Electronics Company Gets Boost from Bel Air Finishing

A team from TE Connectivity of Norwood, Massachusetts, recently visited Bel Air Finishing Supply’s Process Technology Center in Kingston, Rhode Island, to get help in developing a very specific surface finish for a new automotive connector needed by a major automaker.

TE Connectivity designs and manufactures connectivity and sensor products for a variety of applications. Bel Air is a manufacturer and supplier of mass finishing technology. Bel Air President Steve Alviti says the team tested two or three of 23 different processing technologies, and four of about 5,000 varieties of honing media to reach a satisfactory finishing solution for the part, which was made on a Swiss-type CNC machine.

“The goal was to match the stringent finishing requirements of the end user and marry that with the manufacturing culture of TE’s facility,” Alviti says.

The team also carried out extensive testing with the aid of Bel Air’s non-contact white light interferometry measuring system to ensure that the results met the high standards.

“The final process was completely repeatable, and required very little operator effort,” Alviti says.

For information, visit belairfinishing.com.