Information about custom industrial brush suppliers and types of custom industrial brushes
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A custom industrial brush is a specialty brush that has been designed for a specific function using materials capable of meeting the requirements of unusual and unique applications. There are several steps that clients take when requesting a custom industrial brush from a manufacturer. The construction of custom industrial brushes is carefully planned and involves a clear understanding of a brush’s function. Each component of a custom brush is carefully chosen, tested, and evaluated to ensure optimal performance.
Custom industrial brushes, due to the nature of their use, are made with aluminum, steel, and stainless steel cores using specially selected filaments. They are made in several different styles including twisted wire, metal backed, cylinder, and hand drawn. The choice of filaments includes all of the different varieties, such as nylon, polypropylene, polyester, Tampico, horse hair, brass, phosphorous bronze, stainless steel, carbon steel, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide. Unlike typical brush manufacturing methods, custom industrial brushes are monitored, inspected, and examined every step of the manufacturing process to guarantee the highest quality
Custom industrial brushes include a long list of uniquely constructed brushes that have been specially designed to perform a specific function. Their metals, backings, filaments, handles, and other factors are combined by a brush designer who takes the parameters offered by a customer and manipulates them until reaching an acceptable solution.
Although custom industrial brushes are different from other forms of brushes, their structure includes all of the factors that are used to produce traditional and mass produced brushes. What makes them unique is the process for which they are designed. There are several factors in manufacturing and industrial processes that require a brush like tool that is designed with the necessary features to perform a specialized function. Such brushes may have handles, bristles, and holders that have been chosen for their characteristics and properties.
The generic type of block brush that is found around the house includes a block of wood that has bristles inserted through holes drilled in the wood. The normal block brush has bristles that are straight and evenly cut. They are available for DIY use and can be purchased at any home improvement store.
Custom block brushes take several forms. They are made using a wide assortment of bristles including steel wire and nylon, which can be large or small depending on the application for which the brush will be used. The block of custom block brushes can take several forms beyond being wood and includes blocks of aluminum, steel, or plastic.
The factors that are addressed in the design of custom block brushes include electrostatic dissipation (ESD), bristles, block material, brush filament length, width of filaments, number of rows, and the width and size of the block. The common pattern for normal block brushes are straight rows that are parallel vertically and horizontally. Customization of block brushes includes an offset staggered pattern.
Cup brushes are a form of channel brush, which are formed as a circle. In the majority of cases, cup brushes are custom made to fit a specific application due to how they are used. Initially, custom cup brushes begin as a straight strip brush before being bent into a circle. The special process for which cup brushes are used include vacuuming, sand blasting, shot blasting, or as a shroud around a drill press or computer numerical control (CNC) machinery to deflect and control process debris.
For sanding and shot blasting processes, two cup brushes are used to create a seal to the process to control debris as the tools pass over rivets, bolts, and uneven surfaces. There are numerous applications that rely on cup brushes as a means of controlling and limiting the effects of chips. Custom brush manufacturers work with their customers to craft custom cup brushes for every type application and grinding operation.
The custom design factors for cup brushes are their inside and outside diameters (ID and OD), trim, filaments, bristle diameters, channel size, density of bristles, and whether bristles are crimped or level. Channel sizes for cup brushes vary from 0.125 in up to 0.4375 in (3.175 mm up to 11.11 mm). Depending on the function of a custom cup brush, fill materials can be nylon, polypropylene, stainless steel, brass, or horse hair.
Custom flow through brushes are used to allow substances to flow through filaments such that a solvent or cleaner can be applied to a surface. They are attached to containers that dispense various types of cleaners. Custom flow thru brushes are made with filaments that meet the requirements of the solution being dispensed. Referred to as wash or part wash brushes, the action of custom flow thru brushes makes it possible for solvents, glues, or epoxy to be evenly applied to improve cleaning, scrubbing, and application to surfaces being cleaned or treated.
The use of custom flow thru brushes makes it possible to apply an adhesive, enamel, sealant, grease, or lubricant without having to dip or re-dip the brush head, which saves time and simplifies application. The filaments of a custom flow thru brush are dependent on the size of its flow thru tube and the amount of liquid being dispensed with syringe, ferrule, and nipple types being a design choice.
