How to Select and Use Cylinder Honing Tools?

Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), American maker of flexible hones and abrasive nylon brushes, is announcing a technical resource that explains how to select and use flexible cylinder honing tools. The Flex-Hone® Resource Guide explains how ball hone diameter drives speed and stroke rate and also affects cross-hatch angle.    

A flexible, resilient honing tool, the BRM Flex-Hone® is self-centering, self-aligning to the bore, and self-compensating for wear. Known also as ball hones, these brushing tools feature abrasive globules that are permanently laminated to flexible nylon filaments. BRM cylinder hones remove burrs and improve surface finish at the same time, and can be used in either handheld electric tools or machining centers.    

Flex-Hone® Diameters and Recommended Speeds

Flex-Hone® tools are used in an oversized condition to produce a soft cutting action. For example, the cylinder hone for a 3” bore is listed as a 3” tool but has a tool diameter that is slightly larger than 3”. Diameter is an important specification to consider not just during brush tool selection, but also during Flex-Hone® use. Tool size helps determine the recommended operating speed in revolutions per minute (RPM).

The Flex-Hone® Resource Guide provides general ranges for rotational speeds; however, users should perform machine trials to test their own equipment against these guidelines. As a rule, larger cylinder hones run at slower speeds and smaller cylinder hones run at faster speeds. Stroking rate and cross-hatch angle are also related to tool diameter.

Stroking Rate and Cross-Hatch Angle

Stroke rate is the number of inches per minute (IPM) that are fed or stroked during flexible honing operations. Depending on how the Flex-Hone® tool is configured, stroke rate is controlled by either a human operator or machine parameters. Stroke rate is also related to the angle of the cross-hatch marks on the cylinder walls. These tiny oil-retaining grooves help to optimize lubrication.

As the Flex-Hone® Resource Guide explains, BRM cylinder hones impart a cross-hatch pattern and produce a plateau finish. The angle at which the cross-hatched lines intersect can vary, and is a function of both stroke rate and rotational speed. Use a slower stroke rate to achieve a smaller angle, and a faster stroke rate to produce a larger angle. For any cross-hatch angle (e.g., 20° to 23°, or 45%), larger-diameter ball hones have slower stroke rates than smaller-diameter tools.

For more information, please visit: http://www.iabrasive.com/type/abrasives-manufacturers