HISTORY

United was founded in 1997 with the acquisition of an existing small manufacturer and importer of Centrifugal Barrel finishing systems. Convinced that the technology was sound and forward looking, the management invested millions of dollars in developing and advancing the technology to serve a myriad of industries. The company also took on the task of redesigning and reengineering the equipment in order to qualify for ISO and UL standards.

To maintain these standards in 1998 the company decided to stop importing these machines and manufacture them in the United States. After two years of extensive redesign and engineering, the founders of UNITED filed and received several US patents and several foreign patents. Patent at hand UNITED began manufacturing all of the machines its Southern California facility, this was necessary in order to control all aspect of fabrication and assembly of the machines. More recently United decided to expand its operations by offering processing services, filling a void in the industry, and acknowledging customer demands.

Our lab technicians have access to thousands of, proprietary, process files to assist in processing customer parts. United has been accumulating these process files over decades, for thousands of different parts from hundreds of different industries.

WHAT IS CENTRIFUGAL BARREL FINISHING (CBF)?

High Energy Centrifugal Barrel Finishing has been a method of heavy stock removal and deburring since the 1940’s. UNITED’s patented machines and processes rely on a commonly used method for polishing objects, which can be referred to as centrifugal force tumbling.  In its most basic form, this approach consists of a Turret and four barrel which rotate at a high rate of speed exceeding 250RPM. At these speeds G forces in excess of 20G’s can be generated inside the barrels. The centrifugal force pushes the work pieces and the media to the periphery of the barrels. Since the barrels are rotated in the opposite direction of the turret (similar to a Farris wheel) at a 1:1ratio, a slide is created within the barrel which causes the media to move across the work pieces and abrade the surface removing minute amounts of material at every rotation. Due to the high centrifugal force, the work pieces do not tumble thus eliminating part on part impingement that other systems are prone to create. By implementing extremely high gravitational forces upon the media mass, high amounts of aggression is exerted upon the part load, resulting in a drastically reduced cycle time in comparison to alternative methods of mass finishing. The system can completely automate the finishing process.

HOW CAN AXYS' CBFs HELP MY OPERATIONS?

Utilizing the UNITED machines, manufacturers will be able to finish parts in as little as 5 minutes as opposed to the manual process which may take as long

 several hours or even days. Eliminating the labor intensiveness will allow manufacturers to complete finishing in their primary production facilities rather than suffer the inventory and logistical problems of shipping parts to and from deburring houses.  In addition, the quality of finish is dramatically better with the UNITED process.  All surfaces are uniformly finished, including undulations, grooves, holes and the crevasses. The entire part is exposed during the process, so the backs, the sides and the bottoms are also deburred and polished.  Further, UNITED’S process uses primarily water and other non-toxic and biodegradable materials unlike conventional manual processes.  If all of that were not enough, all of this is done at a fraction of the cost of manual deburring or polishing.

WHAT IS CPC?

The biggest drawback to early model CBF systems has been the ability to harness the energy created within the barrel and reduce or eliminate part on part damage or impingement. The development of the CPC™ (Computerized Programmable Controller) by UNITED has overcome these perils. The CPC™ is a PLC controlled High Energy Centrifugal Barrel with a touch screen interface, process storage capabilities and total G-Force control. By monitoring loading and process operations, the ability to achieve ultra-fine finishes on all materials, while controlling impingement, is a consistent and continuous reality, resulting in higher production rates, lower part costs and reduced material costs. The CPC™ controls are only available through UNITED.  The CPC system makes the operation and maintenance of the machines simple. By localizing all of the controls to a single touch screen all the operational functions and information is a touch away, including the prompts for maintenance and trouble shooting.

WILL THESE SYSTEMS WORK IN MANUFACTURING CELLS?

These systems are ideal for lean manufacturing operations. The machines are portable enough and don’t require any setup time to change processes.

If and when one project is complete United’s system can adapt to new projects within minutes.

HOW DO YOU PREVENT OVER PROCESSING?

United’s systems, only ones available with PLC/Touch screen controls, prevent operator errors. All the parameters are inputted in the system prior to processing with digital lockout systems to prevent tempering by operator.

HOW DO THESE SYSTEMS COMPARE TO VIBRATORY SYSTEMS?

The only similarity between a Vibratory systems and a CBF is that they both use abrasive media during processing. The following are some of the differences:

1) Vibratory systems generate 1G of force vs. 20+ G’s generated by a CBF. This results in process cycles 20 times faster. This higher G forces also forces the abrasive into tighter corners and holes that a Vibratory cannot access because the media merely bounces off the part.

2) Vibratory systems work as the name sounds; they vibrate, causing the parts to bounce against one another thus causing part on part impingement.

