The Complete Guide to Aluminum Deburring:
How to Use “Rubber Grinding Stones”
to Prevent Secondary Burrs and Maintain Precision

Characteristics of Conventional Deburring Methods

General grinding stones and abrasive papers can easily secure removal capability, but contact tends to become localized, concentrating load on edges.
Operators adjust by how strongly they press the tool, but pressing too hard tends to round the edges, while too lightly leaves burrs behind.

Discomfort Felt on the Shop Floor

During operation, the contact may suddenly feel heavier. This is the timing when chips clog and cutting performance dulls.
Continuing work in that state shifts the motion closer to rubbing rather than cutting, making the surface more prone to roughness.

Technical Reasons for Burrs and Secondary Burrs

Burrs are unintended rollovers generated during cutting processes, and in the removal process, the rollover may fall in the opposite direction, becoming a secondary burr.
Aluminum is particularly soft, and chips tend to remain on the tool surface, so as clogging progresses, this phenomenon is more likely to repeat.

Relationship Between Clogging and Structure

General grinding stones consist of abrasive grains, bonding material, and pores, with the pores serving as escape paths for chips.
However, depending on processing conditions, chips may clog these pores, reducing cutting performance.
This leads to deterioration of surface roughness and re-adhesion.

Common Improvement Measures and Their Limits

Optimization of cutting conditions and review of tool replacement frequency are often carried out.
While these are certainly effective to some extent,unless the structure of the tool itself changes, clogging and uneven contact will remain.

Differences by Tool (Comparison)

Why Rubber Grinding Stones Are Suitable

Elasticity disperses contact, reducing localized load on edges. In addition, deformation of the rubber facilitates chip discharge, maintaining a state where clogging is less likely to progress.
This maintains the action of abrasive grains, making it easier for cutting and polishing to proceed simultaneously.

Structural Differences

While general grinding stones have a porous structure, elastic rubber grinding stones have a non-porous structure. This difference changes the mechanism of chip discharge and the behavior of clogging.

Practical Example in the Field

In aluminum housings for automotive parts, edge drooping becomes an issue when deburring around holes.
By using a rubber grinding stone and applying it lightly as if tracing the surface, appropriate deburring (edge finishing) can be achieved.
Applying excessive force disturbs the surface, so the key is to maintain a light contact feel.

Changes After Introduction (Organized Based on Machining Theory)

By using rubber grinding stones, edge shape stability is more easily achieved in terms of quality, and the occurrence of rework decreases.
In terms of operation, differences in how the tool is applied among operators are less likely to appear, reducing process variation and leading to improved reproducibility.

Common Problems and Countermeasures

Surface roughness due to excessive pressure

Depending on the type of rubber grinding stone, applying too much pressure can collapse its elasticity, resulting in contact similar to that of a conventional grinding stone.
In such cases, it is necessary to apply it lightly and let it glide.

Incorrect grit selection

If the grit is too coarse, scratches remain; if too fine, removal does not progress. Select progressively based on the condition of the previous process.

Summary

In aluminum deburring, the contact characteristics of the tool and clogging behavior determine the outcome.
Rubber grinding stones, which have elasticity and chip discharge capability, contribute to suppressing secondary burrs and stabilizing the finish.
Proper grit selection and adjustment of application method according to field conditions are important. Verifying optimal usage under conditions close to actual operation is effective.