Honing machines for metalworking
How honing machines work
A honing machine is a specialised machine tool used to improve the surface quality and accuracy of holes drilled in metal parts. The core of the honing process is the use of honing stones or honing stones attached to a honing head. These stones are pressed against the inner wall of the bore while the honing head performs a controlled rotating and oscillating motion. This movement causes the abrasive honing stones to remove irregularities from the surface.
The honing process
The process begins with the selection of the correct honing stone based on the material to be processed and the desired surface finish. The machine then precisely controls the contact pressure, speed and amount of oscillation to achieve consistent results throughout the hole. Modern honing machines have advanced control systems that allow fine tuning of these parameters, ensuring high repeatability and efficiency in the honing process.
Depending on the process and material, honing can remove between 2 and 50 micrometres of material per processing step. Long-stroke honing is ideal for larger material removal over several hundred micrometres, while short-stroke honing or precision honing is suitable for minimal removal. The hardness of the material, the use of the right abrasives and the process parameters such as feed rate and honing pressure are decisive. Excessive removal depths impair precision and should be carefully planned to ensure dimensional accuracy.
Why should a bore be honed?
Honing a bore is essential to ensure the highest precision and optimum functionality of components. The process achieves tight dimensional tolerances and excellent surface quality, which is essential for the reliable operation of cylinders, valves and bearings. Honing also improves tribological properties, such as lubricant adhesion and friction minimisation, which increases the service life and efficiency of components. It eliminates machining marks, increases tightness and ensures a uniform contact surface.
Honing vs. grinding
Honing and grinding are both machining processes, but they differ in terms of precision and application. Grinding is a coarse to fine machining process that uses rotating grinding wheels to shape workpieces or smooth surfaces. It is suitable for a wide range of materials and applications. Honing, on the other hand, is a fine machining process using special honing stones that achieve more precise dimensional accuracy and better surface quality through oscillating movements. While grinding is often used for pre-processing, honing is used to perfect components.
Honing vs. lapping
Honing and lapping are both finishing processes used in the manufacturing industry to improve the surface quality and accuracy of workpieces, but they differ in their application and technique. Honing uses abrasive honing stones that are pressed against the inner surface of a bore to remove irregularities and smooth the surface. It is particularly suitable for cylindrical surfaces and produces precise geometries and surface finishes. Lapping, on the other hand, is a process in which two surfaces are rubbed together with the addition of an abrasive medium to achieve an extremely smooth and even surface. Lapping is often used for flat surfaces and aims to achieve high dimensional accuracy and surface quality. While honing primarily optimises the internal machining of bores, lapping focuses on the fine machining of external contours and surfaces.
Applications in industrial production
Honing machines are used in the automotive, aerospace, hydraulics, medical technology, mechanical engineering, energy technology and tool manufacturing industries. Typical workpieces that are manufactured by honing are
- Cylinder bores of combustion engines
- Hydraulic cylinders
- Pneumatic components
- Precision bearings
- Injection nozzles
- Bushings for piston pumps
- Brake discs and drums
- Compressor components
- Gear wheel inner bores
- Implants and surgical instruments in medical technology
Types of honing machines
There are different types of honing machines in industrial manufacturing, including manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic systems, horizontal honing machines and vertical honing machines, each with specific advantages for certain requirements.
Long-stroke honing machine
A long-stroke honing machine is a specialised precision machining tool that is mainly used for machining long and deep bores. In contrast to short-stroke honing machines, which are used for smaller workpieces, the long-stroke honing machine enables the honing of bores with a large length in relation to the diameter. It works with a combination of rotary and axial movement of the honing stones, which are moved along the entire length of the bore. This enables uniform and precise machining of the inner surface, resulting in improved surface quality, accuracy and geometry. Long-stroke honing machines are known for their ability to achieve exceptionally smooth surfaces and precise tolerances, making them ideal for machining hydraulic cylinders (cylinder honing machine), engine blocks (engine block honing machine) and similar applications.
Short-stroke honing machine
Superfinishing machine
A superfinishing machine, also known as a microfinishing machine, specialises in improving the surface quality and precision of workpiece surfaces. The superfinishing process, also known as microfinishing, uses special grinding or polishing stones and oscillation techniques to achieve extremely fine surface roughness. The tool is pressed against the workpiece with a low, controlled contact pressure and guided over the surface in a rapid, oscillating movement. This technique removes minimal layers of material, creating an extremely smooth and precise surface. Superfinishing machines are particularly valuable in the automotive, aerospace and medical technology industries, where the highest demands are placed on surface quality and component service life. They offer an efficient solution for reducing friction and wear, which significantly improves the performance and service life of machine parts.
Advantages of honing machines
Compared to other metalworking techniques, honing machines offer specific advantages that make them particularly valuable for precision applications. Firstly, they enable exceptionally high surface quality and accuracy in the machining of bores, which is crucial for the performance and service life of machine parts. Secondly, honing allows the machining of complex internal contours that are difficult to achieve with other methods. Thirdly, honing machines ensure uniform material removal, resulting in improved geometry and surface finish. In addition, they are able to process a wide range of materials, making them a flexible option for many industrial applications. Overall, honing machines increase efficiency and quality in manufacturing by delivering precise results while reducing time and costs.
Components, accessories and equipment
The most important components include honing stones or honing stones, which are selected depending on the material to be processed and the desired surface finish. These abrasive tools are available in various grit sizes and bonds. Equally important are cooling lubricants that are used during the honing process to prevent overheating, improve the surface quality and extend the service life of the honing stones. Furthermore, clamping devices are required to position the workpiece safely and precisely, as well as measuring devices to check dimensional accuracy and surface quality. Regular maintenance and care of the machine and its components is also essential to ensure consistently high machining quality.
Leading honing machine manufacturers
In our manufacturers directory, you will find companies that produce honing machines for industrial production.
The following honing machines are frequently searched for: Fässler honing machines, Gehring honing machines, Kadia honing machine, Nagel honing machines, Präwema honing machine, Sunnen honing machine
Choosing the right honing machine
If you want to buy a honing machine, consider the following selection criteria: The size and type of machine (long-stroke or short-stroke honing machine) are important and should be matched to the workpieces to be processed. Pay attention to the maximum and minimum diameter of the holes that can be machined, as well as the maximum machining length. The precision and repeat accuracy of the machine are decisive for the quality of the end products. Other important factors are the flexibility of the machine settings, such as speed and contact pressure, and compatibility with different honing stones and cooling lubricants. Last but not least, user-friendliness, the availability of service and support and the overall costs, including maintenance and operating resources, play a key role in the decision-making process.
Find the honing machine that suits your requirements now at maschinenauswahl.de.