Abrasive brushes have abrasive filament brush fills, which provide a more aggressive action compared to synthetic or wire filaments.  Industrial brushes are used for metal deburring; removing rust, paint or coatings; welding or painting surface preparation; thread cleaning; and surface finishing on a variety of materials. Brushes consist of a bristles mounted in a holder.

Types

There are many types of industrial brushes. Examples include an abrasive brush, sanding brush, metal brush, organic fiber brush, and a synthetic bristle brush. An abrasive brush is used for light deburring, metal finishing, cleaning rust, oxides, defuzzing wood panels, and denibbing plastic. This type of industrial brush will not snag on cut metal edges. A sanding brush is primarily used for smoothing treated wood surfaces. A metal brush is used for burnishing fine detailing and fitting into tight areas. An organic fiber brush contains natural, soft bristles and is used in delicate areas where a hard-fiber or metal wire brush will mechanically damage the fine details. A synthetic bristle brush contains bristles that are manufactured by a chemical process. Other industrial brushes are commonly available.

Specifications

Industrial brushes consist of varying specifications. An abrasive brush contains an abrasive grit encapsulated into an extruded nylon filament. A power abrasive brush and a cylinder abrasive brush made with abrasive nylon enables flexibility of design and conformability to irregular surfaces. An abrasive brush has a large selection of grit sizes available to control finish and functionality for deburring, cleaning, surface finishing, and edge blending. An abrasive brush core is manufactured using steel components and integral core designs for a rigid fit. The abrasive brush cores are dynamically balanced at operational speeds to ensure vibration. A sanding brush contains an abrasive paper that rotate on horizontal axes that enable a clean surface to most wood products. A metal brush generally contains several rows of bristles made of soft stainless steel of soft brass. A metal brush can also be made of copper of phosphor bronze.

The fibers on a metal brush can be hand laced for better fiber retention and durability. An organic fiber brush is commonly made from horsehair. The two major benefits associated with horsehair organic fiber brush is durability and resilience. A horsehair organic fiber brush works consistently well where fine to medium particulate come in contact with polished or smooth surfaces. By blending horsehair organic brush fiber with other natural or synthetic materials, a wide variety of applications and specific cleaning applications are satisfied. A synthetic bristle brush works well on rough surfaces such as sidewalks and parking lots. A synthetic bristle brush can be used indoors or outdoors and in wet or dry conditions. A synthetic bristle brush is generally chemical and water-resistant. Industrial brushes can be purchased from a rotary brush supplier. Industrial brushes are designed and manufactured to meet most industry specifications.

Applications

Industrial brushes have many applications. Examples include conveyor and blanket cleaning and glass washing. Industrial brushes are also used in the food processing industry, pharmaceutical industry, textile processing, and metal finish circuit board production. All metal and wood handle brushes can be used in electrostatic discharge sensitive (ESD) environments as long as the brush remains saturated in liquid and the user is grounded. It is recommended that industrial brushes be tested on the required application to confirm ESD compatibility. The electrostatic discharge association (ESDA) has established several guidelines regarding industrial brushes.