MAHLE RTI BRC450 User Manual
OPERATION MANUAL
BRC450
Hub Mounted on-the-car Lathe
RTI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Division of A’Gramkow
York, PA 17402
800-468-2321 (ext. 259)
Manual P/N 035-80471-00
Table of Contents
I Introduction ........................................... 1
II Safety............................................... 2
III Checking out the Parts .................................. 3
IV Initial Set-up .......................................... 6
Figure 1 Exploded View of Lathe ........................ 5
Figure 2 Assembly Drawing of Transport/Setup Lift .......... 6
Figure 3 Tip Holder & Cutting Tip Setup for Rotors .......... 7
V Cutting Brake Rotors ................................... 8
Figure 4 Centering Plate & Crank Attachment .............. 9
Figure 5 Centering Bell & Long Leg Setups ............... 10
Figure 6 Runout Compensation ........................ 12
VI Alternate Compensation ................................ 14
VII Changing Cutting T ips ................................. 14
VIII General Maintenance .................................. 14
IX Technical Support ..................................... 14
I. Introduction
Thank you for your purchase of a BRC450 brake lathe. Congratulations on your choice! The BRC450
is designed to outperform every other com parable hub mounted brake lathe in all respects.
The BRC450 was designed as a completely new product. It is somewhat simi lar to a lathe supplied by
Hunter in the past, but the new BRC450 has many improvements and changes in design. The precis ion
machined components of the BRC450 are produced by RTI’s Worldwide partner and affiliate, Hunger
in Germany, usin g th e most modern and sophisticated machine tools in the world. For more than 30
years, Hunger has been the leading automotive brake lathe manufacturer in G ermany. The new
BRC450(E326a) is approved by Mercedes, GM, Chrysler and Ford in Europe. The hub drive
transmission system has been completely redesigned and the capacity of the lathe, in terms of
maximu m rotor diameter and thickness that can be machined has been increased to allow machining
of the Dodge Ram rotors. The special hub adaption method designed by RTI for the BRC450 is brand
new and substantially improved. The BRC450 uses the same special cutting tips and special geometry
developed by RTI for the BRC35 and BRC500 models. The Transport/Setup Lift (not supplied with the
BRC450L) is designed and produced in the USA by RTI to make handling the BRC450 easier.
The BRC450 is designed to be easy to use. Once the unit is mounted to the hub it operates in much
the same way as a typical bench mounted lathe. (In fact, with a special kit, the BRC450 can be used
as a bench mounted disc only brake lathe!) Mounting the unit on the vehicle’s hub requires the axis of
the BRC450's drive to be aligned or compensated to t he vehicle’s hub axis. The precision of this
alignment or compensation for the BRC450 or any other hub mounted lathe will determine the rotor
run out that is finally achieved. The time to achieve the necessary compensation or alignm ent of the
BRC450 is minimized. Less than two minutes per wheel to get around 0.002" (0.005 mm) of run out
and only sli ghtly more time to achieve “near zero” or less an 0.001" (0.0025 mm) of run out. The
BRC450's hub plate is attached to the vehicle’s hub by means of 3, 4, 5 or 7 special “cranks” and the
compensation is achieved by simply lengthening or shortening the length of these “cranks” using a dial
indicator to determ ine the correct setting. Minimizing brake disc run out is an import ant aspect of
modern brake service. Elimination of pedal pulsation issues on wheels with pre-loaded wheel bearings
requires less than 0.001" (0.0025 mm) of run out. I f the wheels do not run on pre-loaded wheel
bearings, run out of 0. 002" ( 0.005 mm) is acceptable.
Running the BRC450 is simple. It has one spindle speed and one feed rate. The feed rate is set at the
factory for optimum speed and surface finish. It can be adjusted to be faster or slower with instructions
from RTI’s technical support department but such adjustment is not recommended. An exclusive
feature of the BRC450 is Offset Step Feed, where the feed is alternatively turned on and off
mechanically. This special Offset Ste p Feed improves the surface finish of the cut and produces a nondirectional finish automatically.
The BRC450 can be used as a “single pass-one cut” machine. However, RTI recommends a “two
pass” machining process with a rough “foundation” cu t just deep enough to clean up the rotor, and an
extra fine finish cut, with a depth of only 0.00 1-0.002" (0.025-0.05 mm) per side, taking full advantage
of the special cutting tool desig n of the BRC450 T his two pass technique will not remove any more
material than necessary, and even though it may take a few minutes longer, it will result in a more
perfect rotor in every respect.
