Automated Cross-Hole Deburring in 17-4 PH Stainless Steel | Medical CNC Case Study

Industry: Medical

Application: Cross-Hole Deburring After Thread Tapping

Objective: Burr Formation After Tapping M3 Thread

A medical device manufacturer was producing a precision hard connector component made of 17-4 PH stainless steel (ASTM A564 / Type 630 / X5CrNiCuNb16-4).

During CNC production, an M3x0.6 – 6H thread was tapped across an existing Ø2.6 mm cross-hole, creating internal burrs at the hole intersection.

This cross-hole burr formation led to:

  • Risk of damaging the thread profile
  • Part rejection and scrap
  • Manual deburring taking 3 minutes per part
  • High labor costs
  • Inconsistent surface quality

With a production volume of 7,500 medical components per month, manual deburring was no longer sustainable.

Application Details

  • Part: Precision Medical Connector
  • Material: ASTM A564 / 17-4 PH / Type 630 / X5CrNiCuNb16-4
  • Machine: Star SR-20 JII TYPE B
  • Cross-Hole Feature Length: 4.6 mm
  • Thread: M3x0.6 – 6H
  • Cross-Hole Diameter: Ø2.6 mm

Deburring Tool Used

UF2615 / UF-CH-W-D015-L50
Ø1.5 mm UFIBER™ Cross-Hole Ceramic Brush
White Grit #1000

This ceramic deburring brush is specifically designed for:

  • Small diameter cross-holes
  • Thread exit burr removal
  • CNC automated deburring
  • Stainless steel materials including 17-4 PH

Machining Parameters:

 

Hole Diameter

S
Spindle Speed

F
Table Feed

Coolant

mm

Inch

RPM

mm/min

inch/min

2.6

0.1023

7000

100

4

Dry
Machining Picture - web quality

Results: From Manual Deburring to Automated CNC Process

Before Automation

  • Manual cross-hole deburring

  • 180 seconds per part

  • High risk of damaging M3 thread

  • Scrap due to thread damage

After UFIBERâ„¢ Implementation

  • Fully automated CNC cross-hole deburring

  • 18 seconds per part

  • 89% cycle time reduction

  • Zero thread damage and scrap with Improved process stability

Picture2 (1)

✅  89% reduction in deburring time
✅  834 labor hours saved per month
✅  Eliminated thread damage risk
✅  Improved repeatability and surface quality
✅  Reduced operator dependency
✅ Higher production stability in medical manufacturing

The UFIBERâ„¢ ceramic brush transformed a slow, risky manual process into a controlled, repeatable automated operation fully integrated into the machining cycle.

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