Struggling to decide what’s best for your deburring needs? We’ve got you covered…
When deciding what sort of deburring machine would best suit your current process or finishing requirements it’s important to recognise the difference between Rotary Brushes and Top-Down Deburring Brushes. With more than 70 years in the abrasives, surface finishing and polishing world, FINAIDS have come up with the following points regarding the difference between the two.
Rotary brushes use a spinning, multi-directional action for edge rounding and slag removal, especially for intricate parts, while “top-down” brushes (often part of larger machines with rotary brushes) generally refer to brushes that apply downward pressure from above a conveyor system to the workpiece’s top surface
Rotary Brushes or “Helicopter” system:
Rotary brushes provide a versatile and comprehensive deburring brushes solution by using a multi-directional rotation and oscillation to achieve consistent results on complex shapes. It’s important to understand why before deciding on which metal processing machine to buy.
- Mechanism: The brush filaments act like tiny hammers, striking the surface at high speed rather than simply “swiping” it, which effectively dislodges burrs. This action allows the brushes to reach various contours and edges.
- Applications: They are well-suited for intricate or complex shapes, inner and outer contours, and intersecting holes, as they make contact from multiple directions.
- Advantages:
- Consistency: Rotary Deburring Brushes achieve uniform edge rounding and finish regardless of the part’s orientation.
- Versatility: Rotary Deburring Brushes are capable of processing different material thicknesses simultaneously due to their flexibility.
- Precision: Rotary Brushes can remove burrs and achieve an R2+ edge rounding without altering the surface profile or damaging protective coatings.
- Automation: Can be integrated into CNC machines or automated cells, improving manufacturing efficiency, predictabilty and precision.
Top-Down Brushes or “Deburring Discs”
Top-down deburring brushes differ greatly from rotary deburring brushes are most commonly found in dry machines that use non-woven and/or coated abrasives in disc form to apply pressure to the component part that is being carried by the machine’s conveyor belt. The life of the abrasive is amplified by this system which uses the chosen abrasive media in an “end-on” fashion, rather than the traditional method. This allows for consistent wear across all top-down brushes in any machine and reduces downtime by ensuring all brushes are changed at the same time, as opposed to changing disc-by-disc.
- Mechanism: The brush acts on the top surface of the workpiece, removing burrs and providing a finish to the main surface area.
- Applications: Primarily used for smoothing and deburring the main, accessible surfaces of parts, often as part of a multi-stage process involving other tools like abrasive belts.
- Advantages:
- Efficiency: Effective for high-volume, flat parts moving continuously on a production line
- Integration: Easily integrated into a linear, single-sided deburring system alongside other finishing units.
Summary of differences:
| Feature | Rotary Brushes | Top-Down Brushes |
| Action | Multi-directional rotation and oscillation. | Single-direction, downward pressure onto conveyor. |
| Best For | Intricate parts, inner/outer contours, cross-holes, and uniform edge rounding. | Flat, accessible surfaces on high-volume, linear production lines. |
| Result | Consistent edge quality and finish, often without damaging the surface. | Efficient removal of surface burrs and consistent finish on one side. |
| Flexibility | Highly flexible, can handle varying material thicknesses and complex shapes. | Less flexible in terms of part geometry, typically suited for consistent part dimensions. |
For more information, technical assistance or quotation, please contact sales@finaids.com or call your local branch today.
To discover more about the ranges of Rotary Brush machines FINAIDS sell, please click here
To discover more about the ranges of Top-Down Brush machines FINAIDS sell, please click here