Optimal combination of body and trim
Woodworking and WPC
Optimal combination of body and trim
As an adaptable and cost-saving tool solution, technical brushes perform many different tasks in wood and WPC processing today. They range from surface processing and material flow to integrated machine cleaning. While driven roller and round brushes dominate in production, slat and strip brushes are predominant in conveyor and storage technology. Manufacturer KULLEN-KOTI offers a wide range of suitable brush systems for use in industry as well as for manual applications in wood and WPC processing.
Technical brushes have been considered indispensable tools for wood and WPC processing for many years. They are used here in numerous designs and sizes. The range of exhibitors at the last Ligna, which took place in Hanover in 2023, once again showed how great the demand for high-performance brush systems has become. In addition to surface, profile and edge sanding, their large areas of application also include fine or intermediate sanding, surface structuring, the gentle transport of semi-finished products or panels and the cleaning of production facilities. In their function as a tool and component, technical brushes can be adapted to a wide variety of tasks, often proving to be an extremely cost-effective solution. The wide range of possible combinations of brush bodies and fill types is a great advantage for plant engineers and users alike. A manufacturer like KULLEN-KOTI in particular, with its decades of experience and wide range of products, can configure the optimum brush system for almost any wood and WPC processing scenario.
Refining surfaces
This can be seen, for example, in the machine structuring of furniture surfaces and floorboards. Depending on the design requirements, structures, effects and visual effects can be applied to the surfaces in a very targeted manner by using driven brush systems with different types of fillings. The central aspect here is the interaction between more or less variable types of fillings (wire, plastic, etc.) and the wood material during rotation. The extent to which the soft areas are brushed out and the harder ridges of the wood grain are preserved is determined by the type of trim and the intensity with which the brush penetrates the material. In this way, both delicately finished surfaces and robust vintage-style looks can be realised.
Applying operating materials
When structuring wooden surfaces, the abrasive, percussive or tearing effect of the rotating brush systems is primarily based on their use as a mechanical tool. Elsewhere, however, the focus is on the ability of numerous brush trimmings to pick up liquid or flowable media and release them again in a targeted manner. This is important, for example, when distributing and rubbing in stains and oils that are used for protection, finishing or colouring. With the help of precisely matched roller brushes, uniform coatings of various thicknesses can be produced very efficiently, even on larger surfaces.
Dust removal and particle cleaning of wooden surfaces is also a field of application for technical brushes. In order to achieve flawless results when painting by machine or by hand, the wooden surfaces must be cleaned and dedusted beforehand, for example. This is done very effectively by brushing with technical brushes that are filled with natural fibres or horsehair. The advantage here is that these types of fillings do not generate any static charge when cleaning the surfaces.
Protecting finished products
When a large part of the added value has already been realised, technical brushes are used to protect the sensitive and, for example, varnished surfaces and edges of finished wooden products. For this purpose, load and workpiece carriers are fitted with slatted or strip brushes and brush plates that provide the wooden semi-finished and finished products with a secure hold during storage and transport and protect them from knocks and scratches. Brush systems can often be used to create reusable transport racks that protect lacquered, coated or veneered wooden products and enable the uninterrupted flow of materials. The fact that the finished products can be easily moved around on the brushes proves to be a handling advantage in many places.
In addition to the design of the brushes and the choice of fill, there are numerous other factors to consider. For example, the peripheral speeds required during the machining process, the required feed rate, the type of infeed process or the question of whether the brush should oscillate during rotation. It is also important to consider whether a brush is moved in a fully automated process or with manual tools. At KULLEN-KOTI, all these aspects are taken into account in the design, configuration and development of brush solutions for wood technology.
