxic and harmless: Polystyrene deflashing beads are non-toxic and have no harm to the environment and human health. During the production and use process, no harmful substances will be produced, which meets environmental protection requirements.
• Recyclable: Polystyrene deflashing beads can be recycled, reducing resource waste and environmental pollution. Enterprises can collect and process used deflashing beads and then put them back into production, reducing production costs and contributing to environmental protection.

As a new type of sand blasting plastic, polystyrene deflashing beads have shown broad application prospects in the field of precision machining with their unique advantages such as clean and dust-free, no residue, and no damage to the electroplating layer. Its good physical and chemical properties, such as uniform spherical particles, lighter volume density, good heat resistance and water resistance, further enhance its advantages. Through the data presentation of real enterprise cases, we can see the remarkable effects of polystyrene deflashing beads in various fields. At the same time, it also has good economic benefits and environmental protection, providing strong support for the sustainable development of enterprises. With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the sustainable development of industry, it is believed that polystyrene deflashing beads will be used in more fields and make greater contributions to promoting the development of precision manufacturing.

Production process and quality control

 Production process

• Raw material selection

HLH selects high-quality polystyrene as the main raw material, and after strict screening, ensures its high purity, uniform molecular weight distribution, and good physical and chemical properties. In order to meet the needs of different application scenarios, some special additives such as antistatic agents, lubricants, etc. can also be added to improve the performance of deflashing beads.

• Molding method

Adopting advanced injection molding technology, polystyrene is heated to a molten state, and then injected into a precision mold, and spherical deflashing beads are formed after cooling and solidification. The injection molding process can ensure that the deflashing beads have high dimensional accuracy, regular shape, and smooth surface, which is conducive to improving the deflashing effect and efficiency.

Quality control

• Strict size detection

During the production process, high-precision measuring equipment will be used to strictly detect the size of the deflashing beads to ensure that their size is within the specified range. For deflashing beads whose size does not meet the requirements, timely screening and processing will be carried out to ensure the consistency and reliability of the product.

• Strength test

In order to ensure that the deflashing beads have sufficient strength and stability during use, strength tests will be carried out. Test methods include tensile tests, bending tests, etc. to evaluate the tensile force, bending stress and other performance indicators of the deflashing beads. Only deflashing beads that pass the strength test can enter the market for sale to ensure the quality and safety of the product.

• Anti-static performance verification

Since polystyrene deflashing beads have certain anti-static properties, anti-static performance verification is required. Verification methods include surface resistivity tests, static decay time tests, etc. to ensure that the anti-static performance of the deflashing beads meets the requirements. If the anti-static performance does not meet the requirements, corresponding adjustments and improvements will be made to improve the anti-static performance of the product.

• Quality traceability system

Establish a complete quality traceability system, number and record each batch of polystyrene deflashing beads, so that when quality problems occur, they can be traced back to the production link in time, find out the root cause of the problem and solve it. The quality traceability system can effectively improve the quality control level of products and protect the rights and interests of users.