Custom open wound coil brushes are wound with open gapping with gaps varying from very small to large depending on the application for which the brush is designed. When moving in a particular direction, custom open wound coil brushes appear like old barber shop red and white poles. Common uses for custom open wound coil brushes are for directing products into a trough or along a conveyor.
The movement of custom open wound coil brushes can be right hand or left hand depending on product movement. Although custom open wound coil brushes have the appearance of a cylinder brush, they are not designed for aggressive or demanding applications since they have fewer filaments than cylinder brushes. Custom open wound coil brushes are used for light preparations, agitation cleaning, dusting of products, and removal of mold.
Custom inward wound coil brushes are the opposite of custom open wound coil brushes. The bristles or fill for custom inward wound brushes are pointed inward toward the center of the brush or the cylinder that they form. The outer section of the brush is the back of the strip that supports the fill. Referred to as inside coil brushes, custom inward wound coil brushes are classified as strip brushes and begin as straight strip brushes that are twisted and formed into a cylinder.
As with custom open wound coil brushes, custom inward wound coil brushes have the distance or lead between the coils adjusted to match the needs of an application. Custom inward wound coil brushes are used for cleaning tasks such as wiping the outside of a tube. They are placed in a stationary position and have products passed through them. In some cases, as materials pass through an inward wound coil brush, the brush rotates for precision cleaning.
Custom twisted in wire brushes are made to order in different sizes from miniature to several inches in diameter with custom handles, filaments, wires, and lengths. The filaments of custom twisted in wire brushes vary radically from soft natural materials like horse hair and Tampico to different types of metals, which can be crimped. They are designed to clean cylindrical shapes such as pipes, bottles, holes, round openings, and tubes. The diameters of custom twisted in wire brushes vary in accordance with the items they are designed to clean.
The structure of custom twisted in wire brushes begins with wires, two or four, that are placed on a flat surface before being twisted like a rubber band. Prior to the twisting of the wires, filaments are placed between the wires and are securely held in place. As the wire is twisted, the filaments spin around the wires. The handles of custom twisted in wires brushes have the appearance of a stem, a factor that has given them the name of stem brushes.
The design of custom twisted in wire brushes makes them a valuable cleaning tool for cylindrical vessels or shapes, such as test tubes and holes in parts and components. In most cases, custom twisted in wire brushes are manual handheld tools for cleaning but have been adapted in some situations as an electronic tool when used with drills and other forms of machinery. Depending on their type of filaments, custom twisted in wire brushes are used for deburring and smoothing of finished metal parts.
A very common type of tool that is found in product separating, guiding, cleaning, and polishing applications is custom outside disk brushes that are made from a variety of materials. In the majority of cases, custom outside disk brushes are like little wheels that hold materials back or push materials along. In many cases, they are used for light brushing applications. As with custom inward wound coil brushes, custom outside disk brushes begin as straight strip brushes that are formed into the shape of a cylinder that has the appearance of a circle.
Unlike custom cup brushes that have their filaments pointed upward or downward, custom outside disk brushes have their filaments pointed outward from their straight strip inner circle. How the filaments of the brush flare out is dependent on their length and the filament material. They are gentle brushes that rotate slowly, individually or in groups or gangs. Custom outside brushes should not be confused with wheel brushes that are used for aggressive manufacturing projects.
Custom precision pencil brushes may be overlooked as a part of custom brushes due to their size compared to the more vigorous, larger, and aggressive types of custom brushes that are part of industrial operations. Regardless of their size, custom precision pencil brushes are a vital part of specialized applications that require control, precision, and accuracy. All pencil brushes have the same basic design, which is a tube with filaments at one or both ends. Custom pencil brushes are used as hand held tools or are motorized for applying chemicals, adhesives, and cleaners.
The filaments of custom pencil brushes are normally soft materials, such as nylon fibers, polypropylene, Tampico, or horse hair. Their stems, a metal tube, have filaments swaged or clamped, which restricts filaments from blooming or flaring. Special types of custom precision pencil brushes have a plastic or fiberglass tube with their filaments attached using epoxy.
