Flex-Hone® Featured in Aerospace Manufacturing and Design

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design (AMD) is a multimedia trade publication that delivers cutting-edge coverage of emerging technologies and best practices used in the aerospace industry. Available in both print and digital editions, each edition of AMD magazine reaches over 15,000 decision-makers who are responsible for the design, engineering, production, or purchasing of aerospace tools, materials, and components. The News section of the AMD website also provides information and insights for aerospace manufacturers and suppliers who want to produce higher-quality parts.

Flexible Honing for Superior Surface Finishing
In a News Item called Flexible Hone Hits the Road, AMD tells the story of Vektek, Inc., a global supplier of hydraulic and pneumatic clamping systems for the metalworking, tool and die, and mold industries. Headquartered in Emporia, Kansas, Vektek counts on another American company for a flexible finishing tool that prepares fixture cavities to accept metal cylinders. Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) of Los Angeles, California supplies Vektek with the Flex-Hone®, an American-made brush tool that uses flexible honing technology to provide a superior surface finish.  

Cylinder Honing Corrects Sealing Problems
If hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders have small scratches or other surface imperfections, the seals may fail and make the fixtures unusable. Such was the case with 300 cavities that a Vektek customer in China had machined improperly. “These cylinders require a very good seal – very accurate, very round, and with a high-quality surface finish”, said Rob Nelson, vice president of Vektek International Sales. So Vektek advised its Chinese customer, a manufacturer of heavy equipment, to use BRM’s Flex-Hone® tool to surface finish the cylinder cavities and eliminate the sealing problems.

Ball Hones and Metal Cylinders
“They were leaking because the inside of the cavities were too rough,” Nelson said of the seals for the improperly machined cylinders. By using the Flex-Hone® in a handheld drill, however, Vektek’s customer polished hundreds of cylinder cavities to specification.” Self-aligning and self-compensating for wear, the Flex-Hone® is ideal for any type or size cylinder. Unlike other honing tools, BRM’s ball hone is also easy to setup and use, eliminating expensive tool changes and machine downtime.

Polishing, Deburring, and Edge Blending
The Flex-Hone® is available in a variety of sizes and abrasive types, and used in many different industries and applications. Built with a stiff metal stem and flexible nylon filaments, BRM’s cylinder honing tool provides a consistent finishing action even after its abrasive globules wear down. To see how the Flex-Hone® tool solves polishing, deburring, and edge blending challenges, click here to watch this video.