One of the most nagging problems in manufacturing is the
deburring of cross-drilled holes. Burrs are always created where
the crossholes exist. Getting at the burrs, let alone removing
them, can be a real challenge. A handful of methods are commonly
employed for dealing with these burrs: sandblasting, extrude
hone, and of course, manual deburring with knives, abrasive
stones, brushes, burs, etc. While effective to varying degrees,
these methods have their drawbacks. They're all off-line
processes, i.e. they are a separate operation. Parts need to be
handled and/or moved from machining to deburring. Often
deburring is an out-sourced operation. The extra handling,
movement, queue, transport, etc. represent non-value added
operations. Sandblasting, extrude hone, and similar devices
involve capital investment, often substantial, or again,
outsourcing. Manual deburring, as everyone knows, is very labor
intensive, as well as craft sensitive.