As with several types of custom brushes, custom precision pencil brushes can be antistatic for use on sensitive electronics. Their filaments are densely packed to ensure proper performance. The flexibility of custom precision pencil brushes makes it possible to produce custom pencil brushes in a wide variety of lengths, diameters, and varying filament densities.
Custom stenter brushes are used by the fabric industry to stretch and dry fabrics. The filaments of custom stenter brushes are made of horse hair, natural materials, or China bristles made from the hair of hogs or badgers. The variations in the bristles are in accordance with the delicacy of the fabrics and the necessary pressure. More resilient and stronger filaments are used for heavier fabrics.
As the main component of stenter machines, custom stenter brushes are designed to fit the requirements of stenter machine manufacturers, which also includes carpet manufacturing. Since each stenter machine has a different design, all stenter brushes are custom made to fit each type of machine.
The general design of all stenter brushes is the same in that they have the same shape as outside disk brushes. Custom stenter brushes can be cylinder tube brushes with different diameters, lengths, sizes, and several other factors. These variations are due to the different types of machines. Most standard stenter brushes resemble custom outside disk brushes and are used for overfeeding and postpinning.
An important principle that needs to be understood when discussing custom brushes is that nearly all forms of brushes are custom brushes. Although most people are used to buying a scrub brush, food brush, tool brush, or other forms of retail home brushes, industrial brushes require planning and precision in order to perform their function, which can influence the quality of a product. The few examples discussed above are a sampling of the many thousands of brushes that brush manufacturers design, manufacture, and provide for critical industrial applications.
Much like the equipment and machines of manufacturing, custom brushes require planning and careful consideration. Brushes for industrial equipment are basically another part of the equipment, much like a screw, bolt, compressor, or other component. They have to smoothly fit into machine operation without interfering with other facets of the equipment.
Designing a custom brush includes making improvements on an existing brush or the creation of a completely new and unique brush for a specialized process. Careful consideration of the elements of a custom brush during the design and engineering phase is critical for producing a brush that perfectly matches manufacturing and application requirements.
During the design phase, each component of a custom brush is carefully considered as regards its applicability to an application. Environmental conditions, stress, aggressiveness, product characteristics, and automation are various factors that are contemplated. The general categories of manual and mechanized are part of the initial design phase, which is determined in advance of the design of a brush since many industrial brushes are part of the mechanism of equipment.
When clients request the manufacture of a custom brush, they have a clear picture of what they require regarding environment, materials, structure, and aggressiveness. Custom brush manufacturers take the data supplied by customers to create a brush that matches the presented criteria. The information supplied by custom brush customers includes:
The successful performance of a custom brush is determined during the design phase. Adherence to the five stipulations above assists custom brush manufacturers in choosing filaments, channels, backings, and other aspects of custom brushes.
The three types of custom brush filaments are synthetic, metal, and natural. The factors that determine the choice of filament are shape, flex life, springiness, recovery, set and abrasive resistance, absorption, and water stiffness. The filaments of a custom brush are its central and working component. During the design phase, careful consideration is given to each of the types of filaments and their appropriateness for a customer’s application.
The meanings of each of the properties of filaments are:
Examples of the different types of filaments:
Trim shapes are the cross-sectional appearance of a brush's bristles and determine the performance of a brush in relation to an application.
The most common type of bristle holder is made of wood that has bristles attached to holes drilled in the wood using epoxy or glue. The types of custom bristle holders include a wide range of materials, shapes, and forms that are designed to meet the needs of a specific application. In the majority of cases, custom brush holders are made of metal with metal strips, wire, cups, and cylinders being the most common types.
Custom brush manufacturers provide simple guidelines for customers to follow during the design phase of brush construction. Depending on the type of custom brush, customers can select the type of holders that a manufacturer provides for bristle and filament types.
Strip Brushes – Many custom brushes begin as strip brushes that are long thin brushes with bristles clamped in aluminum or steel channels. Strip brushes are the foundation for inward and outward custom brushes, stenter brushes, and certain forms of cup brushes. The different shapes that can be formed with strip brushes makes them ideal for custom brush designs.
