Surface processing is one of the final manufacturing steps and influences the aesthetics and functionality of the metal. There are several of these finishes, with brushing being one of the most common – and for many good reasons.
Brushing gives metals a homogeneous surface and makes uneven surfaces cleaner and more uniform. This unique surface treatment is achieved through the use of various high-performance grinding tools. The end result is, as you would expect, brilliant. If you want to know more about brushing surface treatment, you've come to the right place.
In this article, we look at the brushing process, the tools used, the types of metals brushed, the applications of brushing, and compare brushing to some other common metal surfaces. Keep reading.
What is the finish on brushed metal?
Brushing is precision processing and one of many surface treatments for metals. It uses sanding brushes with different grain sizes that work with unidirectional lines to give uneven surfaces a homogeneous surface. In addition to homogeneous processing, brushing also deburrs and rounds the edges of the metal.
Because brushing creates a smooth surface, it is often used by experts to cover surface defects in metals. Brushing is useful in the manufacture of many household, automotive and electrical appliances.
How to brush a metal surface
The brushing process is quite extensive and requires maximum precision. Therefore, it is often carried out in companies with modern tools and necessary personnel. For clarity, we have divided the process into three phases.
Pre-brushing phase
The first step in brushing is to clean the metal surface to be brushed. After cleaning, manufacturers sand the metal surface with fine-grit sandpaper. This is important to remove scratches from the metal surface.
Cleaning phase
Brushing begins after the metal has been sanded and cleaned. An abrasive brush moves in a circular motion across the surface of the metal to remove surface defects. A pattern of unidirectional lines runs parallel to the brushing direction, creating the characteristic appearance of brushed metal surfaces. This process can also be referred to as mechanical polishing process.
Most companies use this process, only changing the brushing time and the type of finishing brush. However, some experts believe that the process should not be one-way. They argue instead that the brushing direction should be reversed periodically to maximize the self-sharpening property.
Phase after brushing your teeth
After brushing, the metal surface is cleaned of all fine particles and metal residues by rinsing. This often happens in rinse water tanks that contain chemicals such as bases, acids, surfactants and certain solvents.
Nowadays, a combination of products and polishes are used to clean metal after brushing. Electrochemical cleaning of surfaces is also possible.
While brushing is an excellent metallic finish in its own right, it is not always the final finishing process in metal processing. Some companies further refine the metal through polishing, galvanizing, or painting, depending on the type of end product they want.
Factors that determine the quality of tooth brushing
There are different types of brushed surfaces. The quality of the final product also varies. Operators must optimize a few factors to ensure they get the desired type and quality of brushing. We will look at this below.
Brush type and quality
Selecting the appropriate type of finishing brush for brushing is essential to the success of the process. The choice of brush initially depends on the type of material to be brushed. Many different metals can be processed by brushing, as you will learn later.
However, there are special brushes for different metals. For example, stainless steel can only be brushed with a wire brush. Furthermore, the desired specifications of the final product are a crucial factor when choosing the brush for the process.
Furthermore, the quality of the brush is crucial not only for the cleaning result, but also for its longevity.
Wheel speed
During the brushing process, special fine-grained abrasive brushes, also called wheels, are used. Wheel speed influences the type of wheel for operation. Although high wheel speeds generally produce the best results, they can cause burns to metal surfaces. Additionally, if the speed is too high, the brush filaments may bend more than expected.
Therefore, manufacturers need to know the speed limits of brush wheels. In practice, speed limits are determined by taking into account the maximum safe idling speed or maximum brush revolutions per minute.
If it is necessary to exceed the permissible speed of the metal disc, you must switch to a coarser brush.
Brushing direction
Traditionally, a brushed surface requires ground lines parallel to the circular motion of the brush. However, the tendency is to move away from this method. Today, it is recommended to regularly reverse the brushing direction to obtain better and more efficient results. Here's why.
After cleaning for a long time, the brush tips become dull. This leads to a loss of cleaning efficiency. A simple but effective solution to this problem is to reverse the brushing direction. This maintains the efficiency and effectiveness of the cleaning process.
Operator Skills
Typically, large manufacturing companies carry out the brushing process. This is because they have access to better tools and their operators are trained to use them. Although the brushing process is not exclusive to these companies, the quality of the final product depends on the skill and technical knowledge of the operator.
