Since 1928, Helwig Carbon has been the American industry leader in the brush replacement market, as well as a supplier to many of the major OEMs of DC industrial equipment. We stock thousands of carbon generator, slip ring and ac motor brushes for a variety of popular applications. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility also allows us to quickly produce custom brushes in a few days.
Our brushes can be custom engineered and manufactured to meet the requirements of your particular motor or generator. Finding the proper brush design for the operating conditions of your motor is the key to maximizing the life of the brush and contact surface. Poor brush selection can result in fast brush wear and damage to the contact surface. Helwig Carbon’s engineers are industry-leading experts on sliding electrical contacts found in:
■DC Motors & Generators
■AC Synchronous Motors
■AC Generators
■Wound Rotor Induction Slip Ring Motors
■Turbine Generators
■Fractional HP Motors
■Grounding Applications
Carbon Brushes sold online are stock brushes ONLY. Any made-to-order brushes can be ordered by requesting a quote or calling (800) 962-4851
An electrical contact consisting of a block of carbon/ graphite material which rides on the contact surface with a wire leading
to a terminal or cap making a stationary electrical connection.
Brush sizes are designated as: Thickness x Width x Length of the carbon. If the brush design includes a Red Top, the length measurement should include the pad. On brushes with bevels, the length is measured on the long side. Brushes with a head on top include the length of the head. When specifying dimensions as a reference, submit information on brush length even if it is the worn length.
The surface of the brush which touches the commutator or slip ring. The condition of the brush face can be a good indicator of brush performance.
The final composition of the raw material. Manufacturers give each unique composition a designation called a brush “grade” See Helwig Grades
Descriptions of the types of brush grades:
Graphite:
Carbon Graphite:
Electro Graphite:
Silver Graphite:
Copper Graphite:
For more information about materials and brush grades, please visit our Grade Information page.
The upper part of the carbon shaped to hold the end of the spring in place. Commonly used on brushes with springs and caps.
A series of letters and numbers that delineate a specific brush from another.
Multi-section brush where two or more wafers come together to form the whole brush. The wires from the various wafers generally meet in one terminal. These brushes are often held together with a Red Top pad.
Combination of hard plastic and rubber square glued to the top of the carbon brush. Pads hold the multiple brush sections together, insulate spring from carrying current and absorb excess vibration. The spring or spring finger will make contact with the brush on the pad surface.
The wire is attached mechanically to the carbon with a rivet. The wire is generally wound around the rivet and up through holes in the carbon material for an extra secure connection.
Insulation over the shunt wires. Some have a painted cloth appearance and others resemble a soft flexible rubber tubing.
Groove on the top of the brush often used to stabilize the spring. Face slot – cuts in the brush face.
The wire is embedded directly into the brush.
An electrical contact consisting of a block of carbon/ graphite material which rides on the contact surface with a wire leading
to a terminal or cap making a stationary electrical connection.
Helwig’s electrical brushes are made from low friction, conductive carbon materials that include natural graphite, carbon graphite, silver graphite, copper graphite, and electro graphite.
Graphite:
Carbon Graphite:
Electro Graphite:
Silver Graphite:
Copper Graphite:
For more information about materials and brush grades, please visit our Grade Information page.
The proper way to install a brush in a DC electric motor is:
Brush sizes are designated as: Thickness x Width x Length of the carbon. If the brush design includes a Red Top, the length measurement should include the pad. On brushes with bevels, the length is measured on the long side. Brushes with a head-on top include the length of the head.
The much-maligned brush is not responsible for most of the machine malfunctions attributed to it. Sparking at the brush face is usually the first symptom of trouble elsewhere.
Common Reasons for Sparking:
For more details and solutions on brush sparking download our FREE version of Brushes, Sparking and Machine Maintenance wrote by M.S. May – Speer Carbon (a Helwig Carbon Products company)
To view Helwig’s garnet paper listing click here. 4% discount on orders of 10 or more rolls!
The numbers on your brushes display vital information about the brush.
Commonly these numbers include:
For specifics to your application, please contact Helwig Engineering to diagnose your brush wear problem.
Call (800) -962-4851 or Contact Us
Rapid brush wear is a problem that can be caused by 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.
The NUMBER ONE reason for increased brush wear that we see is from low spring pressure! Inadequate spring pressure can cause rapid electrical brush wear. Clock and fingerstyle springs tend to lose force as the brush wears, and all springs will fatigue over the course of time. This will reduce the effective force at the brush face and increase the rate of brush wear. Reference our Recommended Spring Pressure Chart for more.
To find out other common reasons for rapid brush wear for generator, slip ring and motor brushes, read our blog: 3 Reasons for Rapid Brush Wear
As a general rule of thumb, if the brush wears below a usable length, it is time to replace the brush. Often, signs of cracking, disintegrating, or burning, the brush should be replaced.
When motor brushes wear out, the electric motor will arc & spark, and the electrical circuit may be incomplete. This situation can be dangerous and should be dealt with immediately. Usually, the problem can be solved by replacing the brushes.
For more details and solutions on brush sparking download our FREE version of Brushes, Sparking and Machine Maintenance wrote by M.S. May – Speer Carbon (a Helwig Carbon Products company)
Brush grades are typically found stamped or marked on the front side of the brush. The grade designates the material composition of the brush.
Brush grades are regularly organized according to the manufacturing processes and the types of materials used. Today’s grades are determined through a variety of raw materials, molding pressures, temperatures, duration of the baking process, and post-process treatments. Material elements provide different levels of resistivity, hardness, and strength that directly affect friction, contact-drop, and surface film.
Helwig Carbon continues to excel in its ability to provide press-to-size parts to the electrical sliding contacts industry. In recent years we have expanded our operations to provide additional capacity to meet this area of growth. Thorough quality assurance steps have led to a significant reduction in lead time and eliminated unnecessary secondary machining operations that many of our competitors’ experience in their operations.
A lightning strike is the result of a rapid discharge of electricity that occurs between the atmosphere and an object. The bright flash of a lightning strike, though it appears large to the naked eye, is actually only about one inch in diameter. Even with this seemingly small size, the impact of a lightning strike can be quite severe, leading to significant damage to both equipment and personnel.
Fractional HP (FHP) motors are multi-purpose motors used for a wide range of applications. As space is limited and performance is key, brush-type DC FHP motors offer a significant advantage over
April 12, 2023
January 20, 2023
June 24, 2022
April 14, 2022
March 11, 2022
July 27, 2021
March 15, 2021
February 9, 2021
October 13, 2020
August 21, 2020
We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By closing this banner or interacting with our site, you acknowledge and agree to this.