Understanding Honing: Solving Common Machining Problems With Precision
04 December 2024
Honing is an advanced machining process that fine-tunes a variety of components to achieve exceptional precision.
It is widely used to improve surface finishes, correct geometric errors, enhance dimensional accuracy, and reduce friction and wear in a range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and medical device manufacturing.In this article, we’ll consider the benefits and applications of honing and how the process can significantly improve the performance and longevity of machined parts.
Improving Surface Finish
An important advantage of honing is its ability to achieve a fine surface finish on a range of complex components. The fine surface texture produced by honing not only improves the aesthetic appearance of the component, but also plays a vital role in enhancing its functionality. A smoother surface, for example, ensures better sealing, reduced friction, and improved retention of lubricants – critical in engine cylinders and hydraulic systems. By refining the surface finish, honing can significantly boost the overall efficiency and reliability of a component, reducing performance problems.
Correcting Geometric Errors
Imperfections can easily arise during earlier machining processes, such as drilling or boring, so honing is invaluable in correcting geometric errors, including taper, out-of-roundness, and barrel shape in cylindrical parts - inaccuracies that may contribute to poor performance, premature wear, and even complete failure of the component. By using abrasive stones that conform to the shape of the bore, honing gradually removes excess material and ensures the part achieves the desired geometry. By correcting geometric errors, honing ensures the component meets the exacting standards required for high-performance applications.
Enhancing Dimensional Accuracy
As well as improving surface finish and correcting geometric errors, honing is crucial to enhance dimensional accuracy. Machined parts often require precise bore diameters and perfect alignment to correctly function. Honing allows for the fine-tuning of bore diameters within tight tolerances, ensuring that components seamlessly fit together. This level of precision is especially important in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and hydraulic cylinder manufacture, in which minor deviations can cause significant performance issues.
Reducing Friction And Wear
Honing also plays a vital role in reducing friction and wear in mechanical components. Should it be requested, the crosshatch finish produced during honing creates small pockets on the surface that retain lubrication, reducing metal-to-metal contact and minimising wear. This results in longer-lasting components and improved efficiency, particularly in high-stress environments in which consistent and reliable performance is critical.
Find Out More
At Hone-All, our experienced team of engineers possesses the skills and knowledge to ensure our CNC honing delivers the highest quality standards for projects of any size and complexity. By choosing us for your honing needs, you will receive a bespoke approach to your engineering project and an unwavering commitment to excellence, safety, and reliability.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 26/11/2024 - 2024 has certainly been a year of challenges for business.
- 06/11/2024 - Engineering In The Automotive Industry: The Role Of Honing
- 17/09/2024 - Hone-All - What Makes Us Unique?
- 03/09/2024 - Industrial Roller Quality Vs Price - Reasons Why You Shouldn't Choose The Cheaper Option
- 10/07/2024 - What is CNC Turning and how is it used?
- 06/06/2024 - What is the impact of effective manufacturing supply chain management?
- 02/05/2024 - The anatomy of precision: Hydraulic cylinders and what sets them apart
- 09/04/2024 - Precision Matters: Why CNC Machining is crucial for medical equipment
- 07/03/2024 - Adapting to the evolving manufacturing landscape: A look ahead
- 06/02/2024 - Questions to ask roller manufacturers for the best quality rollers
- 11/12/2023 - Happy Christmas from Hone-All
- 07/11/2023 - The manufacturing growth programme creates 12,435 SME jobs - but is it enough?
- 06/09/2023 - 3 manufacturing trends for Q3-Q4 2023
- 03/08/2023 - Precision perfected: Unveiling the power of final inspection
- 04/07/2023 - 5 advantages of using trepanning
- 02/06/2023 - Igniting growth: The launch of the make uk campaign for a strong manufacturing industrial strategy
- 03/05/2023 - Why honing is critical for the aerospace industry
- 13/04/2023 - Honing the customer experience
- 06/03/2023 - CNC Turning quotes mistakes to avoid
- 07/02/2023 - How to pick the best materials for your project
- 02/12/2022 - Investing in your factory is the key to manufacturing success
- 03/11/2022 - Manufacturers: How To Stay Positive Despite The (Potential) Looming Recession
- 02/09/2022 - Does a lack of advanced digital technology harm uk manufacturing?
- 03/08/2022 - 2 years after brexit, british manufacturing hasn't found its new normal
- 11/07/2022 - "Enginuity": A smarter way to attract and train the world's best engineers
- 06/06/2022 - Let's celebrate manufacturing! how national manufacturing day benefits all of us
- 03/05/2022 - Why SMES are so vital to both the economy and society
- 04/04/2022 - Inspiring the next generation of engineers
- 09/03/2022 - Spring is on its way at last and it’s the season of change and growth for many.
