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Enclosed system in a production hall: on the left a yellow articulated robot in front of the open loading hatch, in front of it an aluminum housing on the part feeding, on the right the operating panel with signal tower and the material flow and conveying of the adjoining line
Special solution

The deburring itself is short. And still the cycle is not right.

Rotary Indexing Water Jet Deburring System

We realize rotary indexing water jet deburring systems on a project-specific basis. They are not among our three standard concepts — if you choose between the standard concepts, the path leads to the robot cell or to the stationary deburring machine.
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1 · The challenge

The time is not lost during deburring, but before and after it

Sometimes the processing itself is done quickly — and the cycle time is still not reached. The time is lost during clamping, unclamping, loading and unloading. Then no faster robot helps, and no second one: as long as setup is going on, the processing stands still.

Where this problem occurs

Valve blocksHydraulic manifoldsGearbox housingsEngine blocksPump housingsTurbocharger housingsSteering housings

Predominantly aluminum die casting.

Drilling burrsCross-drilled hole burrsIntersecting-bore burrsExit burrsMilling burrsCasting flashMetal fines

No fixed standard burr type — what counts is the part geometry.

2 · Engineering considerations

First it is clarified where the time is actually lost

The decisive question with every cycle time problem.
  • 01

    The bottleneck is the processing time

    Then a second robot takes effect — dual-robot cell.
  • 02

    The bottleneck is the auxiliary time (setup, clamping)

    Then a concept takes effect that lets both run in parallel — rotary indexing.

Only when the ratio of auxiliary to main time justifies rotary indexing is it built. We calculate that before design engineering.

Apart from that, the same factors are assessed as in every deburring task: burr root · accessibility of the deburring locations · material · part geometry · size and weight · cycle time · residual contamination requirement · workpiece fixture · degree of automation.

The material is rarely the decisive factor. Aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, copper, zinc die casting and plastic can all be processed.

Why this remains a special solution

In most cases, one of the three standard concepts is the right choice. Rotary indexing only pays off when the auxiliary time determines the cycle — and that is the exception, not the rule.

We build it when the project demands it. For you that means: more coordination in the quotation phase, because more has to be defined project-specifically. It does not mean that we master the principle any less often — we use the rotary indexing principle in industrial parts cleaning as well.

3 · The machine concept

Loading and unloading run in parallel with processing

If the auxiliary time justifies the effort, the rotary indexing principle follows: while deburring takes place in the processing chamber, the next component is set up outside. The auxiliary time drops out of the cycle.

The workpiece remains in a closed processing chamber during the deburring process; the robot works inside this cell.

That is the difference one has to know — and it is exactly the reverse of the rotary indexing cleaning system:

Rotary indexing water jet deburring systemRT

Processing
Water jet deburring
Process principle
The workpiece remains in the closed chamber, the robot works inside the cell

Rotary indexing cleaning systemRT

Processing
Cleaning
Process principle
The workpiece moves from process station to process station
Both are called “RT” in-house and use the rotary indexing principle. The processing is a different one — which is why “RT” is never used unqualified here.

The nozzles are the tool of the method. Standard nozzles as well as our own nozzle geometries when the application requires it. Robotics: standard KUKA, alternatively ABB, FANUC, Yaskawa.

The water circuit is closed, filtration is part of every system. Safety technology according to risk assessment.

4 · The result — and its verification

Two results are verified

Two different results: residual burr and residual contamination — both verifications from a single source.
Visual inspectionCamera-based inspectionResidual burr inspectionResidual contamination analysisProcess monitoring

When another solution fits

Rotary indexing is the special case, not the entry point

In most projects the path leads to one of the three standard concepts.
  • 01

    Single-robot cell

    The standard case with changing components and complex geometries.
  • 02

    Dual-robot cell

    When the processing time is the bottleneck, not the setup.
  • 03

    Stationary water jet deburring system

    When always the same component runs in a fixed clamping position.
Single-robot cellDual-robot cellStationary deburring machine

When water jet deburring is not the right choice

Water jet deburring is not the optimal solution if one of these conditions applies:

  • Defined chamfers or radii are to be produced

    The method removes burrs, it does not replace machining.

  • Very firmly adhering or massive burrs are present

    They have to be eliminated differently, by design or by manufacturing.

  • The deburring location cannot be reached with any suitable nozzle concept

  • The method is not economically viable

    For example at very small production volumes, or when a simpler deburring method is sufficient.

  • Another method meets the technical or economic requirements better

Scope of supply

Vertical integration and digital system lifecycle

Vertical integrationDigital system lifecycleAutomotive industry

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about the rotary indexing deburring system

When does a rotary indexing deburring system make sense?

When the time is not lost during deburring, but before and after it. Sometimes the processing is done quickly and the cycle time is still not reached — the time is lost during clamping, unclamping, loading and unloading. Then no faster robot helps, and no second one: as long as setup is going on, the processing stands still. In rotary indexing, loading and unloading run in parallel with it.

Is the rotary indexing system one of your standard concepts?

No. We realize rotary indexing water jet deburring systems on a project-specific basis. They are not among our three standard concepts — if you choose between the standard concepts, the path leads to the robot cell or to the stationary deburring machine. Rotary indexing comes into play where the auxiliary time determines the cycle.

Applications

A component on which this system design is decided

One worked-out task names the rotary indexing deburring cell as a possible concept. What tips the balance in it is on its own page.

Each case sets out the design factors, the possible system concepts and the methods in detail — here you only find what it is about.

Components with heavy burrs

Casting flash and metal fines do not sit on one edge but spread out — and later they come loose by themselves.

This case does not inevitably lead to the rotary indexing deburring cell. Which concept it becomes arises from the interplay of the design factors — the machine type is the result of the system design, not its starting point.

All applications

Direct contact

AddressITR GmbH powered by Zippel
Hauptstraße 31
93186 Pettendorf
Pettendorf bei Regensburg
Phone+49 (0) 9409-777 3598
Fax +49 (0) 9409-777 3607
Emailinfo@itr-anlagenbau.com