Honed Tube

What is a Honing Tube?

A honing tube is a cold drawn seamless steel tube featuring an ultra-smooth, precisely honed interior surface that sets the standard for hydraulic excellence. The sophisticated honing process employs abrasive stones to meticulously remove microscopic material, creating a flawless cross-hatch finish that guarantees exact inside diameter (ID) dimensions with remarkable consistency.

This precision-engineered finish dramatically reduces friction and wear between moving components, making honing tubes absolutely essential for high-performance hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder applications where reliability is non-negotiable.

Cold Drawn Process

Seamless steel construction ensures structural integrity and uniform wall thickness throughout the entire tube length.

Abrasive Honing

Advanced stone honing technology removes material at microscopic levels to achieve unmatched surface smoothness.

Cross-Hatch Finish

Distinctive surface pattern optimizes lubrication retention and reduces friction during cylinder operation.

Applications of Honed Tubes

Tolerance of Honed Tube

Manufacturing Process Processing

1.Raw material processing

Steel pipe selection:

Baokun selects high-quality cold-drawn seamless steel pipes (DIN 2391,GOST) or hydraulic special pipes (ST52.3, EN 10305-4,8732) for processing to meet the different needs of customers.

Inner hole pre-processing: inner diameter allowance 0.3-0.5mm (for subsequent honing)

Cutting:

Fully automatic band saw , cut verticality ≤ 0.1mm/100mm.

2.Deep hole boring

Baokun uses a famous German brand of deep hole drilling and boring machine (BTA system)

Process parameters:

Tool: PCD boring head (suitable for materials with hardness ≤45HRC)

Cutting speed: 80-120m/min, feed rate 0.08-0.15mm/r

Straightness control: ≤0.15mm/m (laser online monitoring compensation)

Coolant: high-pressure oil-based cooling (pressure 8-15MPa, flow rate 120L/min)

3.Heat treatment strengthening

Process type:

Quenching and tempering (quenching + tempering): hardness 28-32HRC (ISO 18265 standard)

Stress relief: 550℃×2h annealing (eliminating more than 90% of residual stress)

Metallographic inspection:

Sorbite content ≥95% (metallographic microscope)

Grain size rating: 7-8 (ASTM E112)

4.Multi-stage honing process

Rough honing stage:

Tool: diamond honing stick (grit size 80#)

Cutting amount: 0.05-0.10mm (reciprocating speed 15m/min)

Fine honing stage:

Tool: ceramic honing stick (grit size 400#)

Surface texture: cross-net pattern 45°±2°, groove depth 4-6μm (ISO 13565-2)

Online compensation: real-time feedback from pneumatic measuring instrument, dimensional accuracy up to IT6 level

5.Surface strengthening treatment

Rolling process:

Hydraulic rolling head (pressure 30-50kN), surface hardness increased by 10-15%

Residual compressive stress: -200 to -300MPa (X-ray diffraction detection)

Cleaning and passivation:

Alkaline electrolytic cleaning (pH 9.5-10.5)

Phosphate passivation treatment (film thickness 2-3μm, ASTM B201)

6.Full-size inspection

Inspection items:

Inner hole roundness: high-precision detector, ≤0.01mm

Surface oil storage rate: laser confocal microscope analysis, ≥25% (VDI 3035)

Straightness: optical autocollimator, ≤0.05mm/1000mm

Honed Tubes VS SRB Tubes: Which One Should You Choose?

Hydraulic systems require precise, smooth internal surfaces to ensure performance and reliability. Two common options for finishing the inner surface of hydraulic cylinder tubes are honed tubes and SRB (skived and roller burnished) tubes. While both methods aim to achieve tight tolerances and low friction, the processes and results differ.

1. What Are Honed Tubes?

Honed tubes are cold drawn seamless tubes that undergo an abrasive honing process. During honing, abrasive stones are used to scrub the internal surface in a controlled path. This process improves:

• Geometric accuracy (roundness, straightness)

• Surface roughness

• Dimensional precision

2. What Are SRB Tubes?

SRB tubes (Skived and Roller Burnished) are also cold drawn tubes, but the internal surface is finished using a two-step process:

• Skiving: Special knives scrape and remove a thin layer of metal inside the tube.

• Roller burnishing: Rollers then press against the surface, cold-working the material to achieve a mirror-like finish and increase surface hardness.

Why Choose sanxiang?

sanxiang is your trusted partner for high-quality honed tubes, offering precise customization, fast delivery, and exceptional customer service. With over 10 years of industry experience, we ensures that every product meets rigorous standards for reliability and performance.

Acceptance of Third-Party Inspection: We offer third-party inspections to verify our products, demonstrating confidence in product quality and meeting international verification standards.

Anti-Corrosion Treatment: Each honed tube is coated with anti-rust oil and fitted with protective caps, preventing corrosion and extending the product’s lifespan while reducing maintenance costs.

Precision Customization: offers tailored solutions for inner diameter, outer diameter, length, and tolerances to meet your specific application needs.

Fast Response & Efficient Delivery: We guarantee quick responses to inquiries within 2 hours and can ship orders in as fast as 7 days, ensuring timely fulfillment of your demands.

Flexible Packaging Options: Choose between woven bags or wooden crates for your shipments, ensuring safe and reliable delivery of your products.