Incoming and process QA

Abrasive Quality Control

Media quality control protects finishing stability. Check shape, size, density, abrasive grade, contamination, wear, and traceability before drift reaches production parts.

Incoming inspection Compound control Traceability

Abrasive media quality control samples for tumbling and vibratory finishing

Incoming media checks

Confirm media type, grade, shape, and nominal size.
Inspect for broken pieces, dust, contamination, and mixed lots.
Verify that media cannot lodge in controlled part features.
Record supplier lot, date received, and process assignment.

In-process checks

Track compound concentration and water quality.
Monitor foam, staining, sludge, and media loading.
Compare cut rate against burr height or edge-radius data.
Remove undersize media before it enters critical features.

Failure mode	Likely cause	Corrective action
Media lodged in holes	Wrong size, worn undersize fraction, or part geometry change.	Change size or shape, screen media, update control plan.
Slow burr removal	Media too fine, worn, loaded, or wrong abrasive grade.	Refresh media, increase aggressiveness, check compound and water.
Part staining	Wrong compound concentration, dirty water, contamination, or poor rinsing.	Adjust chemistry, improve rinsing, clean machine and media.
Excessive dents	Low media ratio, too many parts, high speed, or heavy media on soft material.	Increase media-to-parts ratio, reduce load, use plastic media, lower speed.

Connect QA back to process selection

If quality drift continues after media and compound controls are stable, revisit equipment choice using the tumbling vs vibratory finishing comparison. Some parts need a lower-impact vibratory process or a higher-energy centrifugal barrel route.