Whereas the CBFs generate a sliding motion inside the barrels, even when parts come into contact with one another they don’t destroy each other.

3) The processes in vibratories cannot be controlled. In most cases an operator will place parts in the bowls and periodically inspect a part to check for “doneness”. Unfortunately the same process will yield a different result during the next cycle. A CBF however will achieve consistent results every time.

4) If you are looking to process soft material like aluminum, and you are trying to achieve a flat surface or a finish with a high luster, a Vibratory simply cannot comply. A CBF will achieve high polished surface finish, which is why Jewelers prefer CBFs.

WHAT TYPE OF ACCURACY AND CONSISTENCY CAN I EXPECT?

Thanks to the CPC™ system once a process has been developed and stored in the system you can expect above 99% accuracy and consistency.

Unlike manual deburring all the parameters of the process are controlled thus eliminating the possibility of damage to parts.

WHAT TYPES OF CHEMICALS ARE USED IN THE PROCESS?

None! We don’t use any hazardous chemicals in our process. The only components used in the process are: 1) Customer part, 2) abrasive media, 3) water and 4) detergent.

HOW TIGHT OF A TOLERANCE CAN WE HOLD?

Due to the nature of the process, 0.000001 tolerances can be held through our CPC™ systems. No one else can make this claim.

WHAT CAN THESE SYSTEMS DO?

Deburr: Most common use to remove all types of burrs after machining process.

De-scale: Optimal method of removing scale after heat treat, without the use of chemicals or media blasting.

Radius/ Edge break: controlled edge break without distortion. Achieve a perfect and consistent radius.

De-flash: remove flash from all type of castings, injection molded parts including plastics and rubber.

Refine surface: Refine surfaces to .002 RA without any manual grinding or polishing.

Super-finish: Super blend surfaces after grinding process to take it to the next level

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PROCESS MY PARTS?

Obviously it differs from one project to the next, but you can take advantage of our free process development services to determine your cost and feasibility.

We will process sample parts for you and return them to you with a fully detailed cost analysis report.

WILL I GENERATE HAZARDOUS WASTE?

No. United’s systems do not utilize any hazardous chemical products. Aside from your parts, only abrasive media, water, and a detergent is used in the process. The waste generated can easily be treated and recycled at minimal expense. Closed loop systems are also available.

See our Water Recycling Systems.

ARE THE CONSUMABLES EPENSIVE AND WHERE DO I GET THEM?

No, the consumables are much less expensive than those used in manual operations. There are only two types of consumables required to process parts:

Abrasive Media, and Detergents. These consumable can be purchased through United and in most cases they can be cross referenced and purchased from other manufacturers.

CAN I RUN MULTIPLE PARTS IN ONE BARREL?

Yes, in most cases you can put several parts per barrel, depending on size and material. However, there are times when parts are not allowed to come into contact with another, in these situations, depending on type of equipment, parts can be segregated by using divided compartments available with the machines, or a type of fixturing device that will hold the parts fixed.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PROCESS MY PARTS?

Obviously it differs from one project to the next; however most processes do not exceed 30 minutes. We at United understand that throughput is important, we strive to develop processes that minimize cycle times by experimenting with different Medias to achieve the desired result in as little time as possible also keeping in mind the cost of such process. Of course as always we offer all these process development to you at no charge.

MATERIAL HANDLING?

Material handling varies for the different models. For the CPC6000 & CPC12000 the material handling is fully automated:

*Separator for media and parts.

*Elevator to move media from separator to hopper.

*Rinse system to wash parts and media.

*Parts dispensing system

*Media is loaded into barrels at a predetermined amount, and reloaded back into hopper system    when finished.         

*Water is loaded into barrels at a predetermined amount.

*Compound is loaded into barrels at a predetermined amount.

WHAT TYPE OF AUTOMATION DO UNITED MACHINES OFFER ?

AXYS machines offer the most automated systems in the industry. Most of the automation come standard with the machines and some can be included as options.  Standard automations include:

*Computerized process controls.  *PLC/ touch screen operation.

*Recipe storage *Material handling (not available on CPC1000 and CPC2500)

*Media/ Parts separating system.  *Media/ parts rinse system.

*Media, Water, and Compound loading.  *Barrel lid lift (available on CPC6000 and CPC12000)

*Waste water dispensing system.  Specialized automation is available upon request.

CAPACITY?

ModelCPC1000CPC2500CPC4000CPC6000CPC12000

Total Capacity 1 cu ft 2.5 cu ft4 cu ft6 cu ft12 cu ft

Each barrel.13 or .25 cu ft.25 cu ft1 cu ft1.5 cu ft3 cu ft

# barrels/machine8 x .13 cu ft

4 x .25 cu ft16 x .13 cu ft

8 x .25 cu ft444

Internal Barrel Dimensions4.5”  H x 7” W

9.5”  H x 7” W4.5”  H x 7” W

9.5”  H x 7” W8.5” W x 27.5” L12.5” W x 22” L12.5” W x 45” L

CONSTRUCTION?

