Different Types Of Shot Blasting And A Brief Description About Them

By Author: Beacon Lodge
Total Articles: 12
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Shot blasting is defined as the process of projecting high speed propellants onto the surface of a metal either to polish the surface or to remove foreign deposits from the surface. The degree of blasting is decided on the extent of foreign deposits on the metallic surface. Mostly the process of blasting is done using an air gun which is focused onto the surface. The air gun has the capacity to project fine sand grains, tiny steel balls etc. The selection of materials for projection depends a lot on the type of metal surface and the level of deposits on the surface. You should be aware of the fact that this type of blasting often changes the texture of the surface. So, in case of polishing soft metals you should consult an expert.

There are lots of reasons why people shot blasting different materials on the metal surface.Firstly we all are aware of the property that metals are quite reactive and even react with the air. So, to preserve the nature of the material it is either coated with other substance or painted. In case the metal is already reacted to external objects, this process can be used to clean and get rid ...
... of the deposits. This process is mostly demanded for industrial applications where large metals are cleaned and polished.

There are two types of shot blasting:

1. Grit blasting
2. Abrasive blasting

Grit blasting:

When the blasting is done through fine particles of grit sand then the process is termed as grit blasting. Sand is basically used to remove the foreign deposits and hence grit blasting is done to polish the surface like removing paints or to add a texture to the surface. The fine particles of silica are guided onto the surface using an air gun. The advantage of grit blasting is that it is a quick process which involves portable equipments and hence can be carried to any desired location.

Abrasive blasting:

As the name suggests, this process is used to achieve high degree of abrasion. It is usually done on a tough metallic surface. This type of blast cleaning is achieved at very high pressure and the materials used are quite abrasive like tiny steel balls, glass pieces etc. In some cases sand is also used for abrasive blasting. Abrasive blasting has lots of side effects and the most prominent is that it can cause health hazards. Most of the professional prefer the use of Eco-friendly objects like baking soda so as to minimize the degree of hazard.

If you are looking for blast cleaning firms, then you can look out for them in the internet. You should always look for professional experts as blast cleaning is associated with a lot of hazards. A professional knows how to make use of the correct equipments and what should be done to prevent the hazards. There is a lot of blast cleaning firms and before hiring any company you have to make sure that you have taken a dig to look at their proficiency.

Beacon Lodge explains the process of sand or shot blasting that is carried out to get rid of paint, rust or scale from a particular surface. For cost-effective blast cleaning of a variety of surfaces, he recommends the services of Steadblast.co.uk that serves all parts of the UK. Contact the company now!