Abrasive Blasting using different Abrasive Media are used in many industries including:

Shipyards:

• Cleaning and preparation of profiles and sheets surfaces before painting
• Portable machines for the maintenance of ship hulls e.g antifoul removal

Automotive:

• Cleaning of gearboxes, mechanical transmissions, connecting rods, etc.
• Shot peening of stabilizing bars, springs and elastics, gearboxes, pistons, connecting rods, etc for increasing fatigue resistance.
• Cleaning and preparation of car and truck rims.
• Break shoes and clutches
• Cleaning of rectified engines components (blocks, pistons, etc).
• Screw mechanical descaling from metric 3 before coating application
• Paint removal from interior and exterior of car bodies.
• Plastic bumpers

Aviation:

• Portable machines for rubber elimination and roughness restitution in airport tracks
• Shot peening of airplane components increase fatigue resistance.
• Airplane painting removal
• Bicycles and motor bikes Cleaning and preparation of bicycle frames, motorbikes and rims.

Rubber:

• Cleaning and preparation of steel part surfaces before rubber application.
• Cleaning of moulds

Concrete, ceramics, marbles:

• Blast for making non-slipping floors.
• Artistic blasting.
• Removal of coatings
• Line removal
• Exposing aggregate

Asphalt:

• Line removal.

Metallic structures and profiles:

• Cleaning and preparation of steel sheets and profiles before painting.

Iron foundry:

• Remove foils from the framework.
• Surface homogenization.
• Melting of steel, iron, aluminium and bronze.
• Cleaning and grit removal of melted parts.
• Surface homogenization.

Metal working:

• Cleaning and preparation of surfaces before being metalized.

Moulds:

• Cleaning of rubber, glass, aluminium extrusion moulds, etc.

Metallic , wood furniture:

• Cleaning, paint removal and preparation of furniture surfaces before painting.

Metallurgical:

• Cleaning and preparation of industrial machines before painting.

Petroleum and gas:

• Cleaning and preparation of surfaces of GLP, GNC gas cylinder and gas and petroleum stationary tanks before painting.
• Cleaning and preparation of gas and petroleum bottles before painting.
• Blasting and shot peening of petroleum pump rods.
• Blasting of coupling union of pump rods before metal working.

Iron and steel industries:

• Mechanic descaling of round, hexagonal and square bars for wire drawing operation.
• Mechanic descaling of coil rod.
• Mechanic descaling of steel sheets and iron hoops.
• Mechanic descaling of tubes with and without rims.
• Descaling of laminated levers by heating.
• Blasting of lamination cylinders.

Trains:

• Cleaning and preparation of trains and wagons surfaces before painting.

Metallic drums:

• Cleaning and preparation of internal and external surfaces of metallic drums before painting.

Remember the days when sand blasting used real sand? Your answer may depend on your age; WHS has effectively banned the use of silica-containing abrasives in general by putting a cap of less than 1% free silica on any abrasive blasting. Some workers still use it, but the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, based in the United States, has strongly recommended against using it since 1974, and Australia quickly followed suit.

It’s also a very dated media; today’s grits are far more optimized for specific applications, and thanks to some having amazing reusability, they can be very economical as well – especially when bought in bulk. Sand blasting grit suppliers offer a range of materials that are best suited for specific applications, and to get an ideal result, you need the perfect sand blasting media supplies. Here are the five most popular general types of grit used, and what they are typically used for.

Aluminium Oxide Is A Common Choice

Offering a good balance of longevity, hardness and speed, aluminium oxide is carried by most sand blasting sand suppliers. It has very sharp edges for an aggressive cut and has largely replaced silica sand. Since it can be recycled, the cost overall is quite reasonable. Some of the most common uses are for heavy rust removal, surface preparation and matte finishes.

Garnet Is a Mean Ripper

A somewhat newer entry into abrasive technology is garnet. GMA garnet is extremely popular, and Australia actually has access to some of the best sources for it. However, abrasive garnet can be found in many areas of the world, and new sources have proven both useful and economical.

Garnet is a semi-precious stone when found in a polished gem, but it has some unique properties for sand blasting:

• The edges are nearly uniform to drastically reduce embedment.
• It’s chemically inert, so an excellent choice for environmentally sensitive areas, including near bodies of water.
• It’s highly reusable, making it very economical.
• It’s so sharp that it saves time and labour costs.

Garnet comes in a range of sizes and is frequently used for rust and 2 pac removal, surface preparation and stripping ferrous metals that might react to aluminium oxide.

Plastic Urea Is a Soft Stripper

Plastic seems like the least likely choice for sand blasting grit suppliers to carry – the word itself just seems soft. Yet sometimes that’s precisely what’s needed for the job. It provides a no-etch abrasive and can quickly and safely remove paint from glass, polish metal and offers a safe alternative to chemical stripping. It’s heavily used for cleaning circuit boards, in the aerospace industry or where fast yet light-duty stripping is needed in sensitive areas. It’s also common in automotive manufacturing and restoration.

Crushed Glass and Glass Beads for Light Applications

Both environmentally safe and effectively silica-free, glass offers a less aggressive option for stripping and cleaning surfaces compared to aluminium oxide. Crushed glass is a good option for surface preparation when the oxidation isn’t deep, or the surface may react with other materials. Glass beads are sometimes used for light surface prep, but the most common uses include finished surfaces, cleaning, peening and simple deburring. The beads are recyclable and both beads and crushed glass are inert.

Steel Grit Is Increasing in Popularity

Many sand blasting grit suppliers are seeing an increase for various steel abrasives, including stainless and shot. Largely comparable to aluminium oxide, basic steel grit is probably cheaper per cycle due to the higher rate of recyclability. It’s excellent for preparing steel surfaces and removing mill scale. It’s also somewhat easier on the blast equipment. However, it is slightly softer so it will take a little longer than aluminium oxide.

Choosing the best media for abrasive blasting is critical to a successful job. We can make suggestions about the best grit for the job and equipment, so don’t be afraid to ask. To find out more – call us on 1300 129 990, or fill out our contact form.

Powder coating is one of the fastest growing technologies in highly industrialized countries. It uses an advanced electrostatic method to charge each particle that forces it to adhere to an electrically grounded surface. This effectively melts the powder, so it fuses into the surface being coated. Once applied, the powder is permanently adhered to the item.

A good powder coat is very long-lasting and durable, providing extremely high protection to the underlying surface at a very attractive price. It’s used both industrially and by consumers, but for a coating to be successful the surface must be properly prepared.

There are times a powder coat removal is necessary, including

• Updating the coating or refinishing it.
• Changing the color.
• Failure of the coating.
• Cleaning the racks and hangers after coating an item.

Fortunately, powder coat removal is possible in most cases. There are a few methods for doing this, but the most popular are chemical strippers, thermal baking and abrasive blasting, also known as sandblasting. Each may be appropriate for some projects and not for others. Here are all three, along with their advantages and disadvantages and where they are most useful. They’re presented in ascending order of popularity, with the last being the most used by professionals.

3. Chemical Stripping

There are two basic methods of chemical stripping: hot and cold. Hot stripping uses a bath of warm solvent, around 80°, that quickly softens and dissolves the powder particles. The coating either falls off or is washed off in a secondary rinse or bath. Cold chemical stripping uses either a bath or application by brush, and often takes longer than hot stripping. If a part is delicate, you may have no choice but to use a chemical stripper, but make sure you understand the disadvantages.

Chemical powder coat removal is usually relatively fast and leaves a uniform surface. However, the disadvantages lead most commercial and industrial users to choose other methods. The downsides include

• The substrate isn’t etched, leaving no surface profile for new coating adhesion.
• It’s dangerous – the chemicals are noxious, smell terrible and can burn your skin on contact.
• Cold weather can stop the process.
• It can be expensive.
• The environmental issues and costs can outweigh the benefits.

2. Extreme Heat

By using ovens that warm up to between 300-650° (depending on the method), the powder coat and resin are broken down, leaving a non-adhering ash residue that can be washed or sandblasted off. Fluidised bed stripping uses a liquid medium or sand to transfer the heat, which also removes the residue. The bake-off method uses an oven to heat up the item, leaving ash you’ll have to wash or blast off. The extreme heat burn-off method uses temperatures up to 650° to ignite the coating, removing it very quickly.

Thermal stripping can be the fastest method, but it does require equipment to create the high heat. The item also needs to be able to withstand the temperatures, but the main disadvantage to this method is that, like chemical stripping, the substrate is left without a good surface for coating.

1. Abrasive Blasting

Also called sandblasting, abrasive blasting powder coating uses a grit such as garnet, plastic or crushed glass to strip the powder off the substrate. This is the most popular method of powder coat removal, for a variety of reasons, including

• The right grit will leave a perfect surface for new coat application.
• It’s usually the least expensive method.
• Since the other methods may also need sandblasting for surface prep or residue removal, the whole process is streamlined.

Of these reasons, the surface preparation may be the most important. Without prep, the new coating won’t be effective at protecting the substrate and often won’t adhere properly. Most professionals choose abrasive blasting for powder coat removal. However, in specialised circumstances (such as a delicate item), you may be forced to choose one of the other methods.

You can view our complete range of abrasives, or if you are looking for a local blaster in your area then you can search locally using the Find a Blaster Directory