Project Overview
A French photovoltaic cleaning company needed a custom roller brush for cleaning rooftop, canopy, and ground-mounted solar panels. The solar panel brush had to balance effective dirt removal with gentle surface contact while reducing unnecessary cleaning passes, water use, and equipment time.
Rather than choosing a standard brush, the customer worked with Fortex through dimension confirmation and two sampling rounds, refining the specifications based on testing and feedback. Fortex Brush handled the specification drawing, quotation, production, photo inspection, and shipment to France. The table below summarises the project details.
| Basic Information | Project Details |
|---|---|
| Customer Industry | Solar panel cleaning services |
| Market | France |
| Custom Product | Nylon bristle plastic tube roller brush |
| Main Specifications | 180 mm finished brush OD; 80 mm core tube; 30 mm bore; 700 mm roller length |
| Bristle Variants & Quantity | 0.4 mm blue + 0.2 mm black, 700 mm and 485 mm lengths; 0.5 mm red + 0.2 mm black, 700 mm and 485 mm lengths |
| Sampling | First sample: 0.4 mm black bristles; second sampling: four color-coded variants |
| Estimated Production Time | Within 20 days |
| Actual Production Time | 7 days |
| Shipping | Air freight |
| Project Process | Specification drawing, dimension confirmation, first sampling, feedback review, revised sampling, production, photo inspection, shipment |
From Drawing to Order
The customer had no finalized drawing, so Fortex prepared a specification drawing and asked them to verify the dimensions against their cleaning equipment. After follow-up and confirmation, the four key dimensions were set: 30 mm bore, 80 mm core tube outside diameter, 180 mm finished brush outer diameter, and 700 mm roller length.
These dimensions became the reference for quotation and production. With a 50 mm bristle trim on each side of the core, the solar panel cleaning brush was designed to remove fine dust and organic film while protecting the glass coating.
Sampling took two rounds. The first sample used 0.4 mm black bristles, but the customer found them too hard for the panel surface. Based on this feedback, the customer requested a second round with different bristle diameters. Fortex proposed four variants with the same dimensions but different bristle specifications, allowing the customer to compare cleaning performance and surface contact under actual operating conditions.
Our Custom Solution
1. Customer Drawing And Application Review
The annotated drawing guided the entire project, separating fixed dimensions—the 30 mm bore, 80 mm core tube, and 180 mm finished diameter—from adjustable details, including filament diameters, colors, bristle patterns, and two working lengths. This allowed Fortex to review manufacturability without changing machine requirements and clearly document fixed dimensions before finalizing both lengths.
2. Color-Coded Bristle Testing Configuration
The second sampling round was built as four variants of one roller rather than four identical units. Two variants used 0.4 mm blue main filaments, in 700 mm and 485 mm lengths, and two used 0.5 mm red main filaments in the same two lengths. Because each color corresponds to exactly one diameter, the customer’s crews can see at a glance which configuration is mounted on a machine and judge cleaning efficiency and bristle wear in the field without measurement tools. A roller that has lost its color intensity or shortened trim is replaced on schedule, and the test result for each diameter is recorded against the color that everyone on site recognizes.
3. Production Control And Pre-Shipment Quality Inspection
Production started after the second-round specification was confirmed, with each variant tracked against the drawing so that the four configurations were never mixed during winding. Fill density, trim height, and color proportion were checked during manufacturing rather than only at the end. Rollers that passed winding were set aside by variant, and each batch label carried the color and length so identification followed the product through the workshop. Before dispatch, the finished rollers were photographed and inspected for outer diameter, length, color assignment, and fill condition, and the photographs were shared with the customer. This gave the buyer a clear visual checkpoint and a record that each solar panel brush matched its specified configuration before freight was booked.
Delivery & Results: Efficient Production and Reliable Delivery
Configuration Verification Before Dispatch
Because the value of this order lay in the comparison, dispatch verification focused on configuration integrity. The 0.4 mm blue and 0.5 mm red variants were confirmed against the 700 mm and 485 mm lengths one by one, and the packing list separated the four variants so the customer could deploy them without re-sorting on arrival. The packing list doubled as the test protocol, listing each color, diameter, and length in the order the customer planned to run them.
Packaging And Shipment To France
The plastic tube cores and nylon fill keep the rollers light for their diameter, which simplifies international freight compared with steel-shaft rollers of similar size. Each roller was wrapped and packed to protect the bristle tips, since bent or flattened filaments would distort the very cleaning behavior the customer intended to test. Bristle protection in transit matters as much here as impact protection, because a roller that arrives with a flattened face cannot produce a fair comparison. Fortex coordinated the shipment and provided dispatch documentation. The verified result was four completed roller variants, a photo inspection record for each, and an agreed freight plan to France.
Our Service & Manufacturing Capabilities
- Customer Drawing Review: prepare the specification drawing, collect each dimension from the customer, and separate fixed machine-interface values from flexible details before production.
- Sampling Support: run first samples, record field feedback such as bristle stiffness, and translate it into a revised sampling plan.
- Color-Coded Custom Manufacturing: build several bristle configurations in one order, with diameter, color, and length clearly separated for field testing programs.
- Material & Core Customization: configure filament material, diameter, density, core material, bore, and trim around the application rather than around a catalogue size, including requirements for a cylinder cleaning brush.
- Production & Inspection Visibility: coordinate production after confirmation and share finished-product photos before dispatch, giving the buyer a checkpoint before freight.
- Logistics Risk Control: verify dimensions and weights before booking and source workable freight options for oversized or sensitive rollers.
Custom Solar Brush Solutions & Inquiry
Roller brushes for photovoltaic cleaning can use nylon, polypropylene, PBT, or blended filaments, depending on panel coatings, soiling, water quality, and cleaning methods. For a solar cleaning brush solution, Fortex offers customized nylon roller brushes, cylinder brushes, and spiral brushes, with options for filament diameter, color, bristle pattern, and dimensions. Color-coded samples help customers compare wear and cleaning performance, while confirmed specifications support consistent repeat orders. To request a custom solution, provide the application, panel type, finished brush outer diameter, core tube diameter and bore, roller length, filament material and diameter, bristle pattern, rotation speed, cleaning method (dry or water-fed), order quantity, and destination. If you do not have a drawing, Fortex can prepare a specification drawing and confirm the dimensions with you. For comparative testing, we can recommend suitable sample variants, establish a color-coding scheme, review manufacturability, and provide a quotation based on your requirements.
