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. 

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.

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).     

Part manufacturers use a variety of methods to produce through-holes for fasteners. For example, in the aerospace industry, techniques such as drilling, milling, and reaming are used with metals such as nickel, Inconel, Waspalloy, titanium, and stainless steels. Unless these hole-drilling and edge-breaking processes are performed perfectly, however, machined parts may not meet demanding aerospace specifications.

Manufacturers in the automotive and semiconductor industries also face challenging requirements for surface quality. To produce through-hole surfaces that are chamfered, free of burrs, and have radiused edge transitions, metalworkers need to select and use the best surface finishing and deburring tools. For final parts deburring and finishing, industry leaders trust the Flex-Hone® for Chamfer Blending.

Diamond Flex-Hone® tools combine the soft, resilient cutting action of Flex-Hone® technology with premium coated diamond abrasive for harder materials. These Made in the USA metalworking tools mount in most any rotating spindle and are ideal for deburring, edge blending, and surface finishing parts made of carbide, ceramic, hardened tool steels, and aerospace alloys.

Use BRM’s diamond honing tools with inner diameter (ID) applications such as carbide wear rings, ceramic cylinders, and chromed and plated bores. Diamond Flex-Hone® tools are also great for cylinders made of heat-treated steel, high-nickel stainless steel, and MMX aluminum alloys. Additional applications include deburring and surface finishing the small holes in medical devices and aerospace components.

Metalworkers need reliable tools for shaping, cutting, forming, and finishing metal parts and products. Calipers and scribers are great for measuring and marking materials, and tools like pliers, punches, hammers, and hacksaws can be found on many workbenches. Some metalworkers use production machinery and equipment, but electric hand drills and bench vises are common enough, too.

Reamers and other cutting tools are great for enlarging holes in pipes and removing metal from cylinder walls. Rigid hones are used for cylinder resizing and heavy-duty material removal. Honing stones are recommended for initial honing (such as with OEM engine cylinders), but there’s a better way to achieve a final finish. For both new and used cylinders, metalworkers use the BRM Flex-Hone® tool.

Most machined holes are produced by drilling, a cutting process that creates cross-sections for inserting fasteners or other machined parts. Drilling is fast, simple, and cost-effective, but this machining method can produce burrs, raised edges or small, sharp pieces of material that remain attached to the workpiece.

With metal parts, burrs can cause problems such as part misalignments, excessive stress concentrations, and inaccurate dimensional measurements. These surface irregularities can also result in cut wires or damaged rubber seals, clogged filters and ports, and reduced fatigue limits.

Today, most applications require burr-free components. Various deburring tools are available, but Flex-Hone® technology from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) provides important advantages. BRM’s flexible, resilient honing tools deburr and surface finish parts at the same time. Flex-Hone® technology also combines ease-of-use with support for both manual and automated deburring.