If you need to strip paint, remove rust, finish welds, increase fatigue life, or just thoroughly clean steel parts, that’s why use shot blasting. An abrasive blast with steel shot can do all that and more. The process bombards surfaces with a controlled stream of media to peel coatings, dimension, strengthen, or beautify the substrate beneath. It offers tangible benefits over alternative finishing methods:
- Alters surface properties through plastic deformation
- Cleans down to bare metal faster than other methods
- More consistent results than manual abrasion
- Adapts to any paint, rust, or contaminant type
- Improves fatigue strength through peening
- Environmentally cleaner than open sandblasting
- Low operating costs compared to grinding, polishing, etc.
- Allows high production rate surface finishing
- Reduces surface roughness and waviness
With so many advantages over other surface treatment methods, it’s no wonder shot blasting is indispensable across manufacturing, maintenance, and repair.
Reasons to Use Shot Blasting
Let’s examine the top reasons industry relies on abrasive blasting to save money, enhance quality, and boost productivity.
Coating Removal
Need to strip paint, powder coating, rust, or galvanization from metal surfaces? Shot blasting removes coatings faster and cleaner than any other method. The kinetic impacts literally pulverize finishes of any type down to clean substrate in minutes.
Blasting efficiency comes from media hardness, velocity, and impingement angle. Operators simply adjust air pressure, nozzle type, and media size to match coating tenacity. Softer media cleans while more aggressive steel shot strips the toughest epoxy or marine coatings with ease.
Chemical stripping creates disposal issues and burns operator hands. Grinding takes forever and risks warping thin materials. Shot blasting cleanly returns coatings to dust ready for easy recycling. There’s no faster way to strip.
Weld & Cast Finishing
Freshly fabricated steel parts contain countless imperfections like weld spatter, seams, burn marks, and casting flash. Shot blasting provides an economical way to produce consistent surface finishes free of these defects.
The peening impacts literally knock off the high spots while smoothing and blending the substrate. In a single pass, shot blasting yields a uniform matte or polished finish ready for coating or use. The automated process far surpasses manual grinding or filing, even on complex shapes.
Corrosion Removal
Over time, exterior structures and equipment corrode, oxidize and accumulate dirt, oil and marine growth. Shot blasting is the most thorough, efficient way to clean down to sound virgin metal, concrete, masonry or other material types.
Even severely rusted steel sheds its corrosion skin with blasting. The media impacts scrape off oxides and chlorides faster than wire brushing. And it cleans better than solvent degreasers when grime penetrates surface pores. Shot blasting restores life to corroded structures.
Peening Against Fatigue
Cyclically stressing metal causes fatigue cracks and eventual failure. But shot peening compresses the surface to resist cracking and double or triple fatigue life. It work hardens the skin non-destructively with no heat input or distortion.
Shot size, blast pressure, and coverage overlap dial in the intensity to suit specific components. Automotive crankshafts, aircraft landing gear, pumps and valves all benefit from shot peening. The deep residual compressive stresses stop cracks in their tracks for longer service.
Conclusion
The efficiency, low operating cost, and high throughput position shot blasting as a smarter alternative to grinding, sanding, scraping, or brushing. The impacts yield just the right amount of cold working tailored for the application. Whether an entire chemical tank or miniscule ball bearing, shot blasting consistently brings surfaces up to spec.
