Finishing - September-October 2023
As we reach the end of summer which has not been the greatest in terms of weather it will be interesting to see which way the wind is blowing in regard to the environment as the next general election approaches. I live close to London and the ULEZ extension has been on top of the agenda for many people. The statistics on London’s air quality are extremely worrying with the WHO saying that air pollution far exceeds limits. Do we ignore the evidence and continue to put lives at risk? I would imagine we would not like a polluting business near our home or place of work and it is impressive that finishing companies are stepping up and taking on board their environmental responsibilities. We are all aware that there is a cost involved, but it seems a small price to pay for a healthy future. John Hatcher, Editor
As we reach the end of summer which has not been the greatest in terms of weather it will be interesting to see which way the wind is blowing in regard to the environment as the next general election approaches.
I live close to London and the ULEZ extension has been on top of the agenda for many people. The statistics on London’s air quality are extremely worrying with the WHO saying that air pollution far exceeds limits. Do we ignore the evidence and continue to put lives at risk? I would imagine we would not like a polluting business near our home or place of work and it is impressive that finishing companies are stepping up and taking on board their environmental responsibilities.
We are all aware that there is a cost involved, but it seems a small price to pay for a healthy future.
John Hatcher, Editor
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56 PROFILE<br />
Sustainable innovation<br />
Sustainability and the environmental<br />
impact of manufacturing processes are<br />
driving innovation across all industries<br />
including surface finishing. Incumbent<br />
component finishing technologies are well<br />
understood and provide the required surface<br />
finish but are reliant on practices that<br />
generate operational difficulties through high<br />
manual input, the use of toxic materials, lack<br />
of flexibility and the use of several non-value<br />
added steps.<br />
With this in mind, TextureJet, a UK based<br />
company originally spun-out from the<br />
University of Nottingham, developed its Stat<br />
technology. The machines utilise a highly<br />
localised variant of electrochemical machining,<br />
known as electrochemical jet machining<br />
(EJM). Stat can readily finish any metallic<br />
component without affecting the surface<br />
integrity and only using green chemistry<br />
electrolytes. This vitally eliminates the use of<br />
any toxic and dangerous chemicals, such as<br />
hydrofluoric acid, which are still prevalently<br />
used in the finishing of Titanium and other<br />
difficult materials. In addition, TextureJet’s<br />
electrolytes are recaptured and reused in a<br />
closed loop system, which drastically reduces<br />
total waste generation by > 80%.<br />
In contrast to legacy processes, Stat has the<br />
flexibility to apply a variety of different surface<br />
finishes using the same technology. Whether<br />
this be, roughening to prepare the surface for<br />
bonding or coating, super polishing to reduce<br />
friction and wear properties (0.1μm to 30μm<br />
Ra range), applying complex patterns for<br />
aesthetics and part marking using a direct<br />
write method or de-coating for reworking<br />
purposes. The EJM process is also unique in<br />
that it enables targeted finishing and so does<br />
not require masking to create any of the<br />
different surface finishes.<br />
TextureJet developed Stat to be versatile<br />
and automation agnostic, so it can be readily<br />
used in any industry without the need for a<br />
highly specialist workforce. This is<br />
demonstrated by TextureJet’s current line of<br />
expansion units, which offer a range of<br />
automation, precision and flexibility to suit the<br />
needs of each application. This includes:<br />
• JetWrite, a manually operated handheld<br />
device that requires minimal setup and<br />
operator skill. Ideal for on-site repairs and<br />
touch-ups on small-scale production runs, and<br />
de-coating applications.<br />
• PrecisionJet is a 3-axis gantry system,<br />
which is perfect for precisely controlled<br />
surface finishing operations and larger<br />
production runs, offering key increased<br />
automation capabilities such as interpreting g-<br />
code natively.<br />
• Robot Cell, which offers flexibility to do<br />
anything from one-off bespoke parts to<br />
production line integration. The robot system<br />
is perfect for scaling production and its highly<br />
articulated nature simplifies automation for<br />
complex geometries and access to hard-toreach<br />
areas.<br />
TextureJet’s technology offers unparalleled<br />
benefits in both sustainability and targeted<br />
flexible surface finishing, by eliminating toxic<br />
chemicals, drastically reducing waste<br />
generation and providing a multitude of<br />
different surface finishes. In the ongoing<br />
challenge to achieve sustainable<br />
manufacturing, Stat represents the game<br />
changing next generation surface finishing<br />
solution that the industry so desperately<br />
needs.<br />
If you would like to learn more about<br />
TextureJet and discuss your surface processing<br />
needs, please get in touch with us at<br />
sales@texturejet.com<br />
<strong>Finishing</strong> - <strong>September</strong>/<strong>October</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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