Helwig is able to design & manufacture a wide array of carbon brush holder assemblies in a devoted production area in our Milwaukee, WI headquarters. Our holders are engineered with the customer’s brush and application in mind to provide the best holder solution for critical applications.
Custom Engineered for High-Performance
- Expertly designed for maximum reliability with world-class quality
- Enhanced designs allow for longer brushes increasing brush life and decreasing downtime
- Improved brass holder for durability in harsh environments
- Tightly maintained tolerances within .005″
- Thousands of quotable holders and components
- Holder material options: cast, machined, extruded or TeflonTM coated brass
The Helwig Carbon Advantage:
- Made in the USA (Milwaukee, WI)
- Precision fabrication in a devoted production area
- EDM, CNC and CAM Machining Centers
- Unmatched technical expertise and superior customer service
- Fast production, stock parts and quick delivery
- Ability to accommodate critical break-down situations
- ISO 9001 Certified
Constant Force Springs
- Our pioneering research in the 1980s set the industry standard for spring pressure, from 2 psi to 4-6psi on Industrial DC motors, which eventually led to increased spring pressure for almost all other applications
- Proper spring pressure ensures better brush contact with the commutator
- Increased spring force reduces electrical brush wear thus improves brush life and performance
- Spring life expectancy is 3-5 years on most applications – replacing our springs is easy and safer than traditional springs!
Built-In Wear Indicator
- Optional brush wear indicator is the industry’s most convenient way to monitor wear
- Red “danger strip” informs you the brush is worn out and should be replaced.
- Preventative maintenance’s dream accessory
Helwig Quick Disconnects (HQDs)
- Impressively fast and easy way to change brushes
- No screws to remove, lose or replace!
- HQD’s lock together with a tight, positive locking action even under rough conditions
- Increase maintenance safety
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Explore
Learn more about our pioneering constant force spring research from the 1980s
We offer a full line of informational literature to help answer any questions.
See our expert capabilities for motor/generator brushes to pair with our holders
Your holder assembly, rebuilt by our experts!
Custom Engineered Holder Solutions
Increase performance, decrease downtime costs
Rush Orders – turnaround time as quick as 48 hours
Types of Carbon Brush Holders
Industrial Holders
- Solid construction provides better performance, longer brush life and lower maintenance costs than the original holder
- Over 40 standard models in stock for GE, Reliance, Westinghouse, etc.
- Easy to install
- Constant Force Springs for increased performance out of your brush
- Custom engineered designs for any applications
Turbine Style Holders
- Direct retrofit and custom designs for upgrades are available
- Adjustable mounting bolts to increase installation flexibility for proper height above rings
- Constant force holder design with Wear Indicators to easy maintenance
- Replaceable spring clips provide less costly downtime
Adjustable Slip Ring Holders
- Fully adjustable slip ring holder designed to fit a wide array of applications
- Flexible ring diameters, post diameters, and positions
- Custom designed holders easily retrofit existing equipment and exceed performance of the original holder
- Custom designs for wind power holders, wound rotor induction motor and synchronous motor holders
- Standard holders in stock for GE and Westinghouse power generation
- Replaces single holder and bank of two designs
- Constant force spring design
- Offered in 6 standard box sizes
Wind Retrofit Holders
- Robust design exceeds OEM holder performance
- Engineered for maximum reliability, easier maintenance, and fewer up-tower repairs
- Replaceable and adjustable brush boxes
- Simplified wiring harness
- Teflon spacers to protect ring phases
- HQDs for faster brush changes
- ISO 9001 Certified
BPK™ Holders
- Durable shaft grounding kit holders, made for even the toughest conditions and tightest of spaces
- Proprietary silver graphite grade travel smoothly inside the shaft grounding kit holder
- More effective than the carbon-fiber ring
- Typically reduces shaft voltage to less than 1V!
- Easy to install – effective immediately
- Sealed and Internal Mount options are available
- Fits multiple shaft sizes
- Stock kits available for same-day shipping
- UL Approved – Patented Products
Traction Holders
- Enhanced replacement for 752 drilling & traction holders
- Heavy-Duty gunmetal cast for extremely rough mining & traction applications
- Internally reinforced insulator studs
- Reduces vibration
- Minimizes stud breakage
- Durable clock style spring
- Includes a stud to hold spring finger for fast and easy brush changes
- Compatible with Helwig Carbon brush grades: H38, H83, H84, H60
Cast Holders
- Made from premium brass alloys
- Best for high volume quantities but can offer smaller quantities if needed
- A wide range of casted brush boxes are stocked in both imperial and metric sizes
- Multiple castings for popular industrial motor/generators
Multiple Box Holders
- Commonly used on large DC Motors
- GE, Westinghouse, Siemens, ABB and other mill motors
- Multiple box holders are engineered with adjustable and replaceable brush boxes
- Designed with longer brush boxes for increased brush life, lowering maintenance costs
- Spring Assemblies allow for safer and quicker brush changes
Machined Holders
- Custom engineered through the latest 3D CAD modeling software
- Can be designed and manufactured in under 2 weeks for rush situations
- Ideal for lower quantity orders
- Precise machining is completed through CNC milling and wire EDM center assuring the brush box is square and accurate
Finger Style Holders
- Recommended for rough, high-vibration or excessive run-out applications
- Designed to retrofit existing holders and spring combinations
- Improved brass holder to withstand extreme environments
- Engineered for individual holder replacements when needed
- Able to use your existing brush – same length brush box
Other Style Holders
- Helwig can custom engineer any holder to your desired specifications
- For custom engineering projects, please contact us directly at (880) 962-4851 or [email protected]
Carbon Brush Holder Blog Posts
Helwig offers high-quality upgrades and custom designs to hydro generators that will ensure superior performance in the field. These upgrades are in addition to the expertly engineered turbine brush holders, adjustable slip ring holders, and constant force springs that deliver maximum reliability.
In the steel industry, pickling operations are used to remove surface oxides and clean rust or scale buildup. These operations are very important for the manufacture of steel, but they are notorious for their corrosive atmosphere.
Many times, brush holders that use constant force springs are not constant force at all. A proper holder allows full spring force throughout the brush’s life. Most holders are poorly designed and fail to be “constant force” for two main reasons:
Celebrate With Us President – Mark Umhoefer Our mission is to provide genuine overall value to our customers. Nothing demonstrates that commitment better than our decision 50 years ago to add high-quality brush holders to the line of products we manufacture. Today more customers than ever come to Helwig Carbon Products to be supplied with the best possible holder and brush solution – a custom engineered solution provided by a team with unparalleled levels of expertise and experience.
Acquisition & Integration of Brush Holder Product Line Milwaukee, WI, February 28, 2020– Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition and integration of the brush holder product line of J. Ream Manufacturing, Inc.
A common question from those handling DC motor maintenance is, “why are my carbon brushes wearing so quickly?”. Rapid brush wear is a problem that can be caused from a multitude of factors. There isn’t one easy answer to this question, as each situation can be different. A natural answer to this question that many will quickly jump to is the carbon brush grade. However, we’ve seen that, more often than not, the brush grade is not the culprit. Here are three of the most common reasons for rapid carbon brush wear:
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Factors that Influence Shaft Grounding Performance
January 20, 2023
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Shaft Grounding Contamination Test
June 24, 2022
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Quality Upgrades for Hydro Generators
April 14, 2022
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Teflon Coated Brush Holders for Pickling Line
March 11, 2022
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From Probe to Patent
July 27, 2021
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K007: Exclusive Silver Graphite Brush Grade
March 15, 2021
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What Our Research Says About Constant Force Spring Differences
February 9, 2021
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Nitin Kulkarni Promoted to VP of Business Development
October 13, 2020
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Helwig Is Awarded Best Value Add & Engineering from Wolong – GE
August 21, 2020
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Kevin Koenitzer Promoted To Sales Manager
August 21, 2020
