Whenever carbon steel or alloy steel needs cleaning from its oxidized elements, the industry uses the process of shot blasting. De- rusting the surface goes by the name of Shot blasting.
Other undesirable materials present at the surface may cause uneasy fabrication processes. Without cleaning the substance, applying the coatings can lead to a lack of support surface.
There are several methods of cleaning the surface of the steel. The approach can be as simple as wiping the surface off some old rag or bathing the steel with complex chemicals.
What is Shot Blasting?
Shot blasting is an automated process of purifying the surface material of any dirt or unwanted materials. The process belongs to the same family as abrasive blasting. But these two are different.
The process serves purposes like:
- Enhances the coating life of the material
- Creates texture to the material for an easy and long-lasting paint
- It thoroughly cleans the surface, disposing of any rubbles
They use this polishing machine in industries that use metals in their input. The vast range of industries includes construction, aerospace, vehicles, rails, etc.
What is Surface Preparation?
The surface preparation is one of the initial stages of the steel preparation. Here, the steel is cleaned and further prepared for the process of the corrosion protection system. A protective coating is crucial for the efficient performance of steel. But various undesirable elements have to be first wiped out. The ingredients can be oil, grease, dust, and other rubbles.
What is the shot blasting equipment?
Shot blasting equipment is determined based on which shot blasting technology they use. There are two technologies for the process.
- Wheel blasting
- Air blasting
Wheel blasting is the technology that uses blasts to push the abrasive against its elements. This efficient process is highly time-saving and provides easy dusting.
The technology converts the energy into potential energy through the rotation of the wheels. The wheel moves at an immense speed, corresponding to how huge the de-rusting parts are.
There is various shot blasting equipment used in the process of wheel blasting. Here is a list of some of those machines used in wheel blasting.
- Pipe cleaning
- Spinner hanger machines
- Bogie table, work car
- Tumblast shot blasting equipment
- Continuous blast equipment
- Horizontal and wire mesh belt
- Strip descaling
- Robot gripper
- Satellite table machine
- Spring peening machine
Air blasting is the polishing of metals using pressure vessels and a triggering mechanism. It uses declogging equipment and decompresses air. The machines used can be air blast machines or wet blast machines.
The air blasting uses dry media, while wet blasting uses the water-filled channels to remove impurities from the steel. There are various types of machines that perform the technique of air blasting listed below.
- Manual dry and wet blast equipment
- Satellite table equipements
- Table equipment
- Internal cleaning equipment
- Frame machines
- Closed-circuit equipment
- Peening and blasting cells machine
Each shot blasting equipment uses motion to hit the steel surface for de-rusting the surface and restoring the strength. The equipment carries out the processes of cleaning,de-rusting, and texturing.
These machines protect the steel from corrosion. The output of the metal or steel is the cleaning surface that is ready for coating.