Bar End Chamfering Machine: Precision Edge Finishing Explained

A bar end chamfering machine also called a tube and bar end chamfering machine is a machine used for refining the finishes of the workpieces that are machined in order to achieve the perfection of the final products.

The work that a chamfering machine does can be regarded as one of the secondary machining procedures since it is used to make the edges of the two adjacent sides be smoother by removing the sharp edges with the cutting tools. 

Instead of making the basic sizes or shapes of the workpieces, such as a sewing machine that obtains blocks of workpieces by cutting them off from the larger pieces, the chamfering machine is dedicated to fulfilling the smooth surface finishes after the basic machining works have been done.

In other words, any workpiece that has edges, no matter a flat surface or a protruding part, can be chamfered depending on the demands of the customers, which allows for the customizing of the required geometries.

For the workpieces that have right angles, the chamfering process would be performed between the adjacent sides of the angles. However, when there are workpieces with rounded sides, such as tubes or bars, the chamfering process would be done by the ends of those tubes or bars.

Thus, the chamfering machine that performs the end chamfering works is called a bar end chamfering machine. With this machine, all of the sharp edges on the ends of the bars or tubes can be smoothed, which allows these bars or tubes to be used for subsequent applications.
 

Where Is the Bar End Chamfering Function Performed?

The bar end chamfering works can be done not only on the individual bar end chamfering machine but also as one of the provided functions on the machining center, which is another practical method for the secondary machining processes.

For the individual chamfering machines, there can be single or double-end chamfering machines. The former cuts the edges of the tubes or bars on one side at a time, which takes more time to finish the work compared to the latter. 

While the latter cuts the edges from both sides of the bars or tubes simultaneously, which produces more chips at a time but reduces the operation time, and thus make the chamfering processes more efficient than the single-end models.

However, some may have concerns about how the chamfering machines work if there are longer workpieces that are required to be chamfered. In fact, there are some of the double end chamfering machines that are made on a larger scale and are able to accept the workpieces with a wide range of lengths, which perfectly deal with this problem.

On the chamfering machine, there is an automatic bundle loader that holds the tubes or bars that are supposed to be chamfered, with an automatic magazine that loads one tube or bars one after another.

The automatic magazine allows for the workpiece to be chamfered and the remnants to be ejected. On the rear part of the magazine, there would be one or two sides of cutting tools that are provided to perform the chamfering works.

As for the chamfering function on the machining center, the cutting tools that are specialized in the chamfering works are mounted on the power turret, which allows for automatically changing of the tools.

In addition to the tool-changing process, the cutting speed and spindle speed, for example, are all automatically controlled by the computer, since the machining center is usually combined with the CNC system, which assists the design of the products and the control of the works.

As for the sizes of the workpieces that are available to be chamfered on the machining center, the shorter workpieces would be clamped on the headstock to be ready for the chamfering works. While the longer ones would require the tailstock to support the other end, so as to ensure the accuracy of the works and prevent deformation of the products.
 

What Are the Differences Between a Chamfer and a Bevel?

In the field of refining, the surface finishes with the secondary machining procedures, the chamfers, and the bevels are both possible outcomes after the products are machined.

Some people may regard a chamfer as a sort of a level since the machined parts on chamfered edges are similar but take less proportion on the edges. However, there are both similarities and differences between these two terms in the precision machining fields actually.

A chamfer is made with the edge between two surfaces of an object being cut to form a transitional part, which is used for better performance if the product is made as part of a tool, or for the safety issue if it is part of the furniture, for example.

On the edges being machined, the chamfered part is curved instead of flat, which is also known as a "lark's tongue", which shows one of the obvious differences between a chamfer and a bevel.

In contrast, a bevel is a slope on the whole flat end of an object, instead of part of the end, which makes sharp tips on the machined part. This is talking about the difference between these two counterparts. 

While for the similarity of them, it is that they are both the production after the refining of surface finishes, which are both made for the perfection of the products.
 

What Are the Benefits of Chamfering?

Better Performance of the Works

As the above paragraph has mentioned, the chamfering of the ends of the tubes or bars allows for better performance of the works. This is for the circumstance when the products are the components or tools of a machine.

Take the precision machining works, for example. The workpieces on the machine are supposed to be clamped and cut. These two actions have a lot to do with the clamping device and the cutting process.

For the workpieces with uneven edges, the clamping device should have smooth and curved edges that can hold the works firmly. As for the cutting process, after the chamfering of the workpieces, they may require further end finishing works. With a smooth surface, the burrs can be avoided from producing, which prevents the deflection of the tools as well as the deformation of the final products.
 

Ensure Safety Issue

For the bar end chamfering machine, which chamfering on the ends of the bars or tubes, the products it makes would likely be parts of the devices that the customers use daily. For instance, the legs of a table.

In an environment where young children would be in, the safety issue is definitely what the parents may concern. One of the problems may lie in the sharpness of the edges on the furniture.

Children tend not to be aware of the upcoming danger in front of them, so the parents take the responsibility to prevent any danger from happening. If they choose a table with chamfered edges of legs, they can be less worried about the safety issue around the house, which makes it another benefit of chamfering.