Sandblasting is widely used throughout industry for surface cleaning, finishing and preparation of a range of materials. These materials include metals, plastics, wood and glass. Compared to chemical cleaning, sandblasting can clean surfaces faster and more effectively to ensure further processing or cosmetic purposes.
Steel and other metals are widely used in construction and many manufacturing industries and require corrosion protection to maintain structural integrity and extend their service life. The surfaces of these materials must be carefully cleaned and prepared before protective coatings can be applied. Sandblasting has become the method of choice for surface cleaning and preparation in most applications.
The main advantage of sandblasting is that the media used are inert, meaning they will not chemically react with the material being cleaned. Alternative methods using chemical cleaners run the risk of reacting and damaging the underlying material. These effects are not always immediately detectable and problems may not become apparent until long after the surface has been painted. The surface must then be re-stripped and re-painted, which adds cost to the process.
Sandblasting offers distinct advantages over chemical cleaning for surface preparation:
Environmentally friendly. Sandblasting is more environmentally friendly than chemical cleaning. Abrasives themselves are natural, environmentally friendly materials, and no greenhouse gases are emitted during the blasting process.
Efficiency. Sandblasting can get into all the nooks and crannies of any surface that needs cleaning, ensuring a faster and more thorough cleaning process. Chemical cleaning usually has to be coupled with manual operation using a brush or scraper, but this cleaning process is far less efficient than sandblasting.
Surface profile. During the surface preparation process, sandblasting media of different grit sizes can be used to control the adhesion profile of the surface. The surface profile or roughness depends on the customer's application requirements for the material. Chemical stripping cannot control the final surface profile.
Operator safety. In general, the health risks of using abrasives to clean surfaces are much lower than chemical cleaning methods. Of course, sandblasting does have health risks because fine dust and sand particles are generated during the sandblasting process, but operators take protective measures to minimize the danger.
Effectiveness. Sandblasting not only effectively prepares surfaces, but it also saves time and money. The most advanced technology also provides mobile solutions for surfaces that cannot be chemically and manually cleaned.
Why is sandblasting important before surface coating?
Generally speaking, sandblasting is an inexpensive way to clean and prepare surfaces, and many abrasive media are reusable. The process also offers economic advantages over traditional methods, cleaning surfaces faster and better while removing undesirable contaminants more effectively.
Any contaminants left on the surface before coating can cause problems later on. This can require expensive re-cleaning of the surface or, in extreme cases, can lead to material failure.
A critical aspect of surface preparation is climate control. Time, temperature and humidity all play a role in the effectiveness of coating adhesion.
Cleaning can further oxidize surfaces such as metals before coating and expose them to the threat of corrosion. Coating must be applied as soon as possible after surface preparation. Temperature must be controlled to ensure that moisture does not form on the surface. High humidity also increases the risk of moisture condensation on the surface of the material.
Any condensation on the metal surface can cause flash rust before the first coat is applied. This condition is often not noticeable until it becomes a significant problem requiring an expensive solution. Surface condensation can also cause blistering and delamination of the coating.
It is estimated that up to 80% of premature coating failures are caused by inefficient or inadequate surface preparation. State-of-the-art grit blasting technology includes effective climate control facilities to ensure ideal surface conditions before coating.
Grit blasting is the most efficient and economical method of surface cleaning and coating preparation. Abrasive blasting offers many key advantages over chemical cleaning, including the fact that it can be performed in a controlled environment. Surface coating after blasting ensures the integrity of the underlying material and greatly reduces the need for costly re-cleaning and re-coating.
Do you need a reliable abrasive for your blasting application? Contact a leading aluminum oxide blasting media manufacturer to discuss a reliable and cost-effective solution.
