Factors that Determine Sandblasting Speed and Measures You Can Take to Increase Efficiency

The speed at which you can remove surface contaminants during production plays a critical role in determining the efficiency of your business. High sandblasting speeds translate into reduced production time and significant time and labor cost savings. To ensure optimal speed during sandblasting, you need to understand the factors that determine sandblasting speed. With this understanding, you can take measures to manage the various elements and increase your speed. Read on to find out some of the top factors that determine sandblasting speed and how you can manage them to promote efficiency during production.

Type of blast media

The sandblast media that you use is one of the top factors that determine how fast you can clean the surface. Sandblast media are categorized depending on how hard they are. The harder a sandblast media is, the faster it will be able to clean and cut through the surface. However, this can be problematic if you want to lightly clean a metal surface because the media may end up removing more of the surface than desired.

For optimal results, assess the level of cleaning expected before choosing a blasting media. If you need to clean a metal surface thoroughly, choose the hardest blast media available for efficiency and maximum speed. However, if you want to clean a surface lightly, use an averagely hard blast media so that you can attain the expected results.

Blasting angle

The way in which you blast your metal surface will determine how fast you will be able to clean it. Ideally, blasting at a slight angle prevents the media from bouncing back as it hits the product, and this ensures that the speed from the sandblasting nozzle is maintained as the media hits the surface. However, if you blast straight at the metal, the chances of the media bouncing back to the nozzle are increased, and this will reduce its speed. Reduced speed will result in increased blasting time, and this may translate into increased production costs.

Blasting pressure

Sandblasting primarily relies on the pressure of the blast media to cut through the metal surface and remove contaminants. Operating at low pressure means that the media will not have enough force to clean the surface at high speed. On the other hand, high pressure implies increased blasting force and high blasting speeds. However, make sure that you don't use too much pressure as it could end up cutting too deep into the metal. Assess the level of cleaning required based on how contaminated the surface is before adjusting the pressure. By managing these three key factors, you will be able to increase your sandblasting speed and realize significant savings in production.


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