Smooth surfaces with low roughness ensure smooth operation in many applications, often coupled with better wear behaviour, lower energy consumption and less noise. Smoothing focusses on creating a surface with low roughness and high load-bearing capacity rather than visual aesthetics.
In the jewellery and luxury goods industry, on the other hand, smooth and shiny surfaces contribute to the visual appeal and optical quality of the products. This requires very smooth, polished and haptically sophisticated surfaces.
In order to achieve smooth and polished surfaces, prior grinding - i.e. levelling of the rough surface - is of central importance. Depending on the initial condition, several graduated grinding operations are necessary. Starting with coarse grinding, e.g. for levelling strong milling or turning grooves, through fine grinding to ultra-fine grinding (smoothing) to reduce the roughness in preparation for polishing without grinding additives. Only those who grind sufficiently well can achieve good polishing results.
It is important to note that the choice between wet and dry polishing in mass finishing depends on various factors, including the type of material to be processed, the desired surface properties and the specific requirements of the work process.
In wet polishing, compound in water is used as a cleaning, cooling and lubricating agent.The water improves heat dissipation during the sanding process, which helps to protect sensitive surfaces of precious metals or plastics. The compound and water mixture helps to remove the grinding sludge and abrasion from the processed surface, which leads to cleaner results.In combination with the soap effect, the compound in water serves as a lubricant that reduces the friction between the polishing media and the workpiece, thus reducing the formation of scratches and surface defects.
Dry polishing with polishing paste on granules or wooden cubes is a common method for high-gloss polishing of sensitive workpieces made of non-ferrous metal, titanium and steel alloys.The disadvantages here are often the heat development and the risk of scratch formation due to abrasion inclusions on the workpiece surface with soft materials.