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MRO/Facilities Maintenance

YOUR FINISHING PROCESS JUST GOT EASIER. DISCOVER HOW OUR TOOLS HELP THE MRO/FACILITIES MAINTENANCE INDUSTRIES

Overview

Keeping equipment up and running is at the heart of the Facilities and Maintenance / MRO world. Whether it’s a factory floor, a hospital, or a power plant, the job is the same: make sure machinery works when it’s needed and keep downtime to a minimum. This industry touches just about every sector—manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, energy, and beyond—and it's only getting bigger as equipment gets more advanced and infrastructure continues to age.

To stay ahead of wear and tear, maintenance teams lean on reliable tools like wire brushes, abrasive brushes, and FLEX-HONE® tools. These are everyday essentials for removing rust, cleaning out buildup, smoothing sharp edges, and prepping surfaces for coatings or repairs. They’re especially useful in hard-to-reach areas where precision matters. By working these tools into routine maintenance, teams can extend the life of critical equipment, prevent small issues from turning into costly problems, and keep operations running without unexpected interruptions

can be used virtually any rotating spindle

Hand Drill
Drill Press
Robotic Cell
Machining Center

Applications and Benefits of Industrial Wire and Abrasive Brushes 

Industrial wire and abrasive brushes are widely used for cleaning, deburring, and surface preparation in facility maintenance and MRO operations. These tools ensure that surfaces are free from rust, corrosion, scale, and contaminants before applying coatings or assembling components.

Common Applications

  1. Surface Preparation:  
  • Removing rust, paint, and corrosion from metal surfaces before welding or painting. 
  • Cleaning machine parts, pipes, and tanks in power plants, refineries, and factories. 
  1. Deburring:  
  • Smoothing sharp edges on machined parts to ensure safety and functionality. 
  • Removing burrs from gears, valves, and threaded components. 
  1. Weld Cleaning:  
  • Post-weld finishing to remove slag, spatter, and oxidation. 
  • Preparing surfaces for secondary treatments like plating or painting. 
  1. Conveyor & Equipment Maintenance:  
  • Removing built-up residue on rollers, chains, and conveyor belts to maintain efficiency. 
  1. Concrete and Floor Cleaning:  
  • Scrubbing and roughing surfaces for better adhesion in industrial flooring applications. 

Wire & Abrasive Brush Benefits

We could go on and on about tool benefits. Here are just a few highlights:

Durability

Long-lasting brushes made from high-quality materials like stainless steel, carbon steel, and nylon. 

Versatility

Available in different shapes (cup, wheel, end, and hand brushes) for varied applications.

Abrasive Nylon Options

Nylon brushes impregnated with abrasive grit offer non-sparking, non-corrosive alternatives for delicate surfaces.

Compatibility

Designed for use with handheld tools, bench grinders, or automated systems for easy integration into workflows.

Efficiency

Reduces manual labor by quickly cleaning or preparing surfaces. 

Cost Savings

Extends equipment life by maintaining optimal working conditions. 

FLEX-HONE® Tools in MRO & Facility Maintenance 

The FLEX-HONE® is a specialized surface finishing tool used for cross-hole deburring, edge blending, and cylinder surface finishing in facility maintenance and MRO applications. Unlike traditional honing methods, the FLEX-HONE® is self-centering, requires no special setup, and can be used in handheld or automated applications.

Common Applications

  1. Cylinder & Bore Finishing:  
  • Refinishing hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, pumps, and actuators. 
  • Restoring worn-out or corroded bores in valves and compressors. 
  1. Cross-Hole Deburring:  
  • Removing burrs inside intersecting holes in manifolds and castings. 
  • Ensuring smooth fluid or air flow in piping systems. 
  1. Engine & Equipment Maintenance:  
  • Smoothing engine cylinder walls to improve lubrication and efficiency. 
  • Refinishing valve guides, brake cylinders, and transmission components. 
  1. Medical & Food Industry Maintenance:  
  • Cleaning and polishing stainless steel tubing in food processing and pharmaceutical facilities. 
  1. Firearm & Defense Maintenance:  
  • Honing barrels and chambers for smooth performance and accuracy. 

