Abrasive Blasting 101
Blog updated December 21, 2021: Soda Blasting involves one of the softer abrasive blasting materials, rating an average 2.4 on the Mohs Scale of mineral hardness (1-10). Most abrasive blasting cabinets use harder abrasives like plastic and glass beads to maximize abrasive recycles and minimize dust collector service. Soda blasting is the exception, a one-time-use abrasive, used for special applications when recycling abrasive is not important.
Guest Blog
Nestled in the heart of the Northland, IKONICS has been an international leader of imaging technologies for more than 65 years. Made in America and distributed globally, IKONICS Imaging supplies customers an unmatched line of sandcarvers, automated washout units, photoresist films, crystal products, and training.
The most important thing to remember about choosing the right blast cabinet is focusing on your application and not whether the part fits inside the cabinet. That’s why Media Blast & Abrasive manufactures more than 50 models and 170 different cabinets – so we can make the right machine for any application.
Blasting Cabinet, Sandblasting Cabinet, Media Blast Cabinet, Mediablaster® Cabinet and Abrasive Blasting Cabinet all basically mean the same thing. A machine you place parts inside to clean, texture the surface, shot peen, sandcarve, de-burr, polish, surface prepare for plating or even drill holes.
Media Blast Product Spotlights
The Power Peen abrasive blast cabinet is a Direct Pressure machine designed for Production applications, which classify as planned machine operation of one or more hours daily. It is designed to use heavy blasting media to achieve the high frictional heat required in through-hole part blasting and blind-hole cleaning. The Power Peen model requires 25 to 80cfm of compressed air and includes a 1.0 cubic foot ASME coded Pressure Pot complete with pressure pot access port for…
Media Blast manufactures both Tumble Baskets and Tumble Barrels, but how do you know which is right for your needs? First let’s explore the difference in each product, and then we’ll boil down your decision to three main factors.
Updated January 2022: Almost all problems with any abrasive blasting dust collector attached to an existing blasting cabinet are related to one of a few conditions being listed below. Most people buy these machines based on budget and not the machine’s application. This is a mistake. First, an abrasive blasting cabinet’s use can, and probably will, change over time due to an increase in production or simply finding more uses for the machine. Second, if…
It is highly likely the first abrasive blasting “machines” were fast-moving rivers or dry desert windstorms. (If you have ever driven in a sandstorm, you understand first hand the power of a particle to remove paint and or etch glass.) Somewhere in history, someone noticed the results and an idea was born.
Automated sandblasting cabinets seem like they’d be the answer for companies looking to reduce labor and increase production volume. We’ve compiled the four most frequently asked questions about cabinet automation to help you to decide if it’s something you can benefit from.
The first consideration in choosing a shop blasting cabinet is compressed air volume. If you have an existing 5 hp compressor, it is most likely a single phase electrical motor, with a vertical tank. Buying a single stage compressor pump or a two stage pump can impact tank storage capacity in cfm even if you are limited to single phase electrical power. Two Stage Pumps have a higher stored tank pressure, equaling more air volume storage. You may…
