Grit blasting air control

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Ensuring high quality in any industrial process involves control of as many variables as possible. Of course, the first task is to identify the variables that affect any process and that itself can take quite some effort. There are many instances where variables that were once thought to be not affecting the process may be deemed to be important and then they must be controlled also. Abrasive grit blasting is no different than any other industrial process in this regard. While it seems simple and easily controllable, there are many variables that affect the abrasive grit blasting process that are overlooked quite often. It is the purpose of this post to spend some time concentrating on one such variable that affects the abrasive grit blasting process, namely the air supply that is used.

When addressing control of process variables, it is important to note that there may be a series of variables within a variable family. It is then important to control every single variable within that subset. In the case of air supply for abrasive grit blasting, there are multiple variables that exist that have to be controlled.

The first and foremost variable in the family of abrasive grit blasting air supply is the moisture content in the supplied air. Excessive moisture content can affect both the abrasive media as well as the component that is being grit blasted. Ideally, one should aim for dry air that is devoid of all moisture content. In some sensitive applications, in addition to installing driers in the air line, one may need to install more sophisticated moisture absorbing equipment.

The second variable is the elimination of oil in the air supply. Oil in the air supply for grit blasting units can create havoc in the finished surface, especially when subsequent operations such as thermal spray coatings and such are planned. It is imperative to ensure that no oil exists in the air supply.

Of course, the third and final variable is the supply of air at proper pressure and proper volume. This may involve ensuring that your air compressor is of the proper capacity and has been properly maintained so there is no sudden drop of pressure when excessive demand kicks in.

Proper control of air supply for grit blasting is important if quality control is of cardinal importance.