The scraper is an essential and highly beneficial engineering tool in the manufacturing process of metal products. This is a finishing implement which eliminates high or rough spots from the machined surfaces. Consequently, the finished metal product will have true flat services for better performance. The engineer's scraper is particularly useful for metal components which will connect with other surfaces. This is because high spots on such a surface will cause abrasion and generate friction. Here are the main types of products to consider if you are thinking about investing is an engineer's scraper to help you improve the performance of your machined metal components.

Manual Scrapers

Manual scrapers are ideal for performing finishing tasks on smaller machine components. They are highly efficient in dealing with rough spots, particularly small and localised ones. The most popular manual scraper is the flat blade type. This design consists of a straight blade and a sharpened edge at the end for the scraping tasks. Typically, the tip is curved slightly to avoid creating burrs after scraping. The flat blade efficiency is high, but the design means that it can only be utilised on flat surfaces.

Triangular blades are suited for handling both flat and curved surfaces. As implied, the product is designed in a triangular shape, and the end of the blade tapers to a point towards the tip. This design provides three surfaces for scraping, and it is highly efficient for smoothing corners and edges.

If you often work with curved machined components, you should consider using the curved blade. This has a half-round design which can scrape inside curved surfaces like bearings.

Power Scrapers

Manual scrapers require considerable manual effort for the user. In addition, the process of scraping a large piece of machined metal product or even several small ones will require considerable time. Power scrapers are designed to use electric or even pneumatic power to facilitate the functions of the scraper blades. This will allow you to perform your finishing tasks faster in comparison to the manual alternative. Moreover, it will reduce user fatigue during long work sessions.

Power Flakers

The power flaker is similar in appearance to the power scraper when observed casually. Both are machines powered by electrical or pneumatic energy and have a blade attached for scraping functions. However, the movement of the two tools is different. The scraper moves sideways while the power flaker works by pushing forward on the surface. Flakers are ideal for eliminating friction, creating polished patterns and improving oil retention on equipment components.