Question 1

How do I know whether my parts need polishing, shot blasting, or both?

Accepted Answer

Shot blasting removes surface scale and provides uniform matte finish preparation for powder coating or anodizing, while polishing creates smooth, reflective surfaces for visible components or applications requiring low friction.

Parts destined for surface coating typically need only shot blasting, whereas consumer-facing products like marine hardware or pneumatic tool housings often require polishing before coating for premium appearance.

Question 2

What's the difference between hanger, drum, and vibratory barrel shot blasting methods?

Accepted Answer

Hanger shot blasting suspends individual parts for controlled exposure, ideal for large or complex geometries requiring specific blast angles. Drum blasting tumbles high volumes of smaller parts together for efficient processing.

Vibratory grinding produced round edges for delicate features or thin-walled castings requiring deburring.

Question 3

Can polishing remove porosity or surface defects from die castings?

Accepted Answer

Polishing removes minor surface imperfections and smooths texture but cannot eliminate subsurface porosity or deep defects. If your application requires cosmetic Class A surfaces, specify this during quoting so our mold engineering team can optimize gate placement and venting to minimize surface defects in critical areas.

Heavy polishing to remove defects can create dimensional inconsistencies.

Question 4

How does in-house polishing and shot blasting reduce my lead times?

Accepted Answer

Components move directly from our 12 die casting machines to finishing operations within our 9,900 m² Taiwan facility without external shipping.

This eliminates the typical 3-5 day coordination delay when polishing is outsourced, and prevents quality control gaps between suppliers. Parts can proceed from casting to surface preparation to coating in a continuous workflow.

Question 5

What surface roughness (Ra) can you achieve through polishing and shot blasting?

Accepted Answer

Shot blasting typically produces Ra 1.6-3.2 μm depending on media size and blast intensity, providing ideal tooth for powder coating adhesion. Mechanical polishing achieves Ra 0.4-0.8 μm for smooth surfaces.

We verify surface roughness using our 2 dedicated testers before components proceed to coating operations.

Question 6

Will shot blasting damage thin-walled sections or delicate features on my castings?

Accepted Answer

Our team selects media size and blast intensity based on wall thickness and feature geometry. Thin-walled sections below 2mm receive vibratory barrel finishing rather than aggressive hanger blasting.

Question 7

What's the maximum part size your polishing and shot blasting equipment can handle?

Accepted Answer

Our hanger shot blaster accommodates parts up to 600mm from our 900T die casting machine, while drum blasting handles components up to approximately 150mm efficiently.

Polishing capacity depends on geometry, but our 8 mechanical polishing machines process parts from small pneumatic tool components to large marine hardware and agricultural machinery housings.