Burnishing Media Balls, Cones, Pins, Diagonals, and More

Burnishing Media Services

At STR Industries, we specialize in producing steel metal parts for a variety of industrial and commercial needs. With over 50 years of experience, and over 500 million pieces of stainless-steel media produced, we understand how to create high-quality products to serve virtually any need. For every assignment, we satisfy tolerance requirements, budgetary restrictions, and timeline limitations to offer the overall best product quality and service. Our streamlined manufacturing operation enables us to reduce costs for customers around the world, and we can do the same for you.

One of our most in-demand services include burnishing and deburring mechanical parts and metal products. The following guide explains what these services entail and how they’re used.

What Is Ball Burnishing?

Burnishing is the process of smoothing and hardening a metal to ensure maximum usability and durability. It produces a shiny, mirror-like finish on metal surfaces that is resistant to corrosion, wear, and breakage.

To burnish a piece of metal, a technician first places it into a spinning horizontal barrel and then a vibratory tub filled with abrasive burnishing media. These parts gently vibrate against the piece, polishing and smoothing it to perfection. If the object has any micro-inconsistencies, the weight of the surrounding media scours these flaws away. After the plating process, the technician removes the metal ball from the burnishing machine and uses a separate device to finish and spin the product dry.

Once the process is complete, the metal will have a mirror-like luster and be harder and stronger than before.

Burnishing Benefits

Burnishing offers several additional benefits, including:

Cost-effectiveness, as the material will last longer, which reduces the need for repairs or replacement
Enhanced smoothness and hardness
High degree of dimensional control
Increased resistance to corrosion, cracks, and breakage
Visual perfection and an aesthetically pleasing, smooth finish
Compatible parts that fit seamlessly into machinery, eliminating the need for other applications or processes

Burnishing Media From STR Industries

STR Industries uses our own burnishing media to polish and finish metal parts. We create burnishing media using stainless steel media and carbon media, as these high-density materials are hard enough to polish and smooth most metal alloys.

We can also tailor our burnishing media to suit any size product and engineering tolerance. We understand how important it is to manufacture metal parts that perfectly suit your industrial machinery, which is why we customize our burnishing service to include a variety of burnishing shapes and sizes.

Media Shapes

We polish metal pieces using a variety of media shapes, including:

Balls
Ball cones
Cones
Pines
Diagonals

These shapes create distinct polishing effects that allow us to achieve different finishes and reach every crevice.

Variety of Shapes and Sizes in Ceramic Burnishing Media

When considering ceramic burnishing media, there’s a broad spectrum of shapes and sizes available to suit different polishing needs. This variety ensures that you have the right tool for achieving the perfect finish on your materials.

Shapes Available:

Cylindrical: Ideal for reaching into corners and edges.
Triangular: Useful for applying even pressure on flat surfaces.
Ball or Spherical: Great for ensuring a smooth finish on curved surfaces.
Cone: Best for precision work in detailed areas.
Pin-shaped: Perfect for applications that require fine detailing.

Size Options:

The sizes vary considerably to accommodate different machinery and project scales:

Small (1-5mm): Perfect for delicate or intricate work where precision is key.
Medium (6-15mm): Versatile for both general-purpose and specific tasks.
Large (16mm and above): Suitable for heavy-duty applications on larger surfaces.

Why Size and Shape Matter

Selecting the right shape and size is crucial to achieve the desired level of polish and efficiency in the process. By choosing the appropriate media, you can ensure consistent results and maximize the effectiveness of your polishing operations.

Media Piece Sizes

Our media pieces also come in a range of sizes between 1/8″ and 1″.

Smaller media pieces create an attractive, flawless finish, and deliver the most accuracy because it has more points of contact with the object that’s being polished.
Larger media pieces, on the other hand, work best to deburr metal parts with large inconsistencies and sharp edges.

Available Types of Ceramic Burnishing Media

If you’re exploring the world of ceramic burnishing media, there are several types you can consider for purchase, each offering unique specifications ideal for different applications.

Popular Ceramic Burnishing Media

Here are some of the popular types of ceramic burnishing media available:

Porcelain Media: Known for its smooth finish, porcelain media is typically available in various sphere sizes, such as 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm. This versatility in size makes it suitable for diverse tasks from deburring to producing a pre-polished finish.
Angle Cut Cylinders: Often used for more aggressive material removal, these cylinders usually come in specific dimensions like 3/16 x 3/8 inches, providing consistent results across batches.

Key Features to Consider

When selecting ceramic burnishing media, take into account:

Shape and Size: Determines the media’s ability to access different surface areas and impact the finish.
Density and Composition: Affects the durability and the quality of the polishing or pre-polishing actions.

For specialized or larger-scale needs, always reach out to suppliers who can guide you to the right product or offer custom solutions to fit your unique requirements.

Industrial Applications

Our burnishing and deburring services are practical for a broad range of applications—here are just a few common examples:

Zinc die-castings
Mint burnishing
Creating a mirror finish for cutlery or jewelry
Manufacturing and industrial parts

These high-quality ceramic polishing formulations ensure precision and efficiency in your projects. Each product is carefully crafted to enhance your workflow, providing reliable performance at competitive prices. If you need assistance or more information about quantity discounts, reach out for specialized support.

When considering the price range for ceramic burnishing media, you can expect a variety of options suitable for different budgets. Prices generally start at around $50 for smaller quantities or less specialized media, ideal for hobbyists or small-scale projects.

Mid-range options typically fall between $100 and $200. These are suitable for more routine industrial applications and often come in larger quantities or offer enhanced durability and performance.

Premium ceramic burnishing media can go up to $300 or more. These high-end products are often engineered for specific applications or industries, offering superior wear resistance and efficiency.

Overall, the price range spans from about $50 to over $300, depending on the quality, quantity, and specific features of the media.

Contact STR for Your Burnishing Media Needs

STR Industries offers competitive pricing and excellent customer service, in addition to reliable and high-quality burnishing and metal finishing treatments. We thoroughly inspect every item before shipping and complete assignments on schedule. No project is too large or small for us to handle, and we ship worldwide. To learn more about our burnishing process and capabilities, contact us or request a quote today.