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At last week's ABMA Annual Convention, we met North American brush manufacturers who make everything from brooms to mops to paint brushes. But what about industrial brush tools? What are they used for anyway?
Here's an overview of how industries and hobbyists use
industrial brushing tools such as flexible hones and abrasive nylon brushes.
Aerospace
The aerospace industry uses flexible hones for cutting
and surface-finishing aerospace materials and space age alloys. Aerospace
and aircraft brushes are used for parts deburring and surface conditioning
after machining or grinding.
Aluminum Extrusion
For air conditioners, condenser tubes, automotive radiators,
and heat sinks, aluminum extruders need parts that are burr-free and slightly
radiused. A soft-cutting honing tool can expose aluminum's base metal structure for a smooth,
long-wearing surface.
Automotive
Both the automotive industry and hobbyists use flex-hones for cylinder deglazing, deburring, engine block honing, and surface
finishing. For any type and size of automotive cylinder, the tool produces
a crosshatch pattern for optimum lubrication. With cylinder deglazing, it properly seats and seals new piston rings in car engines. There are also various types of automotive brushes.
Brass Instruments
With its cylindrical shape and self-centering design, a flex-hone
is great for cleaning, finishing, and polishing brass instruments with metal
valves or slides. Abrasive nylon brushes are ideal for cleaning and
deburring threads.
Earth Moving Equipment
Engine maintenance is critical for earth moving equipment
such as bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, loaders, and graders. That's why
companies like Caterpillar use brush tools for deglazing, refinishing, and
crosshatching cylinder liner walls during diesel engine overhauls. Industrial brushes
for tasks ranging from injector cleaning to surface finish improvement are also used.
Fluid and Power
Companies that manufacture pumps and hydraulic cylinders rely upon flexible hones to speed operations and improve surface quality. Pump
manufacturers mount the tool in a standard drill chuck to remove burrs
that could damage O-rings. Hydraulic cylinder manufactures can create a plateau surface finish for proper lubrication. Abrasive nylon
brushes are used to deburr threads.
General Industry
Flexible hones can be used either during machine tool
applications or as a secondary operation. Brush holders and drive arbors for abrasive brushes are used in
automated finishing machinery.
Hydraulics
Hydraulic toolmakers and hydraulic cylinder manufactures use
the flex-hone to remove burrs after boring and to improve surface finish to
precise standards. For hard materials that require specialized surface
finishing, a diamond honing tool is recommended. There are also abrasive
nylon brushes for cleaning and deburring machined threads.
Marine
Marine service shops use large-bore flexible hones to
maintain the big-bore diesel engines that power tankers, freighters, and other
large ocean-going vessels. The tool is also used to refurbish marine
pumps, valves, and hydraulic cylinders. Abrasive brushes are great
for cleaning fiberglass boats and
improving the surface finish of marine components.
Military and Defense
Military installations and defense contractors use flexible
honing tools and industrial abrasive brushes for deburring, edge blending, and
surface finishing hard materials. For amateur and professional gunsmiths, the flex-hone for firearms delivers the marksmanship-like performance
required by sound interior ballistics. Abrasive brushes are used for
blending tool marks.
Oil and Gas
Brush tools help the oil and gas industry clean and service
pipes, pumps, valves, hydraulic cylinders, and diesel engines. Flexible hones can also be used to maintain critical tolerances in hydraulic cylinders used in
pumps at petrochemical plants and chemical processing facilities. For cleaning
and deburring threads, abrasive nylon brushes are a good choice.
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