100% of all United machines are made in our facility in California USA.

Frame: Stainless Steel    Panels: Stainless Steel

Barrels: Stainless Steel   Doors: Stainless Steel

Locking systems: Stainless Steel   Turret: 6010 Aluminum billet

Liners: Rubber or Urethane   Motors: Baldor

Electronics: All UL approved   PLC/ Touch Screen: Omron

Bearings and sprockets: SKF

POWER REQUIREMENTS?

CPC1000: 3 horsepower, 208/230 (± 10%) VAC, 50/60Hz, 3Ø, 15A

CPC2500-CPC4000: 7 horsepower 208/230 or 460/480 (± 10%) VAC, 50/60Hz, 3Ø, 25A

CPC6000:  20 horsepower 460 (± 10%) VAC, 50/60Hz, 3Ø, 40A (230, 400 VAC 3Ø optional)

CPC12000: 30 horsepower 460 (± 10%) VAC, 50/60Hz, 3Ø, 40A (230, 400 VAC 3Ø optional)

WHAT IS COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY AND FOR HOW LONG?

United hereby warrants the following components from the date of final acceptance at the end users site. Provided that all criteria explained in this guarantee has been met, and that the system has been maintained in accordance with the instructions in the service manual and the preventative maintenance schedule, and all forms have been completed and submitted to United at the required intervals.

THREE YEAR WARRANTEE COMPONENTS

Turret, Barrel, Barrels and Lids, Cradles, Turret Door, Turret Access, Fly Wheel, Frame and Cabinet, Programmable Logic Controller, Pulleys, Screen

TWO YEAR WARRANTEE WEAR COMPONENTS

Brake, Barrel, Brake, Turret, Circuit Breakers, All Contactor, All Indicator Lights, All Motor, Geared Barrel Motor, Turret  Drive Motors, Vibratory Separator, Protection Circuits, All Relays, All Solenoids, All Variable Frequency Drive

ONE YEAR WARRANTEE WEAR COMPONENTS

Barrel Linings, Bearings, Belts, Chains

WHAT IS MY RETURN ON INVESTMENT?

Obviously it differs from one project to the next, but based on customer input over the last 10 years the average ROI is 8 months. Implementing United’s processes will virtually eliminate all manual work done to work pieces and all the problems associated with it. Rejection rate will decrease to almost 0%, and rework will be nonexistent.

WHAT IS THE LEARNING CURVE TO OPERATE THESE MACHINES?

Thanks to our patented components and our exclusive PLC/Touch Screen operation, we can train an operator in less than an hour. We have eliminated the guess work out of the machine settings and complicated manuals. We have eliminated all the tools that all other types of machines require, and replaced them simple components that work seamlessly and without effort.

HOW SAFE ARE THESE MACHINES?

All United machines were completely redesigned to insure safety of the operators and the longevity of the machines. Every single component on the machines were engineered and tested through Finite Element Analysis whereby they were subjected to unrealistic forces to insure against the unexpected.

We have even sacrificed new machines with destructive tests; no other manufacturer has ever taken these precautions. Our entire line of machines have been UL, CE approved.

WHAT TYPE OF MAINTENCE IS REQUIRED?

Minimal, all components were designed to last for decades. Aside from the occasional lubrication not much else is required. At a preset frequency, based on hours of use, the machine will prompt the operator that the machine is due for maintenance. The machine is designed so that the operator can access any part of the machine by removing no more than four bolts to remove the panel which will expose the whole side of the machine. Every component that requires maintenance is easily accessible.

WHAT IS THE SIZE LIMIT FOR PARTS I CAN PUT IN A MACHINE?

Depending on the size of the machine you can process parts up to 12” diameter X 45” long:

ModelCPC1000CPC2500CPC4000CPC6000CPC12000

Size7” Dia. X 9.5” L7” Dia. X 9.5” L8.5” Dia. X 27” L12” Dia. X 22” L12” Dia. X 45” L

WHERE ARE THESE MACHINES MADE?

All United machines and components are manufactured in United’s manufacturing facility in California USA. Nothing is imported from overseas.

All electrical component and other components not manufactured by United are purchased from reputable American manufacturers and suppliers.

This is the only way to insure quality and control.

 ARE THESE MACHINES PATENTED?

Centrifugal Barrel systems were first patented in 1904. However United has filed and received several patents in the United States and over 25 other countries. We at United continue to improve these systems and innovations, every new method is continuously submitted to the patent office.