Flexible Honing for Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing

Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) supplies flexible hones to defense and aerospace manufacturers who need high-quality solutions to surface finishing challenges. A flexible, resilient honing tool with a soft cutting action, the Flex-Hone® features flexible nylon filaments that are permanently laminated to abrasive globules. Sometimes called a ball hone or cylinder hone, flexible honing tools are available in a wide variety of abrasive types, including silicon carbide, boron carbide, and diamond.

Diamond Hones for Hard Materials

Diamond Flex-Hone® tools are used for deburring, edge blending, chamfering, and surface finishing hard materials such as carbides, ceramics, aerospace metals, and space age alloys. Made with premium coated diamond abrasive, these diamond honing tools come in diameters from 4mm to 20mm and in three different mesh sizes. Self-centering, self-aligning to the bore, and self-compensating for wear, BRM diamond hones also help aerospace and defense manufacturers to automate finishing operations.

Flex-Hone® technology features a double-wire stem for mounting with handheld power tools and production machinery.  Versatile and easy-to-use, flexible hones support rapid tool changes and can be used with most any rotating spindle, including electric hand drills, CNC equipment, robotic arms, and machining centers. For defense and aerospace manufacturers who want to improve part quality and eliminate time-consuming manual operations, BRM deburring tools are the right choice.

Aerospace Manufacturing

Aerospace companies, aircraft manufacturers, jet engine builders, and aviation MROs use BRM ball hones and cylinder hones in a variety of aerospace and aircraft applications. Examples include through-hole edge rounding in aircraft engine components, surface finishing of helicopter rotor drive shafts, and deburring the bearing surfaces on hydraulic swivel components. Flex-Hone® tools for Chamfer Blending are high-quality chamfer hones for blending and radiusing sharp edges.

BRM flexible honing tools are also used for automated deburring, cutting, and edge breaking operations; removing stress risers and polishing holes in landing gear equipment; and for rust removal and surface preparation for Eddy current testing. Used with aerospace materials and space age alloys, Diamond Flex-Hone® tools are ideal for type 302, 304, 416 and 17-4 stainless steels; Hasteloy®, Monel®, and Inconel® 718; Titanium 6AL-4V; and specialty aluminum alloys.

Defense Manufacturing

Like aerospace manufacturers, the defense supply chain depends upon Flex-Hone® technology to help solve difficult surface finishing challenges. For example, when stress corrosion cracks from machined holes grounded some U.S. Navy jet fighters, the Naval Aviation Depot at North Island, California chose flexible honing tools for machining high-quality holes in aircraft structures. Flex-Hone® technology is also used to remove micro-burrs left from drilling, reaming, and countersinking operations.

Flexible honing tools are so reliable that they’re also used with firearms weapons, cannon barrels, and aircraft missile systems. Additional applications for flexible hones include precision deburring of component parts after machining or grinding, surface finish improvement, and pre-coating surface preparation. Flex-Hone® tools for Firearms are available for shotguns, rifles, revolvers, and pistols.

Visit BRM at AeroDef (Booth #554)

From February 25 to 27, commercial aviation and defense OEMs will gather at the Long Beach Convention Center for the AeroDef Manufacturing Summit and Exposition. From keynote speakers and executive insights to tradeshow booths and technical sessions, AeroDef is where defense and aerospace manufacturers learn about new technologies and hone their competitive edge.

As a trusted supplier to the defense and aerospace supply chain, BRM will share surface finishing solutions in Booth #554 and explain how Flex-Hone® technology can help manufacturers to deliver programs on-time and on-budget.  If your travel plans include a visit to this year’s AeroDef event in Long Beach, use Promo Code 10003623 to register for the exhibits for free.