INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Aluminium Alloys treatment and abrasive nylon applications
SIT Brushes are manufactured with Nylon of the best quality loaded with silicon carbide, aluminum oxide or aluminum silicate and even with ceramic or diamond abrasive grain. Abrasive nylon brushes are designed for deburring, cleaning, radiusing and finishing operations on different materials.
CS – Silicon Carbide
Multi – Filament
CR – Ceramic
DI – Diamond
Abrasive Nylon filaments
Features
The filament is made of a Nylon 612 base with abrasive grains and it’s ideal for brushing operations thanks to:
- Abrasion capacity
- Chemical resistance
- Filaments flexibility, which allows to process uneven surfaces
- Long lasting
Available grits
Abrasive grit in Silicon Carbide:
Round section filament: from grit 36 to grit 500
Rectangular section filament: grit 80/120/180/320
Abrasive grit in Aluminium Oxide:
Round section filament: from grit 80 to grit 600
Rectangular section filament: grit 80/120/180/320
Abrasive grit in Aluminium Silicate:
Round section filament: grit 2000
Abrasive grit in Ceramic:
Oval section filament: grit 46
Rectangular section: grit 80
Round section: from grit 80 to grit 320
Abrasive grit in Diamond:
Round section: from grit 120 to grit 1800
High temperature resistant Abrasive Filaments HT150-HT 250
SIT has introduced in its wide inventory a new kind of abrasive filament, the high temperature resistant HT150 and HT250.
HT150 and HT250 are able to work continuously at 150°C – 302°F and 250°C – 482°F temperature respectively, and can be loaded with abrasive aggregates of different kind and grain.
Thanks to its heat resistance, the filament can be used with sliding speed of 60 m/s, higher than traditional (based on PA 6.12 synthetic matrix) abrasive filaments working speed.
HT150 and HT250 brushes can therefore generate an abrasive effect 5 times higher than the traditional ones.
Thanks to these characteristics, they can replace stainless steel wire brushes in applications concerning the brushing of surface of stainless steel, and grant a 2 times higher abrasive power
The HT150 and HT250 filament cost is relatively low; considering the difference in specific weight and performance it can be compared with the Stainless steel wire’s cost.
How to choose the right abrasive filament
SIT recommends the use of Silicon Carbide abrasive filament for applications requiring a strong material removal.
Aluminium Oxide/Aluminium Silicate are suitable when the Silicon Carbide is too aggressive or may cause contamination in some applications on non-ferrous materials (soft materials, wood, plastic materials, aluminum).
Ceramic filament is used as an alternative to Silicon Carbide for higher working speed and increased performance on hard metal working.
Diamond filament is recommended for precision deburring and finishing of very hard alloys (titanium, tungsten carbide, …).
The brushing effectiveness depends on speed, pressure, density, trim length and filling material.
Grits 120 and 180 can be used in most applications and anyway as the first test step for the surface treatment, after which, depending on the level of required finishing, a different and more appropriate grit can be adopted.
Recommended abrasive filaments for different materials based on hardness
Recommendations for working with abrasive nylon brushes
Metallic wire brushes remove the material “by impact” while brushes with abrasive nylon filament act “through abrasion” so, generally we recommend the use with lower working speed and pressure.
Pressure
For abrasive nylon wheel brushes the highest brushing effectiveness and a long service life of the brush can be obtained with work interferences of 1/8 of the trim length. In case of disc brushes brushes use penetration of 2-3mm – 0,08”-0,12”. We recommend to start working with the minimum penetration/pressure possible, increasing it until the desired result is obtained.
Rotation Speed
Optimum speed depends on the type of application and the type of brush used. In general for wheel brushes we recommend peripheral speed not higher than 18-20m/s – 3540-3940 ft/min. For discs/front brushes we recommend lower speed.
Refrigeration
We recommend the use of coolants (filtered water) for heavy-duty applications in order to avoid the reduction of the filament’s mechanical resistance and to obtain a more glossy finishing.
Feed Rate
Decreasing the feed rate you can obtain: maximum edge radiusing, complete burrs removal. On soft materials you can have higher feed rates.
Example and effects of brushing with Abrasive Nylon
Examples of use of the abrasive nylon on different materials. The examples are indicative and have been obtained depending on the material to be treated with brushes of different shapes, grits and filament sections.
Our technical office will advise on the best type of brush to be used.
Steel
Iron
Aluminim
Paint in Wood
Brick
Travertin
State
Stainless Steel
Wood
Welding on aluminium
Welding on iron
Aluminium surface treatment and finishing applications
Disc brush for finishing cast iron moldings
Brush for deburring threaded holes
Ceramic brush for deburring holes
Circular to clean a cast iron mold
Silicon carbide brush for deburring gear wheels
Ceramic filament brush for deburring gear wheels
Deburring extruded aluminum objects
Finishing light alloy gears
Disc brush for finishing alloy wheels
Roller brush for the surface treatment of wood
Refinish steel camshaft
Disc brush on milling spindle for automatic machining centres
Finishing and deburring molded cast iron profiles
Deburring holes in cast iron
Clean toothed profiles
SIT has a product line for aluminium alloys treatment. This products cover the entire manufacturing process from the first cycles of manufacturing of work-in-progress goods:
- Mould cleaning brushes for power tools
- Roller brushes for cleaning of rolling cylinders
- Disc or cup brushes for deburring after moulding or machining
- Wheel brushes with filaments for satin finishing of extruded sections
Satin finishing solutions
In order to exalt the aesthetic characteristics of Aluminium, extruded products, plates and profiles need delicate satin finishing operations before anodising or electrocoloring.
AluSolutions offers a complete range of specific brushes for satin finishing compatible with the most widespread satin finishing machines:
Single section brushes with 300mm – 11-¾” diameter and 80mm – 3-⅛” hole, diameter 250 mm and 40 mm hole, in Stainless Steel from 0,15mm – 0.006” up to 0,60mm – 0.024”, Roller brushes in abrasive Nylon of different sections, types and grits, allow to obtain a wide range of surface finishing.
Single section wheels and roller brushes of different sizes, made of stainless steel or abrasive nylon, allow to obtain a wide range of finishing.
Deburring Aluminium with machines
Reduced throughput time and quality improvements can be obtained with automatic machines and robotic cells carrying out deburring and finishing operations.
The piece to deburr and the kind of operation required will drive to the ideal brush.
Wheel, cup and disc brushes, tube brushes of different size, different kinds and grits of abrasive nylon (or metallic wires), filament section and diameter, trim length, working interference, rotating and advancement speed, those are the variables on which SIT technical assistance can give you any advice in order to optimize the final result.
Brushes for cleaning Moulds and Holes
Mould cleaning is an important and delicate operation because of the complex shapes that moulds can have.
AluSolutions offers a complete range of twisted in brushes, end brushes and hand brushes for reaching the most difficult mould’s corners and edges.
Brushes for cleaning of Rolling Cylinders
Each rolling cylinder must be perfectly cleaned to avoid the presence of scraps that can cause finishing defects on these delicate surfaces.
To avoid this SIT has designed special brushes with very high filling density that, thanks to a specific filament and the rectified surface, ensure the cleaning and the functionality of the lamination cylinders.