The greatest advantage of the new honing patent for ATAG is that it replaces the usual chemical treatment for etching the aluminum matrix with a mechanical surface finish. In addition to eliminating the environmental problems caused by chemical etching, the honing process leads above all to a reduction in production costs. Both preliminary honing processes—prehoning and base honing—are also prerequisites for exposing the silicon particles by chemical means. The chemical approach includes extensive processing with cleaning, activation, rinsing, drying and application of corrosion protection, which is not only expensive but also prone to problems. All that is eliminated by the new honing patent. Instead, a process step for "finish honing" takes place, which is very simply integrated in the production sequence by adding a third spindle.

Another advantage beside reduced cost is the optimal surface result. The honing process rounds the edges of the silicon grains. With chemical exposure, these protrude with sharp edges from the matrix. Rounding off the edges reduces the risk of grains breaking and leads to less wear on pistons and piston rings.