BRM Official Blog

Most brake rotors get resurfaced when old, worn brake pads are replaced. By the time a vehicle needs a brake job, the rotors may have grooves or areas of wear from the rubbing of the old pads. If a brake rotor has an uneven surface, the new pads won’t make contact with the rotor at the proper angle – and squeaking or squealing may result. Even with new OEM or aftermarket rotors, a factory finish that’s less than ideal may cause brake noise. 

To improve the surface finish of brake rotors, auto mechanics trust the Flex-Hone® for Rotors tool from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM). Named an Undercar Digest Magazine Top Ten Tool for 8 years in a row, BRM’s rotor hone imparts a non-directional surface finish where “scratches” on the rotor’s surface extend in various directions. This “basket weave” finish doesn’t just help the new pads to seat properly. It lowers harmonic vibrations and reduces noise. 

Wire cup brushes are industrial brushing tools for surface preparation, deburring, blending, and surface finishing. They feature a cup-like body, metal wire filaments, and an arbor hole or shaft that supports their use with grinding tools or other powered equipment.

Alfa Romeo sports cars are known for their power and performance. Since 1911, when two Alfas entered the Targa Florio Competition, these Italian automobiles have been a part of international motorsport. Today, Alfa aficionados gather on-line to discuss engine maintenance and repairs. For do-it-yourself (DIY) engine rebuilds, experienced “Alfistas” choose Flex-Hone® tools from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM).

In the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds”, a master car thief returns to Southern California to steal 50 vehicles in 96 hours. In a YouTube video from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), employees at the Los Angeles company rebuild a Chevy 350 engine in just 30 seconds.

BRM's time-elapsed video isn't a Hollywood blockbuster, but the manufacturer's engine tools are automotive superstars. The BRM employees you'll see don't rebuild engines for a living, but they mastered multiple engine maintenance and cleaning tasks thanks to Flex-Hone® tools and automotive brushes.

Cutting tools remove material from a workpiece by shear deformation. They include single-point tools for turning, shaping, and planning; and multi-point tools for milling, drilling, and grinding. Often, cutting tools feature inserts or replaceable tips. These tipped tools, such as endmills and reamers, need to be made of heat-resistant materials that are harder than the material to be cut. 

All cutting tools require a specific geometry, with clearance angles that allow the cutting edge to contact the workpiece cleanly. The angle of the cutting face is also important. For cutting tool manufacturers, product optimization requires surface finishing. For removing burrs and optimizing surface quality, NamPower diamond wheels provide consistent, high-quality results. 

NamPower discs from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) are nylon abrasive brushing tools that remove burrs and improve part finish at the same time. Designed for outer diameter (OD) applications, these high-performance metalworking tools integrate easily with CNC machining centers, transfer lines, robotic cells, and other production equipment. With their unique combination of ceramic and silicon carbide abrasive, NamPower disc brushes set a new standard for high-quality, cost-effective performance.   

NamPower disc brushes come in two styles (dot and turbine), two trim lengths (18 and 38 mm), four grit sizes (80, 120, 180, 320), and six diameters (50, 60, 80, 100, 125, 150 mm). Choosing the right tool for the job is important, of course, but your work doesn’t end with product selection. That’s why manufacturers, metalworkers, and machinists need to understand the importance of disc brush speed, which is measured in revolutions (RPM) per minute, for optimum NamPower performance.

Leading manufacturers are using automated deburring and surface finishing technologies to reduce labor costs, speed operations, and ensure part quality and consistency. Instead of removing burrs off-line during time-consuming secondary operations, these companies are using high-quality metalworking tools with their existing production equipment.

For both inner diameter (ID) and outer diameter (OD) applications, Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) supplies finishing and deburring tools that support automation. BRM Flex-Hone® tools and NamPower technology are used by large companies in global industries such as automotive and aerospace, but are also a favorite among smaller manufacturers, metalworkers, and machinists who want to automate their deburring and surface finishing operations in a high-performance, cost-effective way. 

Flex-Hone® tools remove burrs and improve surface finish at the same time. Made in the USA by Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), these flexible cylinder hones are trusted by metalworkers, machinists, and manufacturers alike.

BRM ball hones are used in a wide variety of industries, and can help solve your own surface finishing and deburring challenges. Flexible hones come in wide variety of abrasive types and grits, but tool diameter also drives Flex-Hone® selection and use.

Fluid power systems use a liquid or a gas to transmit power from one location to another. With hydraulics, the fluid is usually an oil. With pneumatics, a gas such as compressed air is used. In both types of systems, the movement of a cylinder plunger produces linear motion.

Unless the bores of hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders have a smooth surface finish, however, performance may suffer. To optimize inner diameter (ID) surface finish, the fluid power industry uses Flex-Hone® tools from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM).