As a flexible and cost-effective tool solution, technical brushes now perform a wide variety of tasks in wood and WPC processing. Tasks range from surface treatment and material flow to integrated machine cleaning. While powered roller and rotary brushes dominate in production environments, strip and lath brushes are primarily used in conveying and storage technology. Manufacturer KULLEN-KOTI offers a wide range of suitable brush systems for both industrial use and 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 in numerous designs and sizes. The range of exhibitors at the last Ligna, held in 2023 in Hanover, once again demonstrated the growing demand for high-performance brush systems. In addition to surface, profile, and edge sanding, their major areas of application also include fine or intermediate sanding, surface structuring, gentle transport of semi-finished products or panels, and cleaning of production equipment. As tools and components, technical brushes can be adapted to a wide variety of tasks, often proving to be extremely cost-effective solutions.
For both plant manufacturers and users, the flexibility offered by the many possible combinations of brush bodies and fill materials is a major advantage. Especially a manufacturer like KULLEN-KOTI, with decades of experience and a broad product range, can configure the optimal brush system for virtually any wood and WPC processing scenario.
Refining surfaces
This can be illustrated, for example, in the machine structuring of furniture surfaces and floorboards. Depending on the desired design, structures, effects, and visual finishes can be precisely applied to the surfaces using powered brush systems with various types of fill. A key aspect is the interaction during rotation between more or less variable fill materials (wire, plastic, etc.) and the wood material.
Whether the softer areas are brushed out and the harder ridges of the wood grain are preserved depends on the type of fill and the intensity with which the brush penetrates the material. In this way, both finely processed surfaces and robust vintage-style finishes can be achieved.
Applying operating materials.
When structuring wooden surfaces, the abrasive, striking, or surface-tearing effect of rotating brush systems is primarily based on their use as mechanical tools. In other areas, however, the focus is on the ability of many brush fills to absorb and precisely release liquid or flowable media. This is important, for example, when distributing and rubbing in stains and oils used for protection, refinement, or coloring. With precisely matched roller brushes, it is possible to efficiently produce uniform coatings of various thicknesses, even on larger surfaces.
In addition to the structure of the brushes and the selection of the fill material, numerous other factors must be considered. These include the required peripheral speeds during the processing operation, the necessary feed rate, the type of infeed method, or the question of whether the brush should oscillate during rotation. It is also important to consider whether a brush is used in a fully automated process or operated with manual tools. At KULLEN-KOTI, all these aspects are incorporated into the design, configuration, and development of brush solutions for wood technology.
Protecting Finished Products
When a large part of the value creation has already been achieved, technical brushes are used to protect the sensitive, and for example lacquered, surfaces and edges of finished wood products.
To do this, loading and workpiece carriers are equipped with slat or strip brushes as well as brush plates, which provide secure support for wooden semi-finished and finished products during storage and transport, protecting them from impacts and scratches.
Brush systems often make it possible to implement reusable transport racks that protect lacquered, coated, or veneered wood products and ensure smooth material flow.
The fact that finished products can be easily moved across the brush fill is considered a handling advantage in many areas.
In addition to the brush design and the selection of fill material, numerous other factors must be taken into account.
These include the required peripheral speeds during the processing operation, the necessary feed rate, the type of infeed method, and whether the brush should oscillate during rotation. It’s also important to consider whether the brush will be used in a fully automated process or operated with manual tools. At KULLEN-KOTI, all these aspects are incorporated into the design, configuration, and development of brush solutions for wood technology.