Blasting Abrasive

General information on blasting abrasives

Blasting media represent the essential component of blasting process technology (in short: blasting technology). The surface of different materials is processed by the tool of the different abrasives (distinction in material, size and shape). The structure of the surface of metals, glass and also mineral materials can be roughened or matted by this process.

Furthermore, it is possible to form a material by processing with blasting media, to apply or remove layers, to refine the surface structure, to remove sand, rust, clean and much more.

The blasting technique includes various process techniques such as low-pressure (for gentle processing by low pressure) and high-pressure water blasting (for example for removing soft materials from a base material), vacuum suction blasting (for residue-free processing of the material by suction of the blasting medium) and compaction blasting (for compaction and increasing the resistance of the surface of the treated material).

In addition to and within these process technologies, there are various other distinctions, e.g. in suction head and suction blasting, in compressed air blasting with wet and dry abrasives, etc. pp. Depending on the goal and the material to be processed, the appropriate process technology is determined here.

Abrasive materials

Abrasives can be divided into natural and industrial