If the brushing process is carried out by unqualified personnel, not only the inferior quality but also the health and safety of the user are at risk.
What materials can be brushed?
Brushing is useful for many metals today. Although the brushing process remains constant regardless of the metal being brushed, the type of brush and brushing time may change. Steel and aluminum are two of the most commonly brushed metals.
Interestingly, brushing isn't just beneficial for metals. One example is leather. Although the type and intensity of brushing varies, the process for brushing leather is similar to that for metals. Another non-metal that uses this surface is rubber.
Standard brushes for finishing brushing
Many brushes can be used to brush metal surfaces. Brushes differ in the type of filler, density and length.
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of choosing the right finishing brush for specific metals. Below we will look at two of the most common brushes for the brush finishing process.
Steel Wire Brushes
This is the ideal finishing brush for steel products – not ideal, but fair. However, they are also suitable for metals other than steel. These brushes do not change the dimensions of metal parts and are therefore very popular in industry.
The wire tips of wire brushes are responsible for actually brushing the metal. These tips are made of steel and are available in several versions. Exactly which type manufacturers use depends on the specifications they want for the product.
Additionally, the steel wire ends are non-stressful, which means they will not become clogged with dirt during use. For best results and longer lifespan, consider hardened steel brushes.
Electric brushes
These brushes are manufactured with ferrous and non-ferrous wires, carbon steel and fibers that can be natural or synthetic. Electric toothbrushes are rated based on the amount of pressure needed to use them.
The metal surface, condition, cutting density and cutting length influence the choice of brushing machine that the manufacturer uses for brushing. When brushing with a brushing machine, certain parameters can be adjusted to achieve a specific characteristic.
In practice, if the brush works too slowly or a finer finish is required, the cutting length will decrease and the fill density will increase. On the other hand, if the brush works too fast or a thicker finish is needed, the manufacturer increases the cutting length and reduces the fill density.
In addition to finishing, these brushes are also recommended for removing dirt and rust from metals.
How does the brushed surface compare to other steel surfaces?
Brushed metal finish isn't the only finish used on popular metals like steel. Let's quickly compare other standard brush finishes.
Brushed vs. brushed finish mirrored
A mirrored metal surface is the most reflective of all steel metal surfaces. The name comes from the fact that the final product resembles a mirror. While many consider brushing to be a unidirectional surface, mirroring is non-directional. Due to their reflective nature, mirrored metal surfaces are commonly used in construction and home appliances. However, they are not preferred for tools where little or no light reflection is acceptable.
Brushed vs. brushed finish sandblasted finish
Bead blasting is a surface treatment in which glass, ceramic or corundum beads are blasted onto a material. This is a common surface treatment for metals. The resulting product is homogeneous and has minimal reflections. Unlike brushed surfaces, which are unidirectional, sandblasted metals are non-directional and have a uniform matte appearance. They are also commonly used in architecture.
Brushed vs. brushed finish satin finish
Both terms are more or less similar and often used interchangeably. Both hardly reflect and are not bright. However, the satin surface is shinier than the brushed surface. This is because satin metal does not have unidirectional lines.
Furthermore, brushed finishes are obtained exclusively with wire brushes, while satin finishes can be obtained with sandpaper and other abrasive materials.
There are almost no differences in the application of these surfaces. However, the satin finish is slightly more resistant to rust and is more commonly used on kitchen sinks and other products that come into contact with water for long periods of time.
Brushed Surface Applications
There are several possible uses for brushed finish surface treatment. Depending on your wishes, the following results are possible:
- Edge Blending : The brush allows you to de-sharpen edges and smooth the transition between two surfaces.
- Deburring : This is simply the removal of burrs, small imperfections in metal products.
- roughness : Brushing can also make metal surfaces rough, improving paint adhesion and making the product easier to clean.
- cleaning : Another application of brushing is in cleaning metals to remove contaminants from the metal surface.
Finishing service at WayKen
Brushing is now a common surface treatment for metallic and non-metallic products. This is a unidirectional surface treatment that uses abrasive brushes to create homogeneous metal surfaces. This technique is popular because it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also extremely functional.
