Sandblasting is a treatment process that uses compressed air to drive an abrasive material at a surface at high pressure. The process removes dirt, debris, surface coatings and rust from surfaces without damaging the underlying material. The process is widely used in industry for a variety of applications:
Surface preparation before coating, painting or bonding
Removal of rust, scale or existing coatings
Removal of burrs or edge profiles on machined parts
Finishing of precision parts
Removal of mold flash on plastic parts
Etching or frosting glass
Providing an aesthetic matte finish to consumer products
The abrasive media selected for a specific application depends on the desired surface finish. Common sandblasting abrasives include:
Sand
Steel shot or grit
Glass beads or crushed glass
Silicon carbide
Coconut shells or walnut shells
Copper slag
Plastics
Traditionally, sand has been used for many applications, but inhalation of fine sand during sandblasting poses a serious health risk and can lead to silicosis. Therefore, laws in many countries require sandblasting operators to wear protective clothing and equipment. Today, sandblasting applications tend to use less hazardous abrasives.
The choice of blasting media is critical to the success of the blasting process, and media come in different properties, including strength, hardness, density, and shape. Most abrasive media come in a variety of grit sizes to suit the desired surface finish. Aluminum oxide, in particular, is a tough, hard, and durable media that can be recycled and reused many times. These properties give aluminum oxide a significant advantage over many other abrasive media, which must be discarded after only a few uses.
