Saylor Beall Improves Air Compressor Performance by Installing Two-Stage Hone

Saylor Beall has recently installed a two stage hone to their air compressors in order to greatly improve compressor performance. The primary advantage of two stage honing is the ability to perform a roughing operation, then come back and do the finish operation with greater accuracy. The machine uses CNC control to vary the honing speed, also switching to different grit stones needed for the finish operation. The machine also uses a brush final operation to knock off burrs or high spots that might have remained after the finish operation. The hone provides for a rounder cylinder with more consistent micro-finish. It allows the piston ring to seal more closely against the cylinder, reducing the amount of oil that can pass downstream. While oil is a necessary evil for lubricating moving parts, disposing of it can be a challenge. Oil has always been an irritating side effect of air compressors. It often mixes with the compressed air, only to condensate later in the air system. It can cause valves to stick, and it can leak through gaskets. In today’s more environmentally conscious society, anything to reduce the impact of oil is considered a plus.