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Sandblasting is an efficient and powerful process for preparing any parts for powder coating. In this process very small strips of material are projected under a lot of pressure onto the surface, to clean the surface in a proper way. Generally, these surfaces are of brick, glass, metal and even wood at times. When there is the use of a sandblaster, walnut shells, copper slag or steel grit are generally used. Some other kinds of abrasives are also used at times. The process of Sandblasting is also referred to as Media Blasting.
Table of Contents
What is Sand Blasting used for?
This process has many uses:
- Small Part Shaping – Sandblasters can be used to create tiny parts of some objects having intricate patterns and where there is a need for equipment with more precision.
- Dust and Paint Removal – It can be extremely difficult to manually remove paint and dust from the surface of different objects, particularly in the case of larger areas.
- Rust Removal – Prior to the repairing of parts of metal or welding the same together, it is important to have them cleaned of rust. A sandblaster can be the right choice for that purpose.
- Concrete Cleaning – These are also used for cleaning up concrete, which has a large area and can be covered up with many foreign particles in the course of time.
Types of Sandblasters
Here are some of the different types of sandblasters that are used these days:
Gravity-fed sandblasters
A gravity-fed the gun is used in this type of sandblasting.
- The sand is dropped into the barrel of the gun from the top. Gravity channels the sand into the gun.
- A hopper is there atop the gun, which contains the sand supplied into it, as you go on working.
- When the trigger is pulled, the sand is shot out. This makes space for more sand to enter the hopper and enter the barrel for the process to be carried on.
- When the trigger is released, there is a closure of the space between the barrel and the hopper. This locks the rest of the sand into the hopper, to be used some other time.
Siphon sandblasters
This sandblasting technique uses suction as the main power source in the sandblaster system of the siphon. Two hoses join the gun – one to the air compressor and another to the sand container. Upon the introduction of sand, the gun creates suction and sand is pulled out through its barrel. Such kinds of guns are used as the best projects on a larger scale.
Pressure sandblasters
In this sandblasting process, a canister filled with sand under a lot of pressure is used. Then the canister is joined with a special pipe to a gun. When the trigger is pulled, the hand and air come out simultaneously from the canister. The operational expenses are much more with this method – given that once the canister is used it cannot be filled up again. Thus, it is recommended to be utilized for small scale projects.
You may choose from any of these for your sandblasting purposes, as all of them use the same method generally. An air-powered gun is used for media blasting, which projects silica sand at a very high speed onto a surface. The gun is supplied power by compressed air. The sand ejected from the barrel hits the target. This can obviously be a dangerous procedure unless carried out properly in an appropriate setting. Thus, before beginning, precautions must be taken at all times. Although this is not a very painstaking or difficult process, only expert professionals should be entrusted with a sandblasting project. Choose professional sandblasters for your project.
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