Wheel brushes are wheel-shaped brushing tools for deburring and surface finishing machined parts. These power brushes are also used for outer diameter (OD) applications such as parts cleaning, polishing, and edge radiusing.

As a full-line manufacturer of surface finishing and deburring tools, Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) supplies may different types of wheel brushes, including NamPower nylon abrasive wheels with silicon carbide or diamond abrasive filaments. 

So which filament type is right for harder materials? Once you've selected the abrasive that's right for your application, what do you need to know about specifying the brush diameter and face width? 

Base Materials and Filament Selection

The base material of the workpiece determines which type of the nylon abrasive filament to select.

• Choose NamPower wheels with silicon carbide abrasive for machined parts made of industrial metals such as aluminum and steel.
• Choose NamPower wheels with diamond abrasive filaments for machined parts made of harder materials such as carbide, ceramic, cubic boron nitride (CBN), and glass.   

Both types of NamPower wheel brushes feature molded cores that support higher filament density for superior performance. With their balanced construction, these high-performance wheel brushes also put more cutting tips at the point of attack.

Applications for NamPower Diamond Wheels

NamPower diamond abrasive wheels provide a safe alternative to wire wheels and a performance advantage over non-woven abrasive brushes. Use NamPower diamond wheels for applications such as deburring gears made of hardened tool steels and polishing the flute reliefs on drills, end mills, and reamers made of high speed steels (HSS) or carbide. 

With end mills and reamers, a polished flue relief enhances chip removal and promotes better surface finishes and longer tool life. With carbide inserts, edge radiusing prevents fracturing and premature insert wear. NamPower diamond abrasive wheel brushes are also great for plasma-sprayed and nitride-coated surfaces.  

Wheel Brush Diameter and Face Width

NamPower wheel brush users don’t just need to select the right filament type for their surface finishing and deburring application. It’s also necessary to specify a brush diameter and face width. This article provides basic guidelines, and the NamPower Resource Guide is an excellent technical resource.

As a rule, larger-diameter wheel brushes are less aggressive and more flexible. Smaller-diameter brushes are less flexible and more aggressive. Other factors that affect brush-diameter selection include burr size, part shape and conformity, radius requirements, final finish requirements, and the machinery with which the NamPower diamond wheel brush will be used.  

The brush’s face width must be wide enough to deburr a wide edge, but also narrow enough to access part recesses that may also need finishing. BRM’s NamPower diamond abrasive wheel brushes come in three diameters: 100 mm (4 in.), 150 mm (6 in.), and 200 mm (8 in.). The 100 mm diamond wheel is available with face widths of 5 mm or 10 mm. The 150 mm and 200 mm wheel brushes have face widths of either 10 mm or 15 mm.  

Get the NamPower Diamond Wheels Brochure

NamPower diamond wheels are available in 600-mesh. Additional mesh sizes are available upon request. For more information about product specifications, download the NamPower Diamond Wheels Brochure.