Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), maker of flexible hones and high-performance nylon abrasive brushes, is announcing its 55th anniversary by celebrating historic achievements and predicting future successes. The California company’s Flex-Hone® tools and NamPower family of products are part of a full line of industrial brush tools that includes power brushes and diesel and automotive brushes.
As company founder Steve Rands once wrote, “Keep an open mind. Experiment. Nothing improves until someone stops and questions an accepted assumption.” Today, BRM remains true to this vision by offering innovative brushing technologies for automated deburring and surface finishing. Flex-Hone® tools and NamPower abrasive brushes are both industry-leading solutions for parts finishing challenges.
Pioneers in Plateau Finishing
Thanks to BRM’s pioneering spirit, manufacturers have long benefitted from plateau finishing, a surface finishing technique that removes harsh peaks and creates oil-retaining valleys. As Steve Rands explained, a substantially flat surface or plateau finish provides a greater bearing area while optimizing lubrication in critical components such as engine cylinders.
The Flex-Hone® tool, BRM’s signature product, is the standard against which all other plateau hones are compared. During the California company’s early years, cylinder honing tools were used mainly by the automotive market. By deglazing the walls of engine cylinders, Flex-Hone® users extended the service life of diesel engines while reducing oil consumption and lowering emissions.
Automotive and Aerospace Applications
Today, auto parts manufacturers and aerospace companies are also using flexible hones for inner diameter (ID) surface finishing. For example, when Sikorsky Aircraft needed to remove scale from a carburized bearing surface, the helicopter maker tried carbine reamers and diamond laps. These tools didn’t work well with 9310 alloy steel, however, so Sikorsky switched to Diamond Flex-Hone® tools.
Built with a stiff metal stem and flexible nylon abrasive filaments, the Flex-Hone® removes cut, torn, or folded metal while leaving the base metal undisturbed. Versatile and easy-to-use, the BRM brush tool can be used in a handheld electric drill, or with automated equipment. As the Flex-Hone® In-Machine Setup video shows, manufacturers are automating finishing and depending upon in-machine deburring.
NamPower Nylon Abrasive Brushes
Today, BRM is building upon its 55-year history of surface finishing success with NamPower nylon abrasive brushes. By automating their surface finishing and deburring operations with NamPower technology, parts manufacturers are reducing labor costs and speeding high-volume operations in industries such as automotive, aerospace, and appliance manufacturing.
As Mike Miller, BRM’s Vice President for Sales explains, “NamPower disc brushes are easily integrated with automated machinery, CNC machine centers, transfer lines, and robotic cells.” By allowing coolant to flow from the brush center instead of supplying lubricant only from the outside, NamPower brush technology also provides improved cutting action and longer tool life.
About Brush Research Manufacturing
Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), makers of a full line of flexible honing tools and industrial brushes, is located in Los Angeles, California. For 55 years, BRM has been solving difficult finishing problems with brushing technology. BRM’s Flex-Hone® tool is the standard against which all other surface finishing solutions are compared. NamPower technology is ideal for outer diameter (OD) burr removal and surface condition improvement.
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