Schaltbau automates de-flashing process with Rösler’s wire mesh belt blast machine

Schaltbau has automated the de-flashing of plastic housings at its German location. The company chose a Rösler wire mesh belt blast machine, model RSAB 370-T1+1, compliant with ATEX regulations, which helped cut personnel costs by half. Salzbau produces contactors, plug connections, switches, and safety components, including Eddicy, for ultra-modern solutions for safe switching operations.

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The company produces these products at multiple locations in Germany, Europe, the United States, and Asia, including a plant in Aldersbach, Germany. Armin Voggenreiter, director of operations at the Aldersbach plant, emphasises the importance of identifying cost reduction possibilities for every manufacturing step.

The project managers at Schaltbau presented a task to two equipment manufacturers, whose machines are already used in other company manufacturing areas.

Armin Voggenreiter explains, “Rösler was one of the two suppliers we talked to. We know this company well because it has been a reliable partner of ours in the field of mass finishing.”

The selection of the right blast machine for de-flashing housing components was crucial, as it had to be extremely gentle and free of residual blast media. Rösler presented the highly flexible wire mesh belt blast machine, model RSAB 370-T1+1, as the most suitable solution for continuous, gentle de-flashing. The de-flashing trials at Rösler were conducted in a comparable machine, and the excellent results of the processing trials convinced the company that the Rösler equipment concept was the best for their purposes.

The de-flashing process involves manually placing duroplast components on a wear-resistant wire mesh belt, with transport speed stored in a processing program. The blast chamber is equipped with two W32 turbines, one placed above and the other below the wire mesh belt, allowing blast media to reach workpieces on all sides for de-flashing in one pass through the machine. Any dust created during the process is continuously removed, and the standard blow-off system and additional compressed air blow-off device ensure that any residual blast media is removed from the de-flashed components.

At the machine outlet, a chute transfers the finished housing components to a separate conveyor belt system in an “L” shape design for returning them to the loading section. This allowed the company to reduce personnel costs by around 40%. The shot blast machine is placed in a noise-absorbing cabin to minimize operating noise. The RSAB 370-T1+1 also includes an anti-static system with automatic compound dosing, which practically eliminates the risk of dust and blast media adhering to the de-flashed components.