BRM Official Blog

The Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) Blog is ending the year by looking back at how we’ve helped readers find solutions to surface finishing challenges. 

As a full-line manufacturer of flexible honing tools and industrial brushes, we’ve covered plenty of topics in 2015. Here are our Top 5 Blog Posts for the year. We hope you’ll enjoy this look back, and we look forward to sharing more great content with you in 2016.  

The 1959 Cadillac is prized for its sharp tailfins, distinctive roofline, and decorative front grille. Under the hood, a massive V8 engine came standard in models like the Cadillac Eldorado and the Cadillac Deville.

Today, classic car buyers are restoring auto bodies and engine blocks on these personal luxury cars. For engine restoration specialists, the Flex-Hone® from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) is the ideal tool for finishing the engine cylinders. The story that follows explains. 

Have you downloaded your copy of the Nampower Resource Guide yet? Even if you have, you may have missed something important. In the section called “Typical NamPower Applications”, this free technical book from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) describes the many uses of NamPower nylon abrasive brushing tools. Still, that’s not all that manufacturers need to know about base materials. 

High-performance brake rotors don’t just support braking at high speeds. They dissipate the heat that’s generated at the interface between the brake pad and the brake rotor. Often, members of the performance racing industry choose drilled or slotted brake rotors made of high-quality gray iron or cast iron. Both brake rotor designs have their advantages, but even high-performance brake pads will wear. If friction pad material is transferred unevenly to the surface of the brake disc, noise and vibration can occur.

For race industry mechanics, brake jobs can mean more than replacing the pads. Brake rotors need to be replaced or re-surfaced (turned). Fortunately, there’s a surface finishing solution that’s ideal for both new and turned rotors. The Flex-Hone® for Rotors tool from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) smooths jagged edges and removes unwanted surface material. BRM’s rotor hone also imparts a unidirectional or “basket weave” that’s perfect for bedding-in new brake pads.

Piston rings do more than seal the gap between the piston and the cylinder wall. By preventing exhaust gases from entering the crankcase, these engine components prevent power loss. This is especially important in high-performance engines such as the powerplants used in motorsports. Without a proper fit between the piston ring and the cylinder bore, compression blow-by and oil leakage can sideline the kinds of car used in NASCAR, IRL, and World of Outlaws events.

In the racing industry, providing consistent contact between piston rings and cylinder walls usually means resurfacing the cylinder bores. Engine wear is a problem, but it’s not the only one. Today’s high-performance engine blocks are made of much harder materials. Meanwhile, today’s high-performance piston rings are significantly softer and have less tension. For engine mechanics then, it’s impractical to wait for new piston rings to wear into the cylinder walls. That’s why they race engine builders choose Flex-Hone® tools.   

Do you need to clean auto parts such as oil pumps, wheels and wheel bearings, lug nuts, or engine and brake components? What about machined parts such as valves and gears?

Parts wash brushes from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) speed parts cleaning operations, saving you time and money. Their long-lasting synthetic filaments resist solvent-type cleaners, and these cost-effective cleaning tools are great for removing cutting fluids, machine oils, lubricants, grease, road grime, and dirt.

PRI 2015 is where you’ll find more racing products than anywhere else on Earth. Sponsored by the Performance Racing Industry (PRI), the annual PRI Show in Indiana joins leading suppliers with motivated buyers from all 50 U.S. states and 70+ countries.

This year’s event, PRI 2015, will be bigger and better than ever. With over 1,000 exhibitors in 3,300 booths, PRI Show attendees will have plenty to see at the Indianapolis Convention Center from December 10 to 12, 2015.

For automotive surface finishing and cleaning, there’s just one place to be. Visit Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) in Booth #5513 to see Flex-Hone® tools for engine cylinders and brake rotors, automotive brushes for engine components, and parts wash brushes for auto parts cleaning.

The metal forming, fabricating, and welding industries are facing challenges. According to the October 2015 Business Conditions Report from the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), one-third of metal forming companies reported declines in daily shipping levels for each of the last six months. Some PMA members are now forecasting a modest increase in orders, but Ohio’s Longbow Research predicts that the welding industry will struggle through the end of 2016. 

Did you know that the automotive aftermarket is a $36-billion industry? Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), aftermarket auto parts manufacturers, car dealers, installers, retailers, and restoration specialists all want the best deals and hottest products for their stores, shops, warehouses, and garages.

Where will they find what they're looking for?

Advanced manufacturing isn’t limited to specific industries. It can incorporate emerging technologies, but it’s not just about innovative equipment either. According to a report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, advanced manufacturing is “composed of efficient, productive, highly integrated, tightly controlled processes.” Does that describe your surface finishing and deburring operations? If not, would you like to apply advanced manufacturing principles to these tasks?

Advanced manufacturing harnesses the power of automation, and that means industrial robots and CNC machinery. Flex-Hone® tools and NamPower brushes from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) work well with both types of equipment. In fact, Flex-Hone® tools are suitable for most any rotating spindle. NamPower technology such as NamPower nylon abrasive disc brushes and tool holders are easily integrated into CNC machine centers, transfer lines, and robotic cells.