The bristle blend decides how a paint brush picks up and releases paint. Antares mixes its bristle in-house on a computer-controlled machine that blends up to four types of filament in set proportions and forms the bristle bundles for the robotised brush line.

How bristle mixing works

1. Setting the blend. The operator enters the blend ratio in the machine computer, or loads a saved recipe.
2. Dosing. The machine doses each component from its own lane, up to four lanes in total. High-resolution encoders keep the ratio within ±1%.
3. Homogenising. Air knives and mechanical combs mix the components into an even blend, with no clusters of a single filament type.
4. Forming bundles. The machine forms uniform bundles of a set weight, ready for the brush line.

Technical data

• Filament components: up to 4, fed from 4 lanes
• Mixing: air knives and mechanical combs
• Blend ratio: set by the operator, saved as recipes
• Ratio accuracy: ±1%, with high-resolution encoders
• Bundle weight: programmable

Process control

Every blend ratio is saved as a recipe. All bundles in a batch come from the same recipe and have the same weight, so the bristle composition stays constant across the whole batch and on repeat orders.

What this means for you

• The same brush every time. Every brush in a batch has the same bristle blend, and a repeat order uses the same recipe.
• A blend for the job. Antares matches the blend to what the brush is used for.
• Your own specification. The share of each component can be fine-tuned to a customer's request. The adjusted blend is saved and used again on repeat orders.

Frequently asked questions

Can Antares make paint brushes with a custom bristle blend?

Yes. Antares blends up to four filament types in ratios set by computer. The ratio can be fine-tuned to a customer's specification and saved as a recipe for repeat orders.

How does Antares keep the bristle blend consistent across a batch?

Each filament component is dosed by computer from its own lane, and the mix is homogenised with air knives and mechanical combs. The machine then forms bundles of a set weight, so every brush in the batch has the same bristle composition.

How accurate is the bristle blend ratio?

The blend ratio is held within ±1%, using high-resolution encoders on the dosing lanes.

Related: Paint brushes · Private label