THE ABRASIVE BLASTING PROCESS
The actual industrial abrasive blasting process is preceded by a preparatory phase of the surface, which must be cleaned of contaminating materials such as oils, grease or salts.
This phase can be performed with various methods that depend on the initial conditions of the product, according to the reference standards on cleaning, such as the SSPC-SP1, which provide for the alternative use of alkaline detergent, diluent or water.
To adequately clean the material, our washing areas are used, or alternatively the painting areas if equipped with a floor containment tank.
Preparation for blasting can include protective masking applications for sensitive surfaces such as machined surfaces, electric motors, machined mating surfaces, tapped holes, mated mechanical parts, or cooling elements. The application of the mask is checked, for compliance, before the blasting activity.
Abrasive blasting is always performed in a closed, dry place and with the recovery of the abrasive thanks to our systems made up of:
- illuminated abrasive blasting chamber
- abrasive recovery system with floor scrapers, collection auger, bucket elevator and vibrating screen
- dust extraction and filtration system
- abrasive collection silos and sand box (sandblaster)
- computerized compressors for air supply
The systems use two different types of abrasive (angular metal grit and garnet) and are equipped with a free-jet modular sandbox, with double pneumatic remote control to start and stop the machine or unblock the abrasive emission.
The compressed air arriving at the sand box is filtered and dried through an oil separator and a refrigeration cycle dryer, to ensure the absence of oily contaminants and water/condensate.
The abrasive blasting operation is performed and validated according to ISO 8501-1 and NACE/SSPC standards, and is always controlled to guarantee suitable environmental conditions and temperature of the item.
To check the compliance of the finished process, ISO comparator or replica tape and micrometer are used. With these tools the obtained anchor profile is verified, even with cyclically repeated checks.
