Abrasive Blasting 101
Blog updated December 21, 2021: It’s hard to search “sandblasting” on YouTube without finding videos featuring a long list of DIY blast cabinets. They appear to work just as well as professional quality sandblasting cabinets produced by industrial equipment manufacturers, but do not be fooled.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves it’s crucial that you understand many abrasives used in sandblasting are the same as the abrasives used in sandpaper, abrasive belts, sanding pads as well as all types of grinding wheels. These abrasives are not to be confused with actual sand and softer slags such as Black Beauty that are used only once. If this comes as a surprise, remember that sandblasting is like hamburger – there’s…
Blasting cabinet design are more than an enclosure to contain the blasting operation, a trigger operated paint gun for on and off abrasive delivery and a looped abrasive supply hose down into the abrasive with an entrance hole in the hose.
If you’re in the market for a home shop mediablaster there are two very important questions to ask yourself.
When you boil media blaster cabinet costs down to the basics, it’s all about cleaning speed, frictional heat created, the dust collector size and maintenance costs. If you’re comparing two machine models, and one is much less expensive than the other, here are three things you should consider. Doing your due diligence before you buy could save you time and money in the long run.
Maintenance Tips
Dust collector maintenance variables play a large role in how often you need to service your machine. Unfortunately, ongoing and preventative maintenance for blasting cabinet dust collectors is not a black and white issue. A fixed maintenance schedule won’t work for every machine and every application, but knowing how these ten variables affect dust collector maintenance can help you establish a maintenance schedule that works for your needs.
A blast cabinet with a low Daily Duty Cycle (DDC) can be useful for many mediablaster applications at home. This type of Blasting Cabinet has a total DDC of 30 minutes or less daily, and sometimes lower. And many can operate on a 120-volt air compressor using a 6-cfm gun size. When used properly there are many at-home mediablaster® applications for these abrasive blast cabinets.
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.
