Sandblasting – An ancient process that has changed slightly
This surface treatment process is commonly used in multiple industries on various surface types. Sandblasting is described as, abrasive media, accelerated through a blasting nozzle, by means of compressed air.
Media used in this type of industry:
- Steel shot
- Steel grit
- Glass bead
- Crushed glass
- Aluminum oxide
- Silicon carbide
- Assorted Plastics
- Walnut shell
- Corn cob
- Baking Soda (Commonly known as soda-blasting)
- Ceramic grit
- Copper slag
The abrasive media selection is a crucial part of the blasting process. The various media types posses different structural and dimensional properties such as hardness, shape, and density, and most of such media is available in a range of particle sizes to facilitate sandblasting process. Not only do these various media have different structural properties but they also give various surface profiles during the blasting process. Garnet is a lot sharper and gives a rough finish where shredded plastic can leave a smooth shiny finish.
The demerits make the sandblasting process non-favourable. For starters, the process requires large cabinets with dedicated high power demanding tool-sets, which have very restricted versatility when using for abrasive blasting. The equipment used is expensive and should be considered for a small scale jobs. Even mildly intermediately demanding jobs like car restoration with prolonged hours being poured into the process. Also the finish surface is not viable for paint application immediately and needs further processes, which take their own prolonged span of time periods. There is also possibility of warping the subjected surface material due to the abrasive media is fairly constant.
Sandblasting is a dry abrasive form of blasting and is now considered a low technical process. This should be seen as something which is slowly being phased out over time and losing in a competition with the new engineering solutions that the wet abrasive blasting provides. The new form of blasting is is a far faster, cleaner, and a more economical process.
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