The Advantages of Using Abrasive Blasting

If you run an industrial-based business, you know all too well how important maintaining your machinery is. Fail to do so and it’s only a matter of time before it breaks down.

Did you realize that cost of a machine breakdown is usually 4 to 15 times higher than routine maintenance costs? Rather than waiting until a machine falls into a state of disrepair, you need to work with professionals to keep them in good shape.

In some instances, the maintenance that your machines require will be cosmetic. If your machinery is looking a bit worn, having professionals use abrasive blasting to remove the paint is a must. Once the paint has been removed, you can then get the machinery repainted.

Read below to find out more about the benefits of using abrasive blasting.

What is Abrasive Blasting?

Before delving into the benefits of abrasive blasting, you probably want to find out more about what this process entails. In short, abrasive blasting using high air pressure and abrasive materials like sand or beads to remove rust, dirt and surface coatings without causing damage to the underlying material. For the most part, abrasive blasting is used in applications like:

• Prepping a surface prior to bonding or painting

• Removing rust or scale from existing coatings

• Getting rid of edge profiling or burrs on various machined components

• During the finishing of precision parts

A number of different abrasive mediums are us during this process like:

• Sand

• Grit or steel shot

• Crushed glass

• Aluminum oxide

• Walnut shell

• Plastic

• Copper Slag

The only way to get the premium results you are after with abrasive blasting is by working with seasoned professionals who use the right equipment and materials

Avoid Chemical Reactions

One of the biggest benefits of using abrasive blasting is that you do not have to worry about chemical reactions occurring. Since the materials used during this process are basically inert, they will not damage the surface they are being used on with harmful reactions.

The chemical cleaners on the market that are designed to remove surface rust and other imperfections have a tendency to create problems due to the reactive properties they contain. Rather than ruining the surface of an expensive machine with this type of reaction, you’re much better off using abrasive blasting.

Keep Your Cleaning Eco-Friendly

Are you passionate about doing your part to keep the Earth healthy and pollution-free? If so, utilizing the power of abrasive blasting is ideal. The materials using during the blasting process are eco-friendly and do not emit any greenhouse gases. Rather than using hazardous chemical cleaners, abrasive blasting allows you to get better results without releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.

Abrasive Blasting is Extremely Efficient

Another benefit of using abrasive blasting is that it is very efficient. By using this method you’re able to get into every nook and cranny of the surface. This makes the cleaning process go much faster and will produce better results. Chemical cleaning will often require a lot of labour intensive scraping and metal brushing. Instead of working twice as hard for less than stellar results, you can hire professionals to use an abrasive cleaning to get your surfaces spotless in a fraction of the time.

Before hiring a company to do this type of work, be sure to do your homework. Ideally, you want to hire a someone that has a lot of previous experience and a proven track record of achieving outstanding results with the abrasive blasting process.