Sand blasting machines, or abrasive blasting machines, are used for cleaning, deburring, removing paint or coating and shot peening, but how do they work?
A sand blasting machine is a key piece of equipment for sand blasting applications and the process often requires skill and safety precautions for operation.
Surface Finishing Equipment Group (SFEG) supply a range of sand blasting machines and other blasting equipment to accommodate the requirements of various businesses.
To understand how the machines work, it pays if you know what’s what.
Components of sand blasting machine:
- Blast pot – acts as a media reservoir and is used to maintain the required pressure for sand blasting. SFEG supply the abrasive blast pots in a choice of sizes, so you needn’t worry about finding one that suits your needs perfectly.
- Blast hoses – abrasive is stored in the blast pot and metered into the blast hose where it’s then conveyed by compressed gas, through the nozzle.
- Nozzle – sand particles are accelerated from the nozzle of the sand blasting machine. The nozzle determines the pattern and velocity of the abrasive that’s exiting the machine.
- Inlet/outlet valves – the inlet and outlet valves are integral for blast machine set up. The valves monitor the inflow and outflow of air, making it easier for you to determine whether the blast pot is pressurised.
- Pop-up valve – responding to pressure, the pop-up valve ‘pops up’ to pressurise the system.
- Media valve – located at the bottom of the machine, the media valve regulates airflow. There is one inlet valve for abrasive, one for air and an outlet valve for both air and abrasive which will be carried through the blast hose.
- Blast cabinet – consists of the containment, sand blasting machine, abrasive recycling system and dust collector. The blast cabinet is self-contained and is considered to be a reliable cleaning or finishing system.
How do sand blasting machines work?
Sand blasting is the process of propelling abrasive material against a surface under high pressure. Abrasives can be fired at surfaces to create a smooth finish, to roughen a smooth surface, to shape a surface or to remove contaminants.
The first thing you’ll need to do before you start sand blasting is to check you have the appropriate equipment. Once you have and you’re ready, load the machine with the sand abrasive.
The pressure is extremely important from start to finish. Without accurate pressure, sand blasting machines won’t work. A remote control system will enable you to pressurise the machine correctly, by simply pressing a handle to add pressure or depressing it to release the pressure.
The control handle of sand blasting machines is ‘fail safe’. It prevents accidental blasting and the likeliness of injuries. If the handle is pressed down, a button seals off the airflow and the air travels back towards the blasting hose, into the inlet valve. This causes the inlet valve to open, closes the outlet valve and seals the pop-up valve to ensure the blasting pot reaches the right pressure.
Need to know more about sand blasting machines? Feel free to get in touch with the team at SFEG today. They are always on hand to help and will be more than willing to guide and advise you.