- 03/03/2022 - Microsoft cloud for manufacturing is helping with growing supply chain issues
- 04/02/2022 - Why It's Time For A Dedicated Commissioner For Manufacturing
- 05/01/2022 - What Is The Difference Between Outsourcing And Subcontracting In Manufacturing?
- 07/12/2021 - Hone-All Christmas Newsletter
- 02/12/2021 - How Do Hone-All Contribute Towards Formula 1?
- 02/11/2021 - What Information Should I Provide When Ordering Precision Machining Services?
- 18/10/2021 - What Materials Are Used In Manufacturing & Why?
- 02/09/2021 - How To Choose The Right UK Based CNC Machining Service
- 02/08/2021 - Considerations All Precision Steel Tube Manufacturers Should Make
- 12/07/2021 - 5 Questions About CNC Honing Answered
- 02/06/2021 - The 5 main causes of supply chain costs
- 04/05/2021 - Reshoring to Improve Supply Chain Management
- 07/04/2021 - What does 'net zero' mean for UK manufacturers & the green recovery?
- 10/02/2021 - The Coffee Break Guide To Trepanning: Everything You Need To Know To Get Started
- 03/12/2020 - How long will my project take?
- 12/11/2020 - What Is CNC Honing And How Is It Used?
- 14/10/2020 - Why we need to keep seeking out fresh perspectives in manufacturing
- 16/09/2020 - A united manufacturing directory for the United Kingdom - We need one by 2021 and here's why!
- 06/08/2020 - The ventilator challenge - Uniting manufacturing, for covid or forever? an interview with Garry Myatt, co-founder of UKMDFGUNITE
- 04/06/2020 - 56 days later: Hone all during lockdown
- 04/05/2020 - Our Pinacho STH 400 Is Now Installed & Ready For Action!
- 28/04/2020 - Open For Business
- 06/04/2020 - Tube Manufacturing For The Aerospace And Medical Sector
- 03/03/2020 - A 2019 Highlight: Hone All secures BAE Systems - air approval
- 06/02/2020 - Getting Ready For Our New Pinacho CNC Lathe
- 05/11/2019 - How to ensure quality for all components in an aerospace project
- 05/11/2019 - 4 metals used in aeroplane manufacture and why they are used
- 05/11/2019 - Why 'Quality over Cost' is so important in precision engineering
- 09/08/2019 - The importance of Gundrilling in Aerospace Manufacturing
- 09/08/2019 - £150M government funding boosts for the Aerospace Sector
- 09/08/2019 - 3 simple ways to optimise your honing operation
- 08/07/2019 - The risks of using a distant Gundrilling company
- 06/06/2019 - What Is The Average Turnaround Time For Gundrilling?
- 05/04/2019 - Why Supplying Accurate Precision Drilling Drawings Is Important
- 06/02/2019 - Honing The Supply Chain: How You Can Say No To Costly Delays!
- 06/02/2019 - The Hone-All Precision Limited Blog
- 04/01/2019 - How To Choose A Good Metal Tubing Manufacturer
- 04/01/2019 - The Importance Of Quality In Production Processes
- 21/12/2018 - The UK Manufacturing Output & Growth Remain Strong
- 21/12/2018 - The UK Aerospace Industry Set For Another Stellar Production Year
- 21/12/2018 - What Effect Is The Apprenticeship Levy Having On Apprenticeships?
- 19/12/2018 - Hone-All Precision feature in The Manufacturer Top 100 2018!
- 19/12/2018 - Tube Manufacturing For The Medical Industry
- 02/11/2018 - Further Investment At Hone-All
- 02/11/2018 - Growing, Growing, Grown: The Future Looks Bright For The Oil & Gas Sector In The UK
- 22/10/2018 - Further Investment At Hone-All
- 22/10/2018 - CCL Relief – Are You Paying Unnecessarily?
- 18/10/2018 - UK Manufacturing Recruitment - is it Time For A Change?
- 17/07/2018 - Hone All Director Andrea Rodney’s Keynote Speech At The National Manufacturing Debate 2018
- 17/07/2018 - A Bright Summer For UK Manufacturing?
- 17/07/2018 - New Hone-All Website Is Now Ready & Live
- 17/07/2018 - Engineering Talent Discovered In Bedfordshire
- 13/07/2018 - Maintaining Email Security & Best Practices
- 13/07/2018 - The CNC Precision Honing Process Explained
- 14/03/2018 - Introducing Our Latest Colchester CNC Lathe
- 14/03/2018 - A Perfectly Formed Bottom – Does Your Bore Really Need A Flat Bottom?
- 14/03/2018 - The Trepanning Tool – A Modern Manufacturing Moneysaver
- 26/07/2017 - Hone-All Orders Two Deep Hole Boring Machines
