After bending, boring, laser cutting or shearing, traces of metal often appear on the edge of tube or pipe. Called burrs, these sharp metal remnants can cause problems if not addressed. Burrs can cause safety hazards for handling or prevent component parts from fitting together properly.
For these reasons, edges and surfaces should be inspected and "deburred", or ground down as needed, after machining.
Deburring not only eases the handling process but can also enhance the perceived quality of the part. Additionally, this simple but necessary operation can help prevent rework and scrap costs.
Deburring can be done manually or within a CNC machine. Depending on the size of the burr and the desired edge, an operator can easily refine the surface of the part with an electric sanding tool, a rotating disk brush or a water jet.
Another approach is for the operator to configure their machine to add a deburring option while the part is in process. This may help to minimize debris left on the edge of the part, helping to streamline any additional time needed to remove unwanted fragments of metal.
Overall, deburring is important to achieve a quality result and maintain a safe working environment. Having deburring as a standard step in production can also help to increase consistency and reliability in the manufacturing process.