General Design Principles Related to Surface Engineering

General Design Principles Related to Surface Engineering (Ref 2) 

1 Interrelation between the component, fixturing, and equipment limita-tions. Source Ref 2 

Component Size and Weight and Handling Problems. The size, dimensions, and weight of a part to be surface engineered have a direct influence on part handling and fixturing and the size and type of equipment that is used (Fig. 1). Put simply, there are two main issues in relation to size and weight of components  

Objects weighing in excess of 20 kg (about 50 lb) will probably need hoists or overhead moving cranes to manipulate them through the cleaning lines and treatment chambers. Some heavy objects that are to be treated in front-loading furnaces can often be handled by a fork lift. Table 3 provides some likely limits on size and weight for various surfaceengineering processes. 

Functional requirements of a part also influence the selection of surface-preparation processes. For example, grinding processes can introduce stresses that could have a negative impact on fatigue properties. Choosing an alternative process, such as chemical milling, or mitigating the stresses by shot peening can alleviate the problem. 

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