Leading Tumbler Manufacturers

Types of Tumblers

Rotary Tumblers

Most people picture a tumbler as a barrel or drum turned horizontally on its side. Two parallel rotating shafts support the rotation or revolving of a rotary tumbler. Rotary tumblers have capacities ranging from a few pounds to huge, robust ones that may handle several hundred pounds. Rotary tumblers are simpler to load than other tumbler kinds. Rotary tumblers include a rubber lining that reduces noise.

Vibratory Tumbler

A vibratory tumbler is the second most common tumbler. The barrel in a vibratory tumbler stays still while it is being tumbled. There are typically two types of vibratory tumblers. A mechanical vibratory tumbler uses a motor to sustain vibrations. An electrical vibratory tumbler uses magnetic energy. The objects in a vibratory tumbler maintain their shape.

For instance, a cube placed in a vibratory tumbler will still emerge a cube, whereas a cube placed in a rotary tumbler will have all its edges worn smooth. In general, vibratory tumblers produce faster results than rotary tumblers. Regardless of the tumbler type chosen, the components will shake, rock, and roll to the proper degree of smoothness.

Tumbler Design & Function

The components and tumbling material mix in rotary tumblers. Hexagonal or cylindrical tubs spin horizontally. This cleans, polishes, and deburrs the components. The size of the barrel, the materials' hardness, and the level of finishing required will affect how quickly the parts rotate. The abrasive media in the vibratory tumblers come into contact and rub against one another. The vibration produces a cyclonic downward motion, and the ensuing friction leads to deburring and polishing.

When purchasing a tumbler, manufacturers should consider the barrel capacity, load limits, volume restrictions, engine size, and the consequent motion or vibration. The motor powering the tumbler must endure continuous duty. To prevent overheating, some tumblers include cooling options for motors. A lubricant, such as water, can be introduced to the tumbling process to promote polishing.

Tumblers with lubricant have a drainage feature to remove the liquid and grit. Industrial part manufacturers and machinists use tumblers for bulk finishing and cleaning, even though small rotary and vibratory tumblers are increasingly becoming hobbyists' equipment.

Abrasive media

In the finishing process, tumblers use tumbling or deburring media to generate friction with unfinished metal or plastic parts, jewelry, rough stones, etc. With varying degrees of hardness and abrasion, common abrasive media types include steel, plastic pellets, ceramic particles, walnut shells, and corn cob media.

The friction produced by the motion of tumbling when the abrasive medium is placed within the barrel aids in burnishing, polishing, and cleaning the surfaces of the parts. Industrial producers employ vibratory tumblers with more abrasive media for mass finishing and deburring, whereas rotary tumblers with wet media are used for mass part cleaning, polishing, and cement mixing.

Choosing the Right Tumblers Supplier

To make sure you have the most positive outcome when purchasing Tumblers from a Tumblers Manufacturer, it is important to compare at least 6 Suppliers using our list of Tumblers manufacturers. Each Tumblers Manufacturer has a business profile page that highlights their areas of experience and capabilities and a contact form to directly communicate with the manufacturer for more information or request a quote. Review each Tumblers company website using our proprietary website previewer to get an idea of what each company specializes in, and then use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple Tumblers businesses with the same form.