BRM Official Blog

Cross-hole deburring can be a big problem for manufacturers of small metal parts, especially when hole diameters are just a few millimeters or a fraction of an inch. Manual deburring is common, but it’s also labor-intensive and can  yield inconsistent results. Automated deburring is faster and more uniform, but automation alone isn’t the answer.

Manufacturers who deburr small metal parts need more than just the right personnel and equipment. With cross-drilled holes, it’s especially important to use deburring tools that impart a burr-free, high-quality surface finish. As a full-line manufacturer of flexible honing tools and industrial brushes, Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) has the solution.

Two success stories show why gunsmiths like Flex-Hone® for Rifles tools.  

Hunters, target shooters, and military and law enforcement personnel use a variety of tools for cleaning rifle chambers. Some gun owners use a bore brush or a bore snake. Others wrap a cleaning patch around a gun brush. No matter which method they use, shooters would rather spend time in the woods or at the range than on routine gun cleaning tasks. That’s why the Flex-Hone® for Firearms from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) includes Flex-Hone® tools for rifle chambers.

When a manufacturer of jet-engine components automated its deburring operations, a combination of CNC tools provided the right solution. For final deburring and surface finishing, the aerospace manufacturer choose BRM Flex-Hone® tools.

Aircraft engines consist of precision-made parts that connect with metal fasteners. Typically, these static and rotary components have through-holes, machined openings that are drilled or reamed completely through the material. If hole-drilling and edge-breaking processes aren’t completed cleanly, part misalignments can occur. Nickel-base and titanium alloys can cause cutting tools to dull quickly, and the extruded burrs that result are difficult to remove once they work-harden.

To solve deburring challenges, some aerospace manufacturers are automating their cutting and finishing processes. The metal parts that leave their CNC equipment are surface finished to spec, and without time-consuming bench operations that can result in inconsistencies between parts. Automated deburring requires the right CNC tooling, however. By using the BRM Flex-Hone® to automate the final deburring of through-holes, a major jet-engine component manufacturer is improving quality.

Small-parts manufacturers need tools for deburring, edge blending, surface preparation, and surface finishing. In industries ranging from agricultural equipment to medical device manufacturing, deburring requires the use of high-quality brushes.

Manual deburring can affect part consistency, and small-parts manufacturers expect that parts deburred on a Monday morning will meet the same quality standards as parts deburred on a Wednesday or a Friday afternoon. What's the solution?

Shotgun barrels need a smooth, clean, oil-retaining finish that resists corrosion and wear, reduces fouling, and promotes a consistent shot pattern. So how can shotgun owners tell if the bores of their long guns have an optimal surface finish? For starters, it’s important to remember that looks can be deceiving. If you hold a shotgun barrel up to the light, much of what you’ll see is the light’s reflection rather than the actual surface of the bore.

Fortunately, maintaining shotgun barrels can be easier than trying to tell where the reflection ends and the gun metal begins. In How to Smooth Up a Shotgun Bore, a gunsmithing article in The Shooting Times, Reid Coffield describes the benefits of flexible honing. Coffield also explains how to use Flex-Hone® for Firearms tools. Made in the USA by Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), these easy-to-use gun tools are built to solve surface finishing challenges.

Maintenance personnel in the processing industries need to remove rust, corrosion, accumulated chemicals, and biological matter from the bores of large pumps and valves. In petrochemical plants, refineries, and wastewater processing facilities, the accumulation of wax, clay, silt, or other debris can impede performance, block lubrication, and reduce service life.

Rebuilding and servicing large pumps and valves isn’t just a matter of cleaning them, however. The bores of these cylinders require tight tolerances. Proper surface finishing and burr removal are required, but with a minimal amount of inner diameter (ID) material removal. Ease-of-use is important, too. For large pumps and valves, the right choice is the BRM Flex-Hone® tool.

Engine valves control the flow of fluids and gases in automotive engines. If engine valves fail, the consequences can range from reduced engine power to heat-related part failure. Engine problems can also occur when valve seats, the surfaces against which engine valves rest, lack proper lubrication. Inadequate lubrication increases friction, and friction can cause related engine parts called valve stems to fail. 

In automotive engines, each intake valve and exhaust valve consists of a cylinder-shaped valve stem and a rounded valve head. Like the engine cylinders in an engine block, valve stems need an oil-retaining surface finish. That’s true for used valve stems that have become worn, and for new valve stems that lack an optimum finish. For these and other surface finishing challenges, the solution is flexible honing. 

Hydraulic cylinders provide controlled actuation for some of the world’s most demanding applications. Mining, dredging, and oil and gas exploration subject fluid power systems to heavy loads in extreme environments. For optimum performance and seal life, the bores of hydraulic cylinders require a smooth, clean surface finish that’s free of rust, corrosion, and accumulated deposits. Torn, cut, and folded metal along the cylinder walls can also contribute to mechanical failure and premature seal wear.

Flex-Hone® tools from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) impart an inner diameter (ID) surface finish that’s ideal for hydraulic cylinders. Flexible cylinder honing’s low-temperature, low-pressure abrading process removes smeared, fragmented, and amorphous metal while smoothing nicks and scratches to create a more uniform surface finish. As Hydraulics and Pneumatics magazine explains, “honing with a ball-style device can make a big difference in performance and service life.”

Nuclear power plants need to decontaminate large-bore water pipes in a way that’s safe, efficient, and cost-effective. Chemical decontamination shields personnel from high levels of radioactivity, but produces high volumes of radioactive chemical solutions. Mechanical decontamination removes tough layers of radioactive oxides, but can require time-consuming labor and the disposal of contaminated blasting media.

To solve this maintenance challenge, some nuclear power plants are taking a flexible approach. As Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) explains in Today’s Energy Solutions, a magazine for the power generation industry, a commercial nuclear power plant in the central U.S. is using BRM Flex-Hone® tools to remove radioactive oxide layers from large-bore water pipes. The result is less cost, less waste, and less exposure.  

Wheel brushes are wheel-shaped brushing tools for surface preparation and surface finishing. Their uses include parts cleaning, polishing, edge blending, and deburring.

A type of power brush, wheel brushes are designed for use under power, such as with an angle, bench, or pedestal grinder. Different types of wheel brushes are available, and buyers need to consider product specifications as well as operating parameters.