• 29

  Dec

  2021

Shot blasting and the process of Shot blasting

In today’s world, the right selection of blasting media plays a very significant role in the blasting process; be it sandblasting, abrasive blasting or shot blasting. Each media consists of varying size and shape as well as hardness. The wide application of shot blasting requires a larger accumulation of shot blast media as this blasting media is what differentiates the blasting techniques. 

Shot blasting is the process of transferring abrasive media in accordance with mechanical force in which the pressurizing system is different from that of the technique of sandblasting. Centrifugal force also plays an important role in shot blasting as this process uses a device which is similar to a spinning wheel that promotes centrifugation in order to accelerate shot blasting material. As compared to sandblasting, shot blasting is a harder process which is more used for larger and aggressive materials. During the process of shot blasting, a strict containment is kept in order to restrict any collateral damage. 

What exactly is shot blasting?

The process of shot blasting is a very prominent and significantly mechanical way which uses materialistic spheres in order to remove oxides or debris from the surface of different sorts of materials. Many consider shot blasting similar to sandblasting, but the process of shot blasting is slightly different from sandblasting as shot blasting involves the use of spherical shot as the abrasive media as well as centrifugal wheel for the purpose of propulsion; whereas sandblasting involves the use of sand grains and compressed air for the case of propulsion.

Oxidized materials are undesirable in many ways as they may cause problems with the process of fabrication. The materials which are covered in dirt or debris are also a good target for shot blasting. A lack of adhesion is caused when unclean materials are applied with a coating and laceration is caused in the case of sharp and edgy materials. Just before any manufacturing processes, the materials are required to be often cleaned. One of the most prominent ways to clean materials which are heavily oxidized and dirty is by the process of shot blasting.

Shot blasting is a mechanical process in which the abrasive media is propelled using a centrifugal wheel in order to remove unwanted dirt or oxides from the surface of a material. It is also effectively used in the case of removing contaminants, impurities and other debris from materialistic surfaces. It is a very proper way of cleaning and de-scaling surfaces, adding texture in order to enhance the process of paint adhesion as well as significantly reducing the cost of maintenance by increasing the life of coating. Always contact us to get the best industrial dust collector system in UAE

Let us have a glance at the different equipment used in shot blasting!

• Tumble blast equipment- this promotes blasting cycles to continue with continual abrasive recycling as these machines bear a rubber belt which is built-in and also steel flight models which occur in different sizes.

• Table blasters- these have direct drive wheels mounted inside the blast cabinets and are fixed equipment components.

• Swing table blast wheels- in order to load as well as unload the abrasive media, direct drive blast wheels are used which performs swinging action.

• Spinner hangers- these have rotating spindles and are direct drive blast wheels which promotes loading and unloading of the abrasive media in the duration of a blast cycle that is continuous in nature.

• Cylinder blasters- these equipment is mainly focused in the removal of rust and undesired old paint in all sorts of metallic cylinders.

• Hanger blast equipment- for particular shot blasting processes, blast systems are eligible to be fitted with trolleys and can be then hung on monorails.

Have you wondered that in the case of shot blasting, what kind of materials can be effectively cleaned or used? Have a look around!!!

• Stainless steel
• Engineering steel
• Carbon steel
• Cast iron
• Copper
• Titanium
• Ceramic types
• Concrete

Now let us have a good understanding regarding the working process of shot blasting

The main working mode of shot blasting depends on shot media which are round materials propelled against a surface in order to remove the surface contaminants. This ultimately improves its finishing and increases the cleaning aspect of any materialistic surfaces. Regarding the shot blasting process, the kind of abrasive media used plays a very keen role. The amount of surface to be removed depends on the size and hardness of the shot material. This size and the type of shot material are selected on the basis of the composition of the material. 

The propulsion method as well as the velocity of the shot material has great significance when it comes to the process of shot blasting. A centrifugal wheel is used to propel the media of shot blasting. The shot blasting media is propelled by unloading it into a centrifugal wheel. The shot blast material is expelled from the wheel into the shot blasting gun once the shot blast material is accelerated by the wheel with the desired range of velocity.

A recovery system is mostly seen in the case of many shot blasting equipment. The material shot is collected by the recovery system of the shot blast which is already propelled and transferred against the material in the cleaning process. This is later transferred to the propelling device which is supposed to be reused again. A vacuum is effectively used in the case of a shot blast recovery. 

What about the safety of shot blasting? Is it really safe?

Respiratory safety is the main concern regarding abrasive blasting processes. Talking about the inhalation defects, shot blasting produces very less dust as compared to sandblasting. This makes the risk of inhalation extremely less as compared to sandblasting in which there is a greater possibility to inhale more dust particles. In the case of shot blasting, the abrasive media does not produce much dust as compared to other abrasive blasting processes. So yes the answer is shot blasting is much safer when compared to sandblasting, especially in the case of risk from respiratory inhalation.