Mersen: Leading manufacturer of carbon and bronze brushes
Mersen is proud of its worldwide expertise gained over the past 120+ years in various systems used around the globe.
A carbon brush is a sliding contact used for conducting current between the stator and rotor of electrical machines (motors and generators). In the case of DC motors, the use of carbon brushes ensures spark-free commutation.
Carbon brushes are held by brush holders in such a way that they are in constant contact with the slip ring or commutator surface.
Mersen provides a wide range of carbon brushes for all types of:
- motors,
- generators,
- earthing equipment,
- current and signal transmission equipment.
- Railway lubrication solutions
Our range of solutions is available worldwide through our local sales networks and includes:
- Carbon brushes
- Brush holders
- Brush holder arms and brush holder structure housings
- Slip ring assemblies
- Signal and power transmission systems, position control slip rings, electrical slip rings and rotary joints
- Current collection (pantograph contact strips, 3rd rail shoes and industrial current collectors)
- Wheel flange lubrication solutions
- Carbon dust collection systems
- Monitoring solutions
We target markets that require reliable and highly efficient solutions:
Renewable energy: wind and hydropower producers
Traditional energy: thermal and nuclear power, mining, oil and gas
Transportation: civil and military aviation, rail, transportation (subway and tram, trolleybus, bus)
Manufacturing industry: steel, pulp and paper, rubber and plastics…
We put our knowledge, technology and innovation capabilities at the service of our customers’ performance.
Our strong R&D center with multidisciplinary and extensive test facilities enables us to develop unprecedented solutions that ensure users get the most out of their daily operations (increased uptime, better service rates and reduced maintenance costs).
Motor and generator maintenance services
Our expert teams are fully committed to providing comprehensive, customer-tailored technical support:
Conversion solutions (modernization)
Expertise and diagnostics
On-site machining and maintenance
Special measuring instruments and maintenance tools
Adapted technical training (at the customer’s site or at a Mersen site)
Carbon and Bronze Brushes for DC Motors
Mersen offers a wide range of electrographite brushes specifically adapted for DC motors, including the globally recognized EG34D and EG8220 brush types.
Electrographite types are made from carbon powder and coke; they are then subjected to high-temperature heat treatment (> 2500 °C) to transform the amorphous carbon material into artificial graphite.
Our research has resulted in brush materials that provide greater commutation capability and longer service life, as well as requiring less commutator maintenance. Mersen manufactures advanced brush types for high or low load operating conditions, contaminated environments (chemicals, humidity, oil vapors) and other demanding operating conditions. You can easily select the type that suits your needs from our various materials – see Mersen’s Technical Guide “Carbon Brushes for Motors and Generators”.
As a recommended supplier to electric motor manufacturers, Mersen also offers services related to refurbishment, replacement of brushes and brush holders, rebuilding, and training.
Areas of application:
- Electric and diesel-electric locomotives (traction motors)
- Transportation & Metro (traction motors of subways, trams, or trolleybuses)
- Aviation (auxiliary motors)
- Metallurgy (rolling mills, winders, wire drawing machines, extruders, coiling machines)
- Paper mills (paper machines, winders) Cement plants (kiln motors, fans, ground or aerial conveyors)
- Plastics industry (extruders) Forklifts (lifting motors, traction motors)
- Mining (winch, shovel, wheel motors for loaders and trucks, conveyors)
- Ports and marine (lifting motors for cranes and gantry cranes, propulsion motors, deck motors)
- Oil and gas (drilling, lifting, pump, and anchor motors)
- Elevators (lifts, ski lift motors)
- Carbon and bronze brushes for commutator DC electric rotating machines, exciters, generators
- Carbon and bronze brushes for slip ring AC electric rotating machines
- Carbon brushes for forklift drive motors
- Silver-carbon contacts
- Tools and diagnostic instruments for the maintenance of electric rotating machines
- Forklift brushes
Carbon and Bronze Brushes for DC Motors
Mersen offers a wide range of electrographite brushes specifically adapted for DC motors, including the globally recognized EG34D and EG8220 brush types.
Electrographite types are made from carbon powder and coke; they are then subjected to high-temperature heat treatment (> 2500 °C) to transform the amorphous carbon material into artificial graphite.
