KT Metal Castings Blogs

Grinding media are the materials used inside ball mills, bead mills, and other grinding equipment to break down raw materials into smaller particles. The five main types include forged steel balls, cast iron balls, stainless steel balls, ceramic media (alumina, zirconia, zirconium silicate), and glass beads. Each type offers specific…

In industrial metal manufacturing, deburring and polishing are often mentioned in the same breath — and for good reason. Both are finishing processes that improve the quality, performance, and appearance of metal parts. Yet, they serve very different purposes, occur at different stages of production, and use different tools and…

Grinding is a precision machining process that uses a rotating abrasive wheel to remove material from a workpiece. Unlike single-point cutting tools, each abrasive grain acts as a small cutting edge, gradually shearing away microscopic chips. Different grinding methods vary in how the workpiece and wheel move relative to each…

In metal manufacturing, the journey from raw stock to a finished, high-performing component is rarely complete after the initial shaping. Two finishing processes—grinding and deburring—play critical roles in ensuring that parts meet design specifications. They are often confused because both involve refining a part’s surface. But here’s the key: grinding…

Every drilled hole leaves behind a nasty surprise. Those tiny, razor-sharp metal edges called burrs might look harmless, but they’ll slice your fingers open faster than you can say “where’s the Band-Aid?” Here’s the thing most beginners don’t realize: burrs aren’t just a safety hazard. They cause parts to fit…

Deburring is the process of removing small, unwanted pieces of metal from the edges or surfaces of a cast part. These unwanted pieces are called burrs or flash. They are a normal by-product of casting and other manufacturing processes. Deburring takes place after the casting is removed from its mold…

In manufacturing, a small design detail can make the difference between a smooth assembly and a costly production delay. One of the most overlooked yet critical choices is whether to use a tapped hole or a drilled hole. A drilled hole is simply an unthreaded opening created by removing material…

In machining, using the wrong term on a drawing can trigger the wrong setup on the shop floor — leading to wasted time, scrapped parts, or expensive rework. One of the most common sources of confusion? The difference between a tapped hole and a threaded hole. Every tapped hole is…

Cold chamber die casting is a metal casting process that produces precise, complex parts by injecting molten metal into reusable steel molds under high pressure. The key difference between hot chamber and cold chamber die casting lies in how the metal is melted and delivered—cold chamber systems keep the melting…

The key difference between hot chamber and cold chamber die casting lies in where the furnace is located. Hot chamber systems have the furnace built into the casting machine itself, while cold chamber systems keep the furnace separate. Hot chamber die casting works best for low-melting-point metals like zinc and…