FLEX-HONE® Tool Benefits

We could go on and on about tool benefits. Here are just a few highlights:

Improves Surface Finish

Achieves a plateaued microfinish that enhances lubrication retention and reduces wear. 

Deburr Cross Drilled Holes

The tool can finish and deburr cross drilled holes simultaneously in a single setup.

Wide Range of Grits & Sizes

Available in different abrasive materials like silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, and diamond for various metals and applications.  

Self-Centering

 The tool is manufactured slightly oversized making the tools self-aligning and self-compensating.

Enhances Equipment Longevity

Reduces friction, prevents premature wear, and improves efficiency.

Easy-to-Use

The tool can be used in manual or automated processes without complex setups.

case studies

Learn how BRM tools are being used to improve processes, cut costs and save time!

FLEX-HONE®- Improving Piston Ring Performance 

Piston rings play a critical role to overall engine performance.  Learn how the FLEX-HONE® consistently provides the optimal surface to ensure peak performance and ring seating. 

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FLEX-HONE®-Deburring Holes for Complex Parts

Learn how deburr cross-drilled holes and other hard-to-reach part features benefit from the FLEX-HONE®.

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Planar Honing: Producing a Fine Finish On Flat Surfaces

Learn how the FLEX-HONE® for Rotors was used to improve machine tool sliding guideways as an alternative to traditional grinding.

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Application sales sheets

Abrasive brushes are constructed with nylon filament "impregnated" with raw grain abrasive. Each grain has unique finishing properties. BRM offers a variety of abrasive and grit selections to customize the finish for any application.

Abrasive brushes are constructed with nylon filament "impregnated" with raw grain abrasive. Each grain has unique finishing properties. BRM offers a variety of abrasive and grit selections to customize the finish for any application.

FLEX-HONE®-CROSSHOLE DEBURRING

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FLEX-HONE®-CROSSHOLE DEBURRING

Learn how the FLEX-HONE deburred 48 cross holes in 12 seconds!

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FLEX-HONE®-POLISHING HARDENED STEEL

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FLEX-HONE®-POLISHING HARDENED STEEL

Learn how the FLEX-HONE took a set of carbide rings from a 40Ra to 4 in less than 20 seconds!

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FLEX-HONE®-COATING REMOVAL

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FLEX-HONE®-COATING REMOVAL

Learn how the FLEX-HONE removed paint and coating from a cylinder with minimal dimensional change!

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FLEX-HONE®-RUST AND CORROSION REMOVAL

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FLEX-HONE®-RUST AND CORROSION REMOVAL

Learn how the FLEX-HONE quickly and easily removed corrosion and rust with minimal dimensional change!

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FLEX-HONE®-THREAD DEBURRING

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FLEX-HONE®-THREAD DEBURRING

Learn how the FLEX-HONE deburrs coarse threads in 6 seconds!

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NAMPOWER END BRUSH - ALUMINUM

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NAMPOWER END BRUSH - ALUMINUM

Learn how the NAMPOWER Ceramic End Brushes automate finishing and deburring by finishing parts in 10 seconds!

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NAMPOWER END BRUSH - INCONEL

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NAMPOWER END BRUSH - INCONEL

Learn how the NAMPOWER Ceramic End Brushes automate finishing and deburring by finishing tough Inconel alloy parts in 20 seconds!

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ABRASIVE NYLON WHEELS-ALUMINUM EXTRUSION DEBURRING

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ABRASIVE NYLON WHEELS-ALUMINUM EXTRUSION DEBURRING

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NAMPOWER-CERAMIC THREAD DEBURRING

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NAMPOWER-CERAMIC THREAD DEBURRING

Learn how these ceramic abrasive filament brushes maximize value per part by deburrs threads in 5 seconds!

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How Can We Help

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Didn't find the brush you need? No problem. BRM Technical Engineers will design a tool for your specific application requirements.

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Our tools speak for themselves. For qualified production applications, no charge samples will be provided for testing.

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Our network of manufacturing representatives work with you to discuss your application, deliver samples and optimizing setups.

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Have any questions?

For more than 65 years, BRM has been creating solutions to some of the toughest surface finishing challenges. We look forward to working with you

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