Automated Deburring and Surface Finishing Impresses Leading Manufacturers

Made-in-the USA manufacturing has been in the news, and Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) has been on the road this tradeshow season. After traveling to Germany for EMO Hannover in September, BRM stayed stateside for WESTEC and SOUTH-TEC, two of America’s leading industrial tradeshows, during a busy month of October.

For over 25 years, BRM has been an active supporter and exhibitor at WESTEC, a manufacturing “think tank” and the West Coast’s leading industrial tradeshow. The California company also attended this year’s SOUTH-TEC event, the premiere manufacturing tradeshow in the Southeastern United States. Both industry events engaged audiences seeking new technologies for improving manufacturing quality.

The reshoring phenomenon that’s bringing manufacturing jobs back to American soil is also emphasizing automation and robotics. For both inner diameter (ID) and outer diameter (OD) surface finishing, BRM supplies automated deburring tools that improve surface condition at the same time. At both WESTEC and SOUTH-TEC, BRM Flex-Hone® and NamPower products impressed leading manufacturers.

Flexible Hones for Burr Removal and Cylinder Surface Finishing

BRM Flex-Hone® tools produce a controlled surface condition that’s free of cut, torn, and folded metal. Ideal for any type or size cylinder, flexible hones deburr bores and improve internal surface finish at the same time. Industrial applications include cross-hole deburring, parts finishing, and edge radiusing. The plateau finish that cylinder honing imparts aids in lubrication and reduces wear.

Manufacturers use flexible honing tools in robotic cells, transfer lines, and CNC machine centers for automated surface finishing. Versatile and cost-effective, Flex-Hone® tools feature abrasive globules (balls) laminated onto the ends of flexible nylon filaments. Ball hones, as the deburring tools are known, are self-centering, self-aligning to the bore, and self-compensating for wear. 

As tradeshow visitors learned and as BRM’s Flex-Hone® In-Machine Setup video explains, manufacturers are using flexible hones to speed metal finishing operations and achieve surface finishes down to the single RA level. Flex-Hone® technology’s low-temperature, low-pressure abrading process exposes the undisturbed structure of base metal and imparts an ideal cross-hatch pattern to cylinder walls.

NamPower Nylon Abrasive Brushes for Parts Finishing and Deburring

NamPower abrasive brushes are high-performance deburring tools that also improve outer diameter (OD) surface finish. Designed for mounting in machine centers, these nylon abrasive brushes integrate with existing production equipment and do not require rigid setups. Industrial applications include metal finishing prior to plating and deburring after fine blanking.

NamPower technology is used for parts finishing and deburring in the automotive, aerospace, and appliance manufacturing industries. Tough but flexible, these abrasive nylon brushes are made with filaments that are both moisture and chemical resistant. With their dense, uniform fill, NamPower brush tools conform closely to part contours, wiping and filing across part edges and surfaces.

As tradeshow visitors learned and as BRM’s How to Automate Deburring and Surface Finishing video explains, NamPower abrasive disc brushes are made with a molded, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic base. By allowing coolant to flow from the brush center instead of supplying lubricant from only the outside, NamPower arbors also improve cutting action and promote longer tool life.