Industries We Serve
Leading Technology in a Wealth of Industries
Trusted across diverse industries, Helwig’s products deliver dependable performance in even the most demanding applications. Our expertly engineered solutions help maximize uptime, extend equipment life, and ensure consistent operation.
Industries We Serve
Aerospace
Elevator
Industrial
Motor Repair
OEM
Locomotive Traction
Hydro Power
Wind
Traditional Power Generation
Additional Industries We Serve
Cement
Helwig Carbon manufactures high-quality, durable carbon brushes, brush holders, and shaft grounding products for the cement industry. Our products are engineered to perform in abrasive, dusty, high-temperature conditions common in cement production. They deliver dependable performance that helps reduce maintenance and improve uptime.
Electric Vehicles
Shaft Grounding, Charging Contacts, and Carbon Brushes for Electric Vehicles
Helwig Carbon manufactures high-performance shaft grounding systems, charging contacts, and carbon brushes designed to improve reliability, efficiency, and lifespan in electric vehicle systems.
Shaft Grounding for Electric Vehicles
EVs use inverters, which are Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), to convert DC to AC power. VFDs produce harmful common mode currents that can damage bearings and cause Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) that interferes with electronic communication systems. While ceramic bearings are often used, they don’t fully prevent discharge and can shift harmful currents to other equipment. Helwig’s BPK™ shaft grounding kits offer a superior solution with our proprietary silver graphite brushes, providing optimal automotive grounding, superior protection, and extra long life—they are designed to surpass the lifetime of the vehicle. These kits are easy to install, fit most motors, perform well in contaminated environments, and can handle RPMs from 10,000 to 20,000. Radial or axial mounts are available and the kits are custom designed to fit the OEM package.
Charging Contacts for EVs
Helwig produces sliding and static charging contacts engineered for high current carrying capacity, enabling fast, efficient battery charging in electric vehicles.
Brushes for EV Drivetrain Motors
High-quality, expertly engineered brushes deliver consistent performance in transmission fluid while eliminating the need for neodymium and other rare earth magnets.
Fractional HP Motor
Our customers like to bring us in on the design side of their motor, so we can optimize the brush circuit from the very beginning. Allow our experts to assist you in selecting the right grade and design for your application. We also manufacture high-quality brush holders for fractional HP motors.
- In-house tooling capabilities
- Molded-in shunts/wires
- On-site motor test facility
- Kanban, stock and release programs
- Full assembly capabilities
- Quick, expert prototyping available
HVAC
Helwig Carbon provides reliable carbon brushes, brush holders, and shaft grounding solutions for HVAC systems, helping maintain efficient motor performance and protecting motor bearings from damage caused by variable frequency drives (VFDs) and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) drives. Our products support long-term operational reliability in commercial and industrial environments.
Material Handling
With brushes, brush holders, and charging contacts for overhead cranes, forklifts, and autonomous mobile robots, Helwig delivers reliable performance across material handling applications—reducing maintenance, minimizing downtime, and ensuring long life in demanding environments.
Medical
Helwig Carbon manufactures OEM quality replacement carbon tips (or contacts) for power and data circuits on CT scanners and MRI equipment. We have approvals with major CT scanner manufacturers. The special silver graphite material provides long life and excellent performance.
We also provide brush holders and carbon graphite components for medical applications.
Mining
Helwig Carbon has been serving the mining industry since 1928, when we first started manufacturing carbon brushes. We manufacture a full line of carbon brushes specially designed to meet the rigors of mining applications on draglines, shovels, crushers, conveyors, and loaders.
Helwig can help you reduce machine downtime for maintenance. Our field engineers perform on-site inspections to determine the ideal brush for your mining application. Using the optimal carbon brush for your motor or generator lengthens the time between carbon brush changes.
We also offer durable, heavy-duty brush holders, shaft grounding solutions, and the i-BRUSH Carbon Brush Remote Monitoring System.
