Which blast media

Advantages Glass bead media has many advantages over other types of abrasive blasting media. Aside from the attractive finish, blasting with glass beads feature other benefits, including: No free silica Environmentally friendly Recyclable Good for delicate, thin-walled parts Chemically inert Disadvantages If you have a particularly tough material, glass beads may take a little longer to get the job done.

Applications Glass beads can help you achieve a uniform surface finish without changing the dimensions of a part. Some of the uses for glass bead blasting include: Peening Deburring Removing rust, paint and scale Cosmetic finishing Removing calcium deposits Polishing materials like cast iron, stainless steel and aluminum Preparing metal surfaces for painting and powder-coating One unique application for glass bead blasting is peening, which helps the metal better resist fatigue and cracking from stress corrosion.

Advantages Most of the benefits of using silica sand for sandblasting media can be met with the use of other materials. Disadvantages Aside from the health risks, using silica sand for sandblasting media has other downsides: Using the sand requires a significant amount of raw material, which makes it cost-prohibitive for many applications. Silica sand holds moisture, which can transfer onto the equipment and cause it to wear out faster.

Applications In the past, silica sand was one of the most common abrasives used. Aluminum Oxide Blasting Aluminum oxide blast media is one of the more aggressive blasting materials that can offer fast results and superior strength.

Plastic Abrasive Blasting This dry cleaning media is versatile and popular for several reasons. Applications Plastic abrasives are common in delicate applications or cleaning. The materials that are often used with plastic abrasives include: Aluminum Brass Fiberglass parts Plastics Industries such as automotive, aerospace, marine and electronics use plastic as a blasting media. Use Abrasive Blasting Media for Your Next Project Projects across industries have unique needs, and the blasting media that you use on them can make a big difference.

Posted in Blasting. When it comes to recycling, the answer depends on a few factors. Sand cannot be reused after sandblasting, but it can be recycled into other materials, such as cement, while harder materials such as garnet, steel shot, and glass beads can be screened and separated to recycle. The ideal rate for blasting reuse is for direct pressure to reach the maximum abrasive impact velocity at half the blasting pressure of the siphon. When blasted, this media disintegrates into particles too small to recycle.

On the other hand, media that is higher on the hardness scale can be reused, and are therefore categorized as multiuse media. The harder the material, the longer it is effective. This abrasive blasting media can be passed multiple times before it breaks down into particles that are too small to work.

The life span of blasting media varies based on a number of factors, including the application and use patterns such as the following:. Using a blasting media past its ideal recycle rate will slow down processing.

Be sure not to overuse an abrasive — it will need to be replaced eventually, even if there is still some left. First, it can greatly reduce consumable expenses. Abrasive media like steel grit can be used hundreds of times, saving hundreds to thousands of dollars.

In order to recover blast media for reuse, there are several options available. There are two types of vacuum sandblasting recovery systems, one of which allows you to blast and then use a vacuum attachment to pick up the spent media. This allows for more media recovery and is one of the quickest recovery methods.

However, this system uses a lot of compressed air and is therefore limited to less abrasive media. Amagrit is also easy to mix with stainless steel shot for thorough cleaning of the surface.

Application: Amagrit is often used for: Cleaning, deburring, roughening, fine blasting, but can also be used for water cutting. Commonly used for blasting stainless steel, aluminium, zinc and in the stone industry. Ceramic bead blast media Ceramic bead blast media are a non-metallic abrasive. Ceramic beads are also used to give a nice finish to stainless steel surfaces.

Application: Ceramic beads for cleaning and shot peening of e. Plastic blast media Plastic abrasives are used for stripping surfaces. Due to the sharp-edged surfaces, a product can be carefully cleaned, stripped or stripped of sharp edges. Walnut shells Ground walnut shells crushed nut shells , dried, degreased and classified. Application: usage in which the surface structure must not be affected, e.

Application: blasting metals, stone and concrete, to remove mill scale, rust and old paint layers. Garnet Garnet is a highly abrasive and non-metallic abrasive for multiple uses. Garnet is normally used in blasting cabinets, blasting rooms and in mobile blasting solutions.

Application: surface coarsening, rust removal and stripping. This abrasive is also widely used in the process of water cutting. Advice from Normfinish Would you like personal advice on which abrasive to use? We attach great importance to good advice and a satisfied customer.

Want to know more, please contact one of our employees Contact us. Blasting Abrasives. Home Blog. They also provide the additional benefit of being biodegradable, making them among the most environmentally-friendly blasting media. Glass beads are typically made from fine soda-lime glass that places minimal stress on the surface material.

Glass beads are also recyclable and can be used up to times before replacement, making them an extremely cost-effective option. Choose Plastic for Automotive and Aerospace Applications Plastic is extremely soft, making it an ideal medium for removing paint from the surface of fiberglass parts.

Fiberglass parts are commonly used in the manufacturing of automotive, aerospace and marine products, without etching or stripping.