Sandblast Equipment

About Sandblast Equipment and Sandblast Equipment Manufacturers Including: Automated Blasting Systems, Bead Blasters, Grit Blasters, Media Blasting, Portable Sand Blasters, Sandblast Cabinets, Sandblast Media, Sandblaster, Sandblasting Equipment, Shot Blasters, Shot Peening Equipment & Soda Blasting Equipment.

Sandblast equipment encompasses any industrial apparatus designed to clean or resurface a substrate by bombarding it with pressurized abrasive particles. Although sandblasting has become the popular term for this type of equipment, media blasting is more applicable as blasting machinery frequently utilizes several abrasive materials other than silica sand. Shot blasters, bead blasters and shot peening equipment more often use ceramic, metallic or glass beads as opposed to the angular particles used by grit blasters and soda blasting equipment to accomplish resurfacing and contaminant removal. In addition to these tasks, sandblasting equipment can be used to remove coatings, smooth rough surfaces, roughen smooth surfaces, etch, carve, degrease, deburry, deflash and descale a number of products made of metal, wood, glass and plastic. The many tasks of these machines entail a variety of techniques and mechanisms. Compressed air, pressurized water or slurry and blast wheels are all commonly employed to propel variable sandblast media through sandblaster and onto product surfaces. These products vary in size from small nuts and bolts to ship hulls, prompting the need for automated blasting systems which utilize computerized precision as well as portable sand blasters which can be taken to a given worksite. Although more difficult to apply in large mobile workspaces, sandblast cabinets help to contain particulates and in so doing decrease health risks and operating costs in instances where materials can be recycled or reused.

Gravity fed, pressure and siphon are just a few of the many types of sandblasting equipment commonly available. While there are many such specific machines, they are all placed in one of two broad categories: wet or dry. These terms refer to the propellant, gas or liquid, used to drive the abrasives through the machine. Wet sandblasters combine the blasting media with pressurized liquids, typically water. In some instances, the round or angular particles are injected into a pre-pressurized stream while in others the two are mixed to create a slurry that is then pressurized. Dry machines, however, use compressed air to either pull via suction or push abrasives, forcing them against the surface to be treated. Common components of either piece of equipment include a power supply, pressure generators and air compressors, crankshafts or plunger pumps, abrasive injectors, blast cabinets, blaster nozzles, a vessel to hold the abrasive media and in some instances dust collection units or media separators. An alternative to pressurization and compression, centrifugal force using a wheel blast system may also be used in wet or dry applications. The choice of wet or dry depends on many factors such as materials, dust containment and ability to recycle or reuse abrasives, each of which should be carefully considered. Wet sandblasting equipment, for example, reduces dust significantly but also proposes problems for slurry collection and recycling. The technique selected varies depending on the substrate to be cleaned or refurbished. 

Both wet and dry machines are used in a variety of applications including automotive, shipbuilding, construction, agriculture, industrial cleaning and processing, aerospace, decorative design, woodworking and glass industries. Nuts, bolts, engine components, tractors, ships, cars, aircraft, heat exchangers, bridges, building components and printed circuit boards all utilize sandblasting equipment for cleaning and refurbishment needs. The specific unit to be processed should be taken into careful consideration when selecting the proper abrasive media. There are dozens of possibilities concerning abrasive use though materials can be divided into two main groupings: angular or sharp-edged particulates and rounded beads. Angular materials are used for deburring, descaling, paint and coating stripping, surface texturing and cleaning. Rounded media may be used for these applications as well, but are more commonly found in shot blasting and peening applications in which the goal is to create a dimpled surface with improved fatigue strength. Smooth media are less versatile and include balls of variable size manufactured from ceramics, glass or metal. Alternatively, angular sandblast media include ground, flaked or otherwise granulated particulates of such diverse materials as aluminum, carbide, ceramic, copper, glass, iron, gold, plastic, steel, wood, acrylic, baking soda, silica and even nut shells and fruit kernels. The intended or required abrasive media should be an important consideration when selecting sandblast equipment as some blasters have multi-media capabilities while others are media specific.