Marine Cathodic Protection for Propellers
Helwig Provides Superior Shaft Grounding for Propellers
Even with an Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) or sacrificial anode cathodic protection system installed, propeller shaft bearings remain at risk of galvanic corrosion and spark erosion. Propeller shaft grounding (also known as propeller shaft earthing or propeller cathodic protection) is essential to prevent these issues.
Galvanic Corrosion: The propeller shaft is electrically insulated from the hull due to the lubricating oil film and use of non-metallic bearings in the tail shaft. A result of this insulation is that the propeller shaft is not protected by the ICCP or sacrificial anode system. When the propeller rotates, potential energy is created due to the difference in materials between propeller and hull, and these currents are not neutralized by the ICCP or sacrificial anode system. Galvanic corrosion can occur at any point where two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in the presence of an electrolyte (such as seawater) without being neutralized.
Spark Erosion: Without proper propeller shaft grounding, if the oil film breaks, the shaft comes in contact with the bearing and spark erosion takes place, with the potential to impact the thrust and main bearings, and journals of the crown shaft of the main engine.
Helwig’s BPK Shaft Grounding Protects Propellers, Bearings, and Journals
The Helwig BPK™ propeller shaft earthing system resolves these issues by providing a low-resistance path that safely directs electrical currents back to ground—the ship’s hull—without discharging into areas where they could cause damage.
Our shaft grounding systems use high-quality components—including silver-graphite brushes—ensuring optimal electrical conductivity and durability. The system prevents erosion and cavitation damage to the propeller and shaft bearings. Easy to maintain and highly efficient, these propeller shaft earthing systems offer long-lasting protection for both commercial and private vessels.
We also offer brushes, holders, and carbon graphite mechanical components for marine applications.
Paper
Helwig Carbon manufactures high-quality, durable carbon brushes, holders, and shaft grounding products for the paper and logging industries. Our products are engineered for continuous operation in high-speed, high-moisture environments and provide reliable performance in the presence of pulp fibers and process contaminants.
Power Tool/Home Appliance
Helwig Carbon manufactures a full range of carbon brushes for power tools. We are a long-term supplier to Milwaukee Electric Tool and Robert Bosch. Our carbon brushes are specifically designed to provide excellent performance and long life.
Our unique capabilities in both molding and machining brushes allow us to provide the highest quality parts using the most economical manufacturing methods. With our extensive application analysis you can be assured of maximum performance and life from your existing product design.
Helwig Advantages:
- In-house tooling capabilities
- Assembly capabilities
- On-site motor test facility
- Research and development on-site
- Custom grade formulations
- Ultrasonic welding
- Lead free soldering
We also offer brush holders and carbon graphite components for these applications.
Pumps
Helwig brushes, holders, shaft grounding products, and carbon graphite vanes, rotors, seals, bushings, and more extend equipment life, increase uptime, and maintain consistent performance in demanding pump applications.
- Chemical & Fuel Processing
- Wastewater & Water Systems
- HVAC Pumps
- Cryogenic Pumps
- Exhaust Pumps
- Compressors
- Vacuum Forming & Holding
- Refinery Process Pumps
- And More
Rubber
Helwig Carbon manufactures high-quality, durable carbon brushes, holders, and shaft grounding products for the rubber industry. Helwig solutions are built to perform under heat, pressure, and demanding production cycles. They help extend equipment life while maintaining consistent, reliable operation.
Shredder/Scrap
Helwig Carbon manufactures high-quality, durable carbon brushes and brush holders for the shredder/scrap industry. Built to withstand the toughest conditions, our expertly engineered brush grades and heavy-duty brush holders keep your equipment running optimally.
Steel
Industrial markets for carbon brushes have been our core business for many decades. We’re a major supplier to Steel Mills across the U.S. and abroad. We’ve developed optimally performing carbon graphite grades to be used on motors in hot, cold, and pickle lines within a steel mill. We also offer Teflon™-coated brush holders for steel pickling lines, as well as shaft grounding solutions and the i-BRUSH Carbon Brush Remote Monitoring System.
World-Class Support
