Sandblast Equipment

About Sandblast Equipment and Sandblast Equipment Manufacturers Including: Media Blasting, Sandblasting, Sandblast Cabinets, Sandblaster & Sandblast Media.

Sandblast equipment or machinery is any industrial equipment that cleans or surface finishes through sandblasting or media blasting. Sandblasting machines abrasive blast a jet of particles onto a part or surface area. Sandblast machines use various methods for driving the abrasive media. These sandblast methods include compressed air, blast wheels or pressurized water. Blast cleaning equipment performs specific operations, including shot peening, deburring, degreasing and coating stripping. Media blasting also removes flashing and scaling. Sandblast equipment performs important material surface operations, such as texturing, frosting or etching and roughening. Sandblast equipment also prepares surfaces of metal, plastic, wood and glass for further applications, including coating operations like painting, thermal spraying or plating.
 
Sandblasting, or media blasting, removes the top surface layer of a material by using compressed air or water to direct abrasives toward the surface at high speeds. Abrasive blasting erodes the surface, ridding it of paint, dirt and other substances, and prepares it for future treatments. In abrasive blasting, the blasting media is the substance used to abrade the surface. Many kinds of abrasives, both naturally occurring and synthetic, are available for use in blasting. Sand remains a common abrasive blasting medium in many applications, but sandblasting with dry sand creates potentially hazardous dust clouds. Synthetic abrasives like aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are two common alternatives to sand. Other abrasives include metal shot, grit, coal slags and glass beads. Unlike sand, which quickly breaks down and disperses, metallic and synthetic abrasives are often collected after the sandblasting application and reused in future sandblasting operations.
 
Selection of a sandblasting media depends on the particular industrial application. Just as the sandblasting media varies with each application, so too does the sandblasting method. In general, two main abrasive sandblasting methods exist. The dry sandblasting method thrusts abrasives toward the surface of a material through the utilization of compressed air. Wet blasting directs abrasive slurry toward the surface using compressed air, pressurized water or a mixture of the two. Wet blasting is successful at reducing or eliminating dust during the blasting process.
 
Abrasive blasting equipment varies with each application. Sandblast equipment manufacturers can produce abrasive blast cabinets, portable blasters and blast rooms. Abrasive blasting equipment remains available in a variety of sizes. In addition to standard sizes, most sandblast equipment manufacturers offer custom design services to accommodate the unique abrasive blasting needs of customers. Abrasive blasting equipment can be tailored to numerous blasting applications and is useful in almost every industry. The shipbuilding, automotive, construction, woodworking and glass industries utilize abrasive blasting for various purposes. Abrasive blasting applications include rust removal from ships and cars, cleaning and removal of buildup, graffiti and paint from building structures and glass carving, etching, cleaning and profiling of flooring. Consideration of certain factors is important when selecting from sandblast equipment manufacturers. These factors include the condition of the part or surface, the finish specifications of the part or surface, the overall size or weight of the part and the required rate of production. Another important consideration is the maintenance of the equipment and everything that entails.

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

• Automatic sandblasters are machines that eliminate the use of manual movement of either the shot stream or the workpiece, but rely on mechanical means to supply these features.
  
• Blast 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.
  
• Blast rooms are large enclosures in which large items may be blasted. Like blast cabinets, blast rooms keep the blasting operation contained, thereby limiting exposure of abrasives to workers.
  
• Media blasting is a process that uses abrasive grains to remove various coatings from metal, wood, and fiberglass.
  
• Micro-blast or micro-jet machines are specialized machines for applications needing selective surface preparation, material removal and finishing.
  
• Portable blasters remain useful in circumstances in which mobility remains necessary, such as freelance contracting. Most portable blast machines come equipped with wheels for easier transportation.
  
• Sandblaster uses forced sand particles to clean or finish a surface.
  
• Sandblasting is a process that uses forced sand, or other abrasive grains, to smooth or clean a solid surface.
  
• Sandblasting supplies include blast media, respirators, blast cabinets, portable blasters and blast rooms.

Common Terms Related to Sandblast Equipment

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.