Friday, April 26, 2013

The Importance Of Abrasive Blasting

By Cherry Mercer


Abrasive blasting is a procedure that involves the use of compressed air and abrasive materials for modifying a surface. The operation can be of many types: bead, wheel, wet, automated, hydro, micro, dry ice and bristle. Every operation is performed using special equipment in an enclosed environment meant only for this purpose. There are common applications, such as engravings for monuments and buildings, cleaning boat hulls, etc. Some safety measures must be respected.

A surface can be smoothed, shaped, or contaminants can be removed from it. A wet operation may be great for fine surfaces like plastic and steel. Hot water and soap could be used for degrease on a surface and also for eliminating dust. Water can act like a lubricant between two surfaces and people can avoid excess damage in this way. Bead procedures involve the use of glass at high pressures and it is commonly used for getting calcium out of pool tiles, or removing fungus and car paint.

With centrifugal forces, wheel procedures are implemented and this can help people remove certain materials. In the majority of cases, there is no gas, air or liquid used. Through wheel blasting, some parts can be recycled, such as cut wire, grit, or steel shot. Hydro-blasting is based on water usage and it is popular, because just one person is required to do the tasks.

Hydro-blasting uses water under pressure against chemicals, paint and other materials, with no damage to the covered surface. One of the advantages of the method over others is that the water stream can reach places that are hard to access otherwise. Water based operations can be ideal for both, internal and external surfaces.

By using micro-abrasive procedures, small nozzles can wipe a surface. High pressure is applied using nozzles, which can have sizes of only ten to one hundred and fifty micrometers. For an automatic process, people can use automated blasting. A technique is sometimes part of a complex of methods, including things like preparation and coating. Mechanical components must be away from the chamber, otherwise dust fouling may be hard to avoid.

Dry ice and air is utilized for another type of procedure, which is called dry ice. The main surface becomes clean after huge masses and high pressure are applied. Another operation, which is different than others, is bristle and it does not use a separate medium. The removal of unwanted components is made with a rotary tool that may look like a brush and that has carbon steel wire bristles. Craters are made in the contaminated materials, which can help in their removal.

Portable equipments are usually made of an air compressor that is diesel powered. A cabinet is an enclosed system, is which people can perform blasts and recycle the resulted materials. Some portable equipments and cabinets are specifically meant for the use of water and other liquids. Rooms are similar systems, but they are larger.

Through many types of methods, people can use abrasive blasting to remove excess or unwanted materials from a surface, or clean it. The procedure has the advantage that it keeps the surface intact, while everything else is wiped. There are two main types of blasting: dry and wet. Also, an operation is usually performed in a specific area.




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