Tumbling media is any material that is used for modifying or altering the appearance of a part – that is
cleaning, polishing, smoothing parts and separating parts. Tumbling media are abrasive in nature.
Tumbling compounds are compounds that are used in the tumbling process as aids.
The tumbling media is also known as finishing media as it is used to supply the final touches to parts.
The parts to be polished or cleaned or separated are put into tumbling or vibratory machines along with
the tumbling media. When the machinery start to run, the tumbling media and the parts rub adjacent to
each other which supply an abrasive accomplishment. This action in turn gives the smoothing and
polishing effect. There are two types of tumbling media – natural and artificial. Natural tumbling media
include corn cob media and walnut shells media. Corn cob grit is used as tumbling media as it has
effective abrasive and cleaning properties. Walnut shells are also powdered to different grit sizes and
are used in cleaning and polishing. The advantage of tumbling media is that they are bio degradable and
therefore are environment friendly. They are also robust and cost effective. They are characteristically
used in tumbling processes where soft abrasive property is needed.
Artificial tumbling media includes plastic finishing media and ceramic media. Mutually come in
preformed shapes and sizes. Depending on the necessity, the right material, shapes and sizes can be
selected. Plastic tumbling media is set up to be perfect for metal removal, pre plated finishing, fast and
heavy cutting. It is used successfully on metals like brass and aluminium which are soft metals. They are
also ideally suited for use on stringy materials because they prevent burrs rolling over into holes. Plastic
media are first-rate for providing very smooth finishes without much shine. Ceramic tumbling media is
suited for light as well as heavy deburring and in aggressive removing of hard metals. Ceramic media
come in extremely small sizes and they work better than plastic media on heavy parts.
Tumbling compounds are practical in improving the efficiency of tumbling media as they inhibit glazing
over. They also supply additional abrasiveness and assist to sustain the metal colour of the parts being
tumbled. They also help in imparting an anti rusting and anti corrosive properties to the parts apart from
giving shiny and bright finish. They are very effective while cleaning of parts – in de-scaling and heavy
grease removal. They supply a medium that ensures that the cleaned grime does not get re-deposited
on the parts. They also assist in the deburring method and separating of parts. Tumbling compounds are
also good for using with delicate parts as they act as good cushions.
Tumbling compounds can be dry or wet or creamy. They can be ph-balanced, acidic or alkaline in nature
depending on the function they are anticipated to serve in the finishing practice. The flow velocity of the
tumbling compounds has to be maintained in proportion to the amount of the tumbling media used in
order to reach optimum fin