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II. Safety
Before we go to the next step, some reminders about safety:
A. Avoid a major injury because of an unexpected start-up!
Be sure that the BRC450 is not plugged in and supplied with electr ical power when the lat he in not
operating. This is particularly imp ortant when mounting the unit and perf orming the compensation
adjustments. In addition , the BRC450 has a spring loaded rotary “on/off ” switch and requires the
switch to be held in the “on” position momentarily to start. Turning the switch the opposite direction will
turn the BRC450 off im mediately, then unplug the power.
B. Avoid a major injury from rotating machinery!
The BRC500 has a spindle motor with a great deal of power and torque. Do not wear loose clothing
that could be entangled in the rotating parts. Be sure that long hair is properly secured so that it can
not be entangled in the rotati ng par ts. Do not place any part of your body near the rotating parts of the
BRC450 when in operation. Always be aware of the location of the on/off switch so that the lathe can
be stopped immediately.
C. Protect your eyes!
Small metal chips will fly of f from the rotor during machining. Be sure to wear your safety glasses at
all times when the BRC450 is in operation. Use the same safety glasses that you are required to use
when grinding metal.
D. Avoid possible electrical shock or unsafe operation!
Like any electrical appliance, never operate the BRC450 when it is wet, or when you are standing in
water. Be sure the rec eptacl e for the electrical plug is a t hree prong grounded type, that it is the
correct voltag e fo r t he BRC450 (110V, 60Hz in the North Amer ica), that it is protected by a fuse or
circuit breaker with the correct rating (15 Amp maximum in North America), and that it is protected with
a Ground Fault Interrupter ( GFI) device.
E. Avoid all fire hazards!
If for any reason the lathe spindle is j ammed or locked up and stops suddenly, be sure to tur n the
power off and unplug the lathe imm ediately, before fixing the cause of the problem.
F. Avoid back or foot injury!
When using the Transport/Setup Lif t , be sur e the saf et y locking pin is in place when the lathe is not
attached to the vehicle’s hub. If you lift the BRC450 lathe body by hand without the Transpor t/Setup
Lift, be sure to use the handles and use a proper lifting techniques, lifting with your legs and arms, and
not with your back.
G. Avoid tip-over!
When using the Transport/Setup Lift, be sure that the lift is always in the lowest position when storing
or moving the lift and lathe around the shop. When the lift is up, it is possible for the lift with the lathe
to tip over if handled carelessly.
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III. Checking out the parts
A. The BRC450 and BRC450L lathe comes standard with:
Main lathe housing assembly.
Power Cord
90 mm (3 9/16") Cranks with Precision Adjust ing Nuts and attachment nuts/washers (Qty=5)
Note these are color coded: Blue, Green, White, Black , and Red
27 mm wrench for the Precision Adjusting Nuts on the Cranks
17/19 mm combo wrench
Allen wrench-standard
Allen wrench-two size combo
Centering Plate (3, 4, 5, or 6 lug)
Tommy Bar for loosening Cent er ing Plate
10 mm (3/8 “) thick spacers (Qty=6)
Adjustable Support Cane
Hand-held mini-lubrication pump for slideway nipples.
12 mm (3/8") Positive Rake disc cutting tip holders. (One RH, one LH)
RTI Positive Rake Cutting Tips. (Qty=10)
Vibration dampening rubber ring for discs.
B. BRC450 comes with additionally:
Transport/Setup Lift
Main Body
Casters (Qty=3)
Hydraulic jack assembly with handle
Bottom legs (Qty=2)
Short horizontal arms (Qty=2)
Vertical arm with stop gusset
Long horizontal arm with solid bar
Spring
Platform assembly
Locking pin
Set of assembly/mounting hardware
Dial Indicator Set with Gooseneck Clamp
C. Optional items:
35 mm deep 3,4,5,6 Centering Bell needed for some 4WD.
Set of (5) 90 mm (3 9/ 16" ) Cranks (Additional)
Set of (5) 104 mm (4-1/16") Cranks for some 4WD
Set of (2) 90 mm (3- 1/ 16") Cranks (Additional)
35 mm deep 7 hole Centering Bell needed for For d 7 lug
Set of (2) 104 mm (4- 1/ 16" Cr anks for Ford 7 lug (see #3 and 4)
Bench mount kit.
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