Our research has resulted in brush materials that provide greater commutation capability and longer service life, as well as requiring less commutator maintenance. Mersen manufactures advanced brush types for high or low load operating conditions, contaminated environments (chemicals, humidity, oil vapors) and other demanding operating conditions. You can easily select the type that suits your needs from our various materials – see Mersen’s Technical Guide “Carbon Brushes for Motors and Generators”.
As a recommended supplier to electric motor manufacturers, Mersen also offers services related to refurbishment, replacement of brushes and brush holders, rebuilding, and training.
Areas of application:
- Electric and diesel-electric locomotives (traction motors)
- Transportation & Metro (traction motors of subways, trams, or trolleybuses)
- Aviation (auxiliary motors)
- Metallurgy (rolling mills, winders, wire drawing machines, extruders, coiling machines)
- Paper mills (paper machines, winders) Cement plants (kiln motors, fans, ground or aerial conveyors)
- Plastics industry (extruders) Forklifts (lifting motors, traction motors)
- Mining (winch, shovel, wheel motors for loaders and trucks, conveyors)
- Ports and marine (lifting motors for cranes and gantry cranes, propulsion motors, deck motors)
- Oil and gas (drilling, lifting, pump, and anchor motors)
- Elevators (lifts, ski lift motors)
- Carbon and bronze brushes for commutator DC electric rotating machines, exciters, generators
- Carbon and bronze brushes for slip ring AC electric rotating machines
- Carbon brushes for forklift drive motors
- Silver-carbon contacts
- Tools and diagnostic instruments for the maintenance of electric rotating machines
- Forklift brushes
Carbon and Bronze Brushes for Generators
Carbon and bronze brushes for generators and turbo generators
Mersen offers a wide range of carbon brushes for medium and high-speed applications. For turbo generators, the LFC brush grades are internationally recognized, especially the LFC 554.
For wind generators, the CG626, CG677, and MC837 grades are known worldwide.
Our LFC grades are soft graphite grades, which are made from graphite powder (natural purified or artificial), mixed with suitable binders to ensure good resistance to shocks and mechanical vibrations.
Our CG / MC grades have varying copper content to enable high current transfer at varying peripheral speeds and conditions.
Areas of application:
- Electric diesel locomotives (generators)
- Aviation (generators and alternators)
- Windmills (generators)
- Hydropower plants (generators)
- Conventional thermal power (turbo generators)
- Chemical industry (generators)
- Ports and marine (ships)
- Mining (winch, electric truck, shovel)
Carbon Brushes for Low-Power FHP Motors
Mersen offers a wide range of carbon-graphite and resin-bonded carbon (bakelite-graphite) brush grades specifically designed for low-power Fractional Horse Power (FHP) motors.
The carbon-graphite grades are made from carbon and coke powders combined with suitable binders to ensure high resistance to elevated operating temperatures and varying loads.
The bakelite-graphite grades are produced using natural or synthetic graphite powders with thermosetting resins, providing excellent electrical and mechanical resistance.
Applications:
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Servo motors
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Motors for machine tools
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Robotics and military applications (satellites, missiles, radars)
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Medical devices (wheelchairs, ventilators, MRI systems)
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Tacho-generators
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Special machinery, drones
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Door and shutter automation
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Ventilation motors
Grounding Brushes
Mersen offers a wide range of metal-graphite brush grades for grounding systems.
These grades are produced using purified natural graphite and metal powders (copper, silver, etc.). The powder mixture is pressed into block form and sintered under conditions that ensure optimal strength, cohesion, and resistance properties.
Carbon and Bronze Brushes for Asynchronous Motors
Mersen provides a broad selection of metal-graphite brush grades especially suited for wound rotor asynchronous motors, commonly used in the paper and cement industries.
These metal-graphite grades are manufactured from purified natural graphite and metal powders (copper, silver, etc.). The mixture is compressed into blocks and sintered under specific conditions to achieve the required mechanical strength, cohesion, and resistance values.
Carbon Brushes for Signal and Power Transmission Systems
Mersen offers a wide range of metal-graphite brush grades designed for signal and power transmission systems, such as Ward Leonard motors, pitch motors, and similar applications.
The metal-graphite grades are made from purified natural graphite and metal powders (copper, silver, etc.). The powder mixture is pressed into blocks and sintered under conditions optimized to provide the necessary strength, cohesion, and resistance characteristics.
