In the pneumatics industry, even minor surface imperfections such as burrs, tool marks, or rough cylinder walls can lead to air leakage, reduced seal effectiveness, and system inefficiencies. Industrial brushes and FLEX-HONE® tools are ideal for addressing these challenges, delivering consistent internal surface refinement, deburring, and polishing. By ensuring smooth, uniform finishes in pneumatic cylinders, valves, and fittings, these tools improve seal performance, reduce wear, and extend the life of critical components—boosting reliability across pneumatic systems.
Overview
The global pneumatics market, valued in the billions of dollars, plays a critical role across manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and other industrial sectors. At the heart of many pneumatic systems are pneumatic cylinders—also known as air cylinders—which are among the most widely used and efficient actuators in the fluid power industry. These cylinders convert compressed air energy into linear mechanical motion, driving a wide range of industrial and commercial operations such as automation, packaging, robotics, and assembly. Their internal components, including the cylinder bore and piston rod, are vital to ensuring smooth, efficient performance. Valued for their cleanliness, speed, and simplicity, pneumatic cylinders are essential in applications where reliable and repeatable motion is required.
Maintaining a smooth, consistent surface finish inside pneumatic cylinders is critical for ensuring reliable performance, minimizing air leakage, and extending component life. FLEX-HONE® tools are specifically designed to improve the surface quality of cylinder bores by removing machining marks, blending edges, and achieving a plateau finish that enhances seal performance and reduces friction. Complementing the FLEX-HONE, industrial brushes—such as wire and abrasive nylon brushes—play an important role in cleaning, deburring, and maintaining other cylinder components. They’re perfect for removing rust, scale, and debris from bores, ports, threads, and piston rods, ensuring optimal operation and easier assembly. Together, FLEX-HONE tools and industrial brushes provide an efficient, cost-effective solution for manufacturers, rebuilders, and maintenance teams working with pneumatic cylinders.
Precision Surface Finishing Solutions for the Pneumatics Industry
Applications & Benefits of FLEX-HONE® Tools
- Deburring & Surface Finishing: Removes small burrs from the inside of cylinders, manifolds, and pneumatic tubing to improve function and reliability.
- Crosshatch Patterning: Provides the ideal surface texture for optimal oil retention in cylinder and valve bores, increasing performance.
- Cleaning & Polishing: Improves rough surfaces for better wear resistance and extended component life.
- Works with Different Tools: Perfect for CNC machines, handheld drills and automated deburring setups for versatile use.
- Self-Centering Design: Automatically adjusts to provide even, consistent finishing inside cylindrical parts.
- Increases System Longevity: By improving surface quality and reducing friction, this helps to prevent early failure in high-pressure pneumatic systems