Air compressors provide large volume of high pressure air to a single or multiple blast pots. Blast pots are pressurized, tank-like containers filled with abrasive materials that allow adjustable amounts of blasting grit into the main blasting line. The number of blast pots is dictated by the volume of air the compressor can provide.

Fully operational blast systems are easily mounted on trailers to offer mobility and ready transportation wherever they are needed. In wet blasting, abrasives are put into pressurized stream of water or other liquid creating slurry for use in applications where dust generation needs to be contained. Portable applications may or may not recycle the abrasive.
Sandblasting cabinets are closed loop systems allowing operators to blast a part and recycle the abrasive. Having four distinct features that include the cabinet, abrasive blasting system, abrasive recycling system and dust collector, they are operable from outside of the cabinet with gloved arms extending through holes in the cabinet, as you watch through a view window. The blast is turned on and off by operating the foot pedal.

Automated blast cabinets deployed over conveyance systems are for large quantities of abrasives that also incorporate several blast nozzles. There are three systems typically used in a blast cabinet. Two include siphon and pressure that are dry systems while the third is the wet system. Wet blast cabinets inject abrasives or liquid slurry into a compressed gas stream. Wet blasting is used when the heat produced by friction in dry blasting could damage surfaces.

Of the other two the siphon blast system uses compressed air to create vacuum in a chamber called the blast gun. The negative pressure draws abrasive in the blast gun when compressed air directs abrasives through the blast nozzle. This reaches out through the nozzle that directs particles toward the area to be worked upon.

Nozzles come in numerous shapes, sizes, and materials. Tungsten carbide lines most materials that are used for mineral abrasives. Much more wear resistant are silicon carbide and boron carbide nozzles that are used for harder abrasives. Inexpensive abrasive blasting equipments often make use of ceramic nozzles.

Finally the pressure blast system has abrasive stored in the pressure vessel that is sealed. The vessel is pressurized to the same pressure as the blast hose attached to the bottom of the pressure vessel. The abrasive goes in through a measuring device into the blast hose to be conveyed into compressed gas through the blast nozzle.

A blast room is works just like a blast cabinet with an operator working inside the room. Having three components – containment structure, abrasive blasting system and dust collector the recycling system includes manual sweeping and shoveling of abrasive back into the blast pot. Full reclaim floors may convey abrasives mechanically for recycling.

The equipment used to apply such a blast is called a sandblasting machine. These machines can propel an air blast on metal, masonry, concrete and other surfaces to remove dirt, rust, or paint or any other debris to make a smooth and clean texture. Sandblasting machines force sand or other abrasive particles driven by a jet of compressed air, water or centrifugal force to even abrade surfaces.

In the case of centrifugal force being used the abrasives get whirled in a rapidly rotating device before being directed against the surface. Materials used include powdered quartz, emery, chilled iron globules, and other hard granular substances as also organic substances like walnut and coconut shells for lighter applications. Mainly two types of sandblasting machines are used for the process, these being the suction feed blasters and the pressure feed blaster.

The former uses a venturi siphoning action to draw the blast media into the compressed air stream and then to the nozzle itself. And the pressure feed blaster has the media stored within the pressure pot. Once the pot is sealed the media goes through a valve into the compressed air stream that is placed in the blast nozzle. The nozzle then accelerates the media to impact the surface. Pressure feed blasters are much quicker than suction feed blasters.

Sand blasting machines are used to clean up castings in foundries, to prepare metal surfaces for painting, enameling or galvanizing and for cleaning the stonework of structures like buildings and bridges. These machines are high powered equipment coming in all shapes and sizes. From large-scale machines used for commercial use to small portable units that work well for home improvement projects, there are also portable pressure machines that can actually clean huge tanks of all kinds of descriptions.

Abrasive blasting machines thus smooth, clean and shape hard surfaces by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds. While earlier sand was the preferred material that was filtered to uniform size for application, now there is quite a range of media that includes bead blasting, wheel blasting, hydro-blasting, micro-abrasive blasting, automated blasting and dry ice blasting.

Depending on the blast equipment and material used the process is referred to as sand blasting or pressure washing. While sea vessels use huge machines to clean hulls, sandblasting is also effective in removing wall graffiti, stripping paint from vehicles or cleaning mold and dirt from surfaces. Sand blasting machines can clean swimming pools too! With the advent of newer technologies and improvements there are numerous models and categories of sand blasting machines. Companies provide specialist services catering to industrial, commercial and even home use applications.