Wire Holders – Wire holders take several forms but are composed of two or four wires that have filaments lain across them. Once positioned, the wires are twisted in such a way that filaments spiral to form a brush. There are an endless number of forms of wire brushes with a wide variety of filaments, sizes, lengths, and metals.
Cup Brushes – Cup brushes begin as strip brushes that are formed into a circle with bristles pointing downward. The channel circle and bristles are placed in a holder. Cup brushes come in a wide variety of sizes and are used for aggressive machining with shot and sand blasting and less aggressive functions with softer bristles. The designs and types of cup brushes include a long list of applications and custom constructions.
Cylinder Brushes – Cylinder brushes are tubular brushes made from metal channel strip brushes that are wound around a mandrel. They can be very aggressive finishing brushes with high density metal bristles or have soft bristles for less demanding applications. The cylinder design provides greater filament contact than standard straight strip brushes.
The diameters of cylinder brushes vary from 0.375 in up to 12 in (0.952 cm up to 30.48 cm). They can be 0.5 in length up to 10 feet long (1.27 cm long up to 3.048 m long) depending on the application. Custom cylinder brushes are made using a wide variety of materials including different metals and plastics.
One form of cylinder brush is the solid shaft brush that does not use a channel strip brush as a primary element. Solid shaft cylinder brushes are an epoxy wound brush, or string brush, that has its filaments attached using strings covered in epoxy that are individually wrapped around the solid shaft. Filaments are placed between the strings and held in place by the epoxy. Once all bristles are attached, the brush is cured to bind the filaments in place.
The design parameters described above are a general overview of the process used to manufacture custom brushes. New innovative types of brushes are continuously being developed and designed for unique and unusual applications. As the term custom implies, new and specialized brushes are being envisioned, designed, and engineered that are out of the standard mold and take unusual shapes.
Custom brushes are used for a variety of functions from cleaning and polishing to buffing and deburring. They are made of an assortment of materials and customized to meet the parameters of an application. Nearly every industry makes use of custom brushes as a part of their operations. Custom wire brushes remove paint, scales, rust, and debris from the surface of metal products. Heavy duty custom power brushes prepare surfaces for finishing, complete secondary manufacturing processes, and prepare parts for additional functions.
Although most brushes have a simple structure and perform minor functions, their use ensures the quality of a product, enhances a product’s appearance, and improves assembly operations. Custom brushes are a vital part of industrial and product success.
Engines accumulate dirt, debris and contaminants during their use. If left unattended, the collected dirt can seriously negatively impact an engine’s performance. Engine cleaning brushes come in a wide assortment of sizes, types, and shapes to be able to reach every nook and cranny of high-powered engines. Complex and minutely designed custom brushes are used to clean turbochargers, manifolds, and intercoolers. The brushes remove the contaminants that can interfere and diminish engine performance.
Custom brushes for engine cleaning are made of durable long-lasting materials that can withstand the high temperatures and corrosive elements of engines. Engine custom brushes are made from carefully chosen filaments with holders that allow for meticulous cleaning.
A highly specialized type of custom brush is conveyor cleaning brushes that are used by the food industry to maintain hygienically clean conditions during the movement of food products. Custom conveyor cleaning brushes must be approved by the FDA and are inspected regularly to ensure compliance. The brushes are used to remove food residue, accumulated grease, and any impurities that build up as part of food preparation. Custom conveyor cleaning brushes are mounted on rollers or placed at strategic locations along a conveyor belt. They are made from nylon, polypropylene, or steel and are designed to withstand constant use.
Custom surface finishing brushes are carefully planned brushes that are designed to remove defects and imperfections from finished products. They are an essential part of secondary processing and are used to improve product appearance and smooth uneven surfaces. Designed in a wide array of configurations, custom surface finishing brushes improve the appearance, functionality, and cleanliness of plastic and metal parts.
The many types of surface finishing brushes are due to their flexibility in adapting to multiple types of surfaces. While some surfaces require a soft touch to improve their appearance, more rugged surfaces require a more aggressive approach.
The sterilization of tools and devices is an essential aspect of medical procedures. Such cleaning tasks require highly sensitive custom brushes that have the proper textured filaments that can sufficiently clean every part of instruments. The manufacture of such tools requires attention to the most minute details down to the micron level to ensure safety and protection of patient health. Since medical devices are extremely sensitive, the filaments chosen to clean them are of the highest quality and approved by the FDA. Every aspect of a sterilizing brush is tested, examined, checked, and verified to ensure quality and performance.
There is a long list of uses for brushes in the mining industry due to the nature of the processes and procedures that mining requires. The types of custom brushes for the mining industry include conveyor belt cleaning brushes, dust control brushes, sorting brushes, drill head cleaning brushes, polishing brushes, and engine maintenance brushes. The many mining industry brushes are designed to withstand the harsh and stressful conditions of mining operations. They are made of high quality materials that are durable and long lasting.
The wide assortment of alternatives presented for constructing a custom brush can be a bit daunting and confusing. Before the initial design phase, there are steps that customers can take to develop a picture of the type of brush they will require for their application. In addition, custom brush manufacturers provide forms online that guide customers through the design process and provide sufficient information such that customers can speak with some authority regarding their needs.
The choice of filament is dependent on how aggressive the brushing of a surface has to be. If high abrasive force is required, different types of metal filaments may be necessary. As the level of abrasive force diminishes, less aggressive filaments should be chosen. Applications requiring little force necessitate the use of soft filaments that will not harm the surface of a product. Rust and paint removal require a more aggressive approach using filaments made of metal. In addition, filaments can be chosen as straight, twisted, knotted, and crimped, depending on the requirements of an application.
An initial consideration by custom brush customers is the size of the project for which they require a custom brush. Size is a big determining factor when considering a custom brush. As projects get bigger and more demanding, they can place a great deal of strain on brushes that do not have adequate strength to endure the extra load. Hand held brushes are ideal for small projects that require minor changes and adjustments. Unfortunately, they are too labor intensive for larger projects. In many cases, as projects become larger, motorized and more forceful brushes become necessary and are the best choice.
Filament diameters for custom brushes range between 0.003 in and 0.05 in (0.0076 cm and 0.127 cm). Below are the filament diameters of every day brushes for comparison:
The diameter of filaments is crucial for custom brushes since larger diameters require larger diameter filament holders.
Filament length affects several aspects of a custom brush. Aggressive and abrasive applications require shorter filaments that can cut deeper into surfaces. Sensitive applications, such as cleaning PCBs, necessitate a gentler touch and longer filaments. Shorter filaments are used to remove weld slag and prepare surfaces for other operations. Longer filaments are used to clean electronics, jewelry, and items with intricate details. They are used to avoid scratching or harming surfaces.
A brush is a tool with bristles made of hair, wire, metal, synthetic fibers, or various natural materials that are attached to a handle made of wood, plastic, wire, or metal. Some varieties of brushes are adapted to be connected to power tools for heavy duty work such as...
Cylinder brushes are also known as "coil brushes," "rotary brushes," or "spiral brushes." Cylinder brushes are formed by rolling a metal strip around a cylindrical rod (or mandrel) until it reaches a designated interior brush diameter...
A nylon brush is a brush that has nylon polymer filaments that are exceptionally tough, strong, flexible, and have excellent elasticity. The various types of nylon filaments, which are durable and abrasion resistant, are the most commonly used fiber for the manufacture of brushes...
Wheel brushes are circular brushes that are often used for deburring items during the beginning stages of surface finishing and during the final stages of polishing. Wheel brushes brush in a straight line and...
A wire brush is an abrasive tool that has stiff bristles made from a variety of rigid materials designed to clean and prepare metal surfaces. The filaments of wire brushes are small diameter pieces of inflexible material that are closely spaced together as a means for cleaning surfaces...
A common representation of a brush is a handle with some form of bristles and is the one that most people have in mind when thinking of a brush. Writing a description of brushes is more challenging since there is such a wide variety of types, styles, uses, and designs...