Despite the many options, silica sand, from which the term sandblasting is derived, has been the traditional choice since the inception of this technique and remains popular as it is effective and inexpensive. More recently, however, the harmful health risks associated with silica sand dust generated from dry operations has prompted concerns and an increase in the use and exploration of alternative options. In addition to the use of different media, wet sandblasting and sandblast cabinets significantly reduce the risk of hazardous dust inhalation and have therefore become commonplace in many industrial sandblasting environments. Automated systems have also increased worker safety, allowing the process to be completely contained in a blast room. The use of such rooms and cabinets, however, is difficult in portable applications. Respirators and safety goggles should be used in instances where dust cannot be contained. The risks and necessary precautions should be taken into consideration before any sandblasting processes occur. Additional considerations include those related to the process itself. These include part or surface condition, size, weight, finish specifications, media flow and blast pressure.

Sandblast Equipment and Sandblast Equipment Manufacturers Image Provided by Empire Abrasive Equipment Co.

Sandblast Equipment and Sandblast Equipment Manufacturers Image Image Provided by A.E. Aubin Company

Types of Sandblast Equipment

• Automated blasting systems remove contaminates, coatings and debris from parts in a manner similar to batch processing, conveyor-type systems.
• Bead blasters utilize high pressured streams of spherical abrasives to clean or otherwise resurface parts and components in industrial, commercial and domestic settings. 
• Grit blasters are machines of varying size and design that utilize high pressured streams of abrasive materials and slurries to clean or otherwise resurface industrial parts, products and components.
• Media blasting is a process that removes coatings from metal, wood, fiberglass, and other substrates using pressurized streams of abrasive materials.
  
• Micro-blast or micro-jet machines are specialized machines for applications needing selective surface preparation, material removal and finishing.
• Portable sand blasters are mobile machines of varying size and design that utilize high pressured streams of abrasive materials to clean or otherwise resurface parts and components.
• Sandblast cabinets are enclosures in which items are placed to be abraded. Blast cabinets are useful in containing the blasting operation and preventing exposure of the blasting media to surrounding workers.
• Sandblast media are the variable abrasive materials used in sandblasting equipment to remove coatings and unwanted debris from the surface of metl, wood, plastic and glass industrial components.
• Sandblaster use forced sand particles to clean or finish a surface.
• Sandblasting equipment is a term that applies to a number of devices designed to clean or resurface industrial products and components through the use of pressurized abrasive particles.
• Shot blasters are machines that heave shot at a high speeds toward an intended surface in order to remove paint, debris and buildup from the surface.
• Shot peening equipment is used to mechanically and cosmetically modify the surface layer of metals.
• Soda blasting equipment is a specific type of media blasting apparatus that uses pressurized streams of sodium bicarbonate to clean or otherwise resurface industrial parts, products and components.

Sandblast Equipment Terms

Abrasives - Media used for blasting, grinding or polishing. Abrasive materials are either in loose form or formed together into wheels, files or bricks or adhered to cloth or paper with resin or glue. Natural abrasives include sand, baking soda, garnet, emery, flint and corundrum. Metallic shot, grit and plastic material are also used as abrasives in cleanings of castings and surface preparation.
 
Abrasive Grains - Tiny, individual particles of an abrasive mineral used in sandblasting.

Abrasive Blasting Respirator - A continually flowing air line respirator fabricated to cover the shoulders, head and neck of the wearer. Its purpose is to protect the worker from recoiling abrasive from the sandblasting equipment.

Aluminum Oxide - Hard mineral formed from the chemical reaction between oxygen and aluminum; the creation of aluminum oxide on the surface of a metal prevents future occurrences of oxidation. After the material has been sandblasted by the sandblasting equipment.

Deburring - Procedure involving the use of abrasives such as coated or bonded abrasives to remove burrs, jagged edges or protuberances on the surface of an object created during industrial applications.

Dwell Time - The amount of time that a blasting nozzle of sandblasting equipment remains fixed upon a particular area. Extended dwell times may cause excessive heat generation and damage the product.

Emery - A naturally-occurring abrasive containing aluminum oxide and iron oxide used in light applications rather than industrial processes because of its low hardness.

Friability - The extent to which abrasive grains break or split apart upon impact or under pressure; friable abrasives fracture relatively easily and posses a shorter lifespan.

Shot Blasting - A rapid, dust free process that leaves the substrate clean and dry. Shot blast machines hurl shot toward the intended surface at a high speed, removing debris, paint and buildup from the surface.

Shot Peening - A procedure used by sandblasting equipment that prepares a part or surface to withstand stress or fatigue breakdown.

Slurry - A pasty liquid mixture containing suspended solids.

Superabrasives - Category of hard mineral abrasives consisting of diamond and CBN; superabrasives maintain tremendous hardness.

Zirconia Alumina - Tough, artificial abrasive used in heavy sandblasting applications involving various forms of steel.