Darex XPS-16 Operating Instructions - Manual (Page 53)

53
HONING ON YOUR XPS-16
Your sharpener is equipped with “honing” capabili-
ties. Edge prepping is done a number of different
ways, in the case of your XPS-16 sharpener it is
achieved by brush honing. The hone brush is
bolted to the center of the diamond-grinding
wheel. The bristles of the nylon brush are impreg-
nated with silicon carbide crystals. Optional Dia-
mond Hone available.
When the hone
feature is selected
and the drill has
finished the sharp-
ening cycle, the
drill moves over
into the honing
position.
With the cutting edge perpendicular, the drill
feeds into the honing brush, pausing as the bris-
tles lap over the cutting edge, creating a radius.
This method creates what is known as a waterfall-
shaped hone, the edge prep is skewed toward the
topside of the tool. The main benefit of this type
of hone is that the honing process leaves more
tool material directly under the cutting edge, fur-
ther strengthening the corner. The longer the cut-
ting edge remains paused in the brush the larger
the radius. To change the size of the radius, ad-
just the length of time the drill is in the hone cy-
cle. Your options for the time in the hone
range from .010 to 60.0, for Hone Time Ad-
justment r efer to information on page 53.
WHY HONE?
A carbide cutting tool’s edge must withstand tre-
mendous stress. It’s ability to handle the applied
stress and wear in a slow predictable manner de-
termines a tool’s life and wear rate. In certain ap-
plications, proper edge preparation known as
“honing” has improved tool life 200 percent or
more.
The primary purpose of honing is to establish an
edge between the tool and the work piece. Chip
flow, cutting speed, in-feed pressure and other
machining variables are strongly impacted by the
characteristics of this edge. The size and shape of
the hone determine the amount of tool pressure
required for a machining operation to be success-
ful. If the hone is too large for a given applica-
tion, the excessive pressure required to cut will
increase the amount of heat developed during
machining. That shortens tool life. If the hone is
too small, the cutting tool edge will be weak and
unable to withstand cutting pressures. 0.001 to
0.003 is the size of most radius created by edge
honing.
BENEFITS TO HONING
CARBIDE
Longer Tool Life: improve the wear rate by re-
ducing the stress to the tools cutting edge.
Greater Consistency: you can achieve predict-
able tool performance, increased productivity, re-
ducing scrap and less rework.
Better Finish: a smooth edge helps reduce the
tendency of chipping on the cutting edge. These
chips create an inconsistent edge that degrades
the finish and shortens tool life.
*NOTE: If the edge hone is incorrectly sized
or insufficiently smooth, small work piece
particles can attach to the cutting edge. As
this buildup continues, more and more ma-
terial will attach to the tool, adversely af-
fecting the surface finish.
HONE ONLY feature
Use this feature when regrinding is not necessary
or desired. This option allows you to use your
XPS-16 as a honing machine. When HONE ONLY
is selected the grind and split process will be dis-
abled. The diameter of the drill will still be de-
tected but from that point on it will move directly
into the honing position and continue to hone the
drill.
HONING BRUSH MAINTENANCE
Clean the hone brush each time you clean the dia-
mond grinding wheel. Remove the hone brush
from the grinding wheel and clean using hot
soapy water.
HONING BRUSHES AND INFORMATION
Honing Information