By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-12-21 22:14:05 | Word Count: 664
A Sunnen hone is a honing machine made by Sunnen, a global manufacturer of precision honing devices since the early years of the 20th century; the company is still of high prominence in the field today. It was originally patented by its founder, Joseph Hone. Sunnen’s design was so successful that practically any hone is referred to as a Sunnen, and they are still the industry leader in terms of quality.
Basically, a Sunnen hone is an abrasive machining process that produces an exact, precise surface on a metal work piece by the scrubbing of an abrasive agent against it, along a tightly controlled path. It improves the surfaces texture and is often employed also to shape the geometric form of a surface. There are many types of applications that require a great deal of precision in terms of its surface, such as the finishing on cylinders used for internal combustion engines, among others. Honing steel is used in abrasive sharpening purposes, such as to make high quality kitchen knives.
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The machines typically use a tool called a honing stone, which is literally a composite stone that has abrasive grains throughout its body. It isn’t a naturally occurring stone itself; rather it is collection of naturally occurring stones held together with adhesive. It is typically composed of different stones of various levels of hardness, based on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness. The most common stones used in a honing stone are: corundum (the same family that rubies and sapphires come from), diamond, silicon carbide and cubic boron nitride.
Although sometimes other materials are used depending on the application, (such as steel), most surfaces hold up well to the refining capabilities of naturally occurring stones. The stones chosen for an abrasive machining operation are usually dictated by the characteristics of the substance that needs honing however. In some cases, super-abrasives are needed.
In addition to the honing stone, a Sunnen hone requires special cutting fluids to make its cutting and boring functions as smooth as possible, and to wash away the fine material that has been abraded and is now sitting on the surface of the product. They often feature oil reservoirs to hold and dispense this fluid during the machine’s operations. This also helps maintain the integrity and stability of the machine over long term use.
Sunnen Hone machines last very long. As such, there is quite a variety available on the second hand market. They are built to be extremely durable because honing itself is a high precision process that can take a lot out of a piece of equipment if it isn’t built well to begin with. Sunnen hones have a lifespan of several decades; therefore they are not inexpensive.
At Machinery Values, we have Sunnen hones and hones like Sunnen. We have new models and reliable older models. Our selection of used Sunnen hones are high quality models that are in excellent shape, both in condition and appearance. We also have financing options available to make your purchase more affordable. Visit us today for a durable, high quality machine.
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