Material
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber
Bonded abrasive web
Choose Non-woven Abrasive Fiber based on its stiffness, recovery, wear, wet-service, chemical, and temperature behavior. Material name alone is not enough to set stiffness; we also need filament diameter, free trim, density, grade, and working conditions.
Datasheet values
- Available forms
- Disc, wheel, flap or block forms; fine to coarse grades
- Temperature range
- -20–120°C
- Stiffness
- Soft-conforming to firm according to density and grit
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber is a bonded abrasive web used as brush fill or a cleaning-contact element.
What is Non-woven Abrasive Fiber, and what makes it different from other brush filaments?
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber is a bonded abrasive web rather than a filament — an open nylon mesh with grain held in the resin, supplied as discs, wheels, flaps and blocks. It cuts by area instead of by bristle tip, which is why it blends a surface rather than scoring it.
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber is used in custom cleaning brushes for surface blending, oxidation removal, satin finishing and light deburring.
Where a project stalls on material choice, the comparison is normally against Nylon PA, PBT and Polypropylene PP, and it turns on moisture uptake and working temperature.
Step down to a plain nylon web where the surface must not be cut; step up to an abrasive-filled filament or a wire wheel where the cut has to be deeper than the web can give.
What stiffness and contact pressure can I expect from Non-woven Abrasive Fiber?
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber is soft-conforming to firm according to density and grit.
The published filament ranges, set against the grades it competes with. The finished brush is rated from the whole assembly: fill, anchoring and adhesive each have their own limit.
| Property | Non-woven Abrasive Fiber | Nylon PA | PBT | Polypropylene PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shore hardness | Soft-conforming to firm according to density and grit | Medium to firm; filament diameter and trim length control bending force. | Shore D 80–90 | Shore D 65–75 |
| Continuous temperature (°C) | 120 | 93 | 120–140 | 80–100 |
| Peak temperature (°C) | 150 | 121 | 160–180 | 120–140 |
| Water absorption, 24 h | 0.1–1.0% (24 h; industry reference range) | 0.3–9% by PA grade and conditioning | 0.05–0.20% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) | ≤0.03% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) |
| Filament diameter (mm) | 0.05–3.00 | 0.08–2.50 | 0.03–2.00 | 0.08–3.00 |
| Flexibility | Medium to High Flexibility | Medium to High Flexibility | Medium to High Flexibility | Medium Flexibility |
The part people get wrong: the number that decides scrubbing pressure is diameter over trim length, not the grade name. Two brushes in this material can behave nothing alike.
How does water affect Non-woven Abrasive Fiber performance?
Non-woven Abrasive Fiber takes up 0.1–1.0% (24 h; industry reference range).
Suitable for the wet or dry conditions stated in the application list; wash and dry retained-residue constructions after use.
What this means for your application: it barely absorbs water, so dry and wet contact pressure are effectively the same and the brush behaves alike on both duties.
A practical check: soak a sample for an hour and re-measure the trim. If it has moved enough to change the contact band, the grade is wrong for the duty.
What temperature limits apply to Non-woven Abrasive Fiber?
Temperature capability depends on the non-woven web, resin system, abrasive mineral, density and product construction. Use the exact abrasive product data for sustained hot work instead of applying one generic service temperature to all non-woven abrasives.
Where it stops working: If the filament takes a permanent set under load, step up to PBT, which holds a higher continuous temperature.
The usable limit also moves with diameter, trim and contact pressure. A fine filament under light load tolerates more than a thick one under heavy scrubbing.
What chemicals attack Non-woven Abrasive Fiber?
Use the grade-specific chemical profile and confirm it against the actual chemical, temperature, exposure-time, and load conditions of your application.
The same cleaner can be harmless or destructive depending on how strong it is, how hot it runs and how long it sits. Quote the concentration and the dwell time, not just the product name.
Before you commit to a quantity: Specify Non-woven Abrasive Fiber form, diameter or grade, trim, density, working temperature, cleaning fluid, and surface finish.
What is the practical lower limit for filament diameter?
About 0.05 mm. Below that the filament turns fragile and breaks under ordinary contact pressure, so 0.05–3.00 mm is the working range.
Free trim runs 3–300 mm, and the two interact: a finer filament needs a shorter trim to keep useful stiffness, while a thicker one carries a longer trim and still lands pressure on the tip.
Split the range by duty: roughly 0.05–0.79 mm for light wiping, dusting and surfaces that mark easily, and 0.79–3.00 mm where residue is packed on and point pressure matters more than surface risk.
Tip treatments available on this filament: end rounding, tapered-tip grinding, silicone-oil coating, anti-static coating and antibacterial coating.
In practical brush terms: reaching deep into a bore or crevice is a diameter problem before it is a length problem. A thicker filament on a moderate trim pushes further in before the tips fold over.
What applications typically use Non-woven Abrasive Fiber?
Surface blending, oxidation removal, satin finishing and light deburring.
The cleaning work it is specified for most often:
- Ceramic Glaze Line & Tile Brush Use
- Polishing
- Surface Finishing
- Deburring & Edge Breaking
- Tile Grout Cleaning
- Household Dish, Teapot & Kitchen Detail Cleaning
Brush types built with this fill:
- Custom Wheel Brushes
- Custom Floor Scrubber Sweeper Brushes
- Custom Roller and Conveyor Brushes
- Custom Tube & Pipe Bore Brushes
If the sample comes back rejected: Not suitable for dimensional stock removal or narrow deep bores without a supported carrier.
How do I specify Non-woven Abrasive Fiber for a custom brush?
A usable specification carries the construction, the filament diameter and free trim, the density and contact setting, and the service conditions: wet or dry, temperature, and what the cleaner actually is.
The mistakes that most often send a sample back:
- Selecting Non-woven Abrasive Fiber without setting diameter, trim and density
- Using the material on a surface that cannot accept its contact level
- Ignoring temperature, liquid, motion or residue retention
Reference standards behind the figures on this page: ISO 6344 series.
Source: 3M — Scotch-Brite Industrial Nonwoven Abrasives. 3M describes non-woven abrasive constructions, minerals and finishing/deburring uses. Product constructions vary, so no universal -20–120°C limit is used.
What else does the datasheet specify for Non-woven Abrasive Fiber?
| Filament cross-section | Round/Triangular/Cross-Shaped/Hollow/Star-Shaped/Rectangular |
|---|---|
| Electrical behaviour | Insulating |
Questions this page is asked
How should a non-woven abrasive finishing window be established?
Use production-representative material and condition while varying only controlled speed or stroke, pressure, engagement, passes, feed, lubricant and dwell. Measure roughness, gloss or texture, color, edge condition, material removal, temperature and embedded debris so the approved window describes both the desired finish and the first unacceptable change.
When should a loaded non-woven abrasive element be replaced?
Track thickness or diameter loss, glazing, retained swarf, edge breakdown, exposed carrier, vibration, temperature and drift in the verified finish at fixed intervals. Replace it when cleaning no longer restores the process result or when debris, imbalance, carrier exposure or finish variation reaches the documented limit.
Guides that go deeper on this
We have not written a guide specific to this one yet. The material that covers selection, filament, dimensions, maintenance and sourcing is collected in the technical resources library.
No catalogue item for this yet
Every brush here is made to order, and this one has no catalogue entry so far. Send the working surface, the residue, the access opening and the quantity, and it is quoted through the same specification route as the rest of the range.
Custom Manufacturing RFQ
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Custom Brush RFQ
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Upload a drawing, product photo, or sample photo and provide the core dimensions and cleaning conditions.
“We need a brush to remove wet residue from a stainless steel conveyor, about 800mm wide. The current brush wears quickly. We can send photos.”
“We sell drinkware and need a cleaning brush to include with the product. Quantity around 5,000 pieces.”