Abrasive Blast Rooms

Abrasive blast rooms offer a lot of advantages when blasting large parts and when using a re-usable media such as Aluminum Oxide or Steel Shot. These rooms provide an area that can collect the media, send it to a recycling and separating system and then be re-blasted. Blast rooms can also be equipped with exhaust and dust collection systems. The major drawback is the cost typically in excess of $100,000.

An alternative to a blast room is to perform the abrasive blasting in either an outdoor area that is 'closed' in or to blast in a separate room such as a garage or shipping container. These areas can be set up to contain the media and dust but will limit the media choices to consumable, less expensive blasting media such as Crushed Glass Grit.

In order to use a re-usable media, a system such as the Blast Room Package is needed to collect, separate, clean and blast the media. Simply sweeping the used media, dust, dirt, paint chips, etc. into a feed hopper will transfer the recycled material to the abrasive separator, clean out large pieces, remove the dust and send the good media to the pressure pot for re-blasting. The Blast Room Package can simulate nearly all the benefits of a full-fledged blast room but at a fraction of the cost.

Recyclable Abrasive Blast Media

Many types of abrasive blast media can be re-used multiple times. The rate at which the media fractures during blasting will determine the recyclability. Media such as Steel Shot have an extremely high re-use rate while more consumable media such as Crushed Glass Grit can only be blasted once or twice. This chart details the recyclability of many common abrasive blast media.

Some factors to consider when selecting a media (as it relates to re-usability):

• Blasting system: Blasters that automatically collect the media (i.e., cabinets, blast rooms) make it much easier to use recyclable media.
• Cost: Typically, re-usable media are more expensive to purchase; however, the re-usability can make these media very economical.
• Surface finish: The hardness and aggressiveness of the media is not directly related to re-usability. Consider the surface finish required in combination with the recyclability.
• Cleanliness: Collected used media can also include contaminants that can reduce efficiency (i.e., dust particles), impact blasting performance (i.e., paint chips blocking the nozzle) or even damage the surface (i.e., concrete chips or small stones). Be sure to screen and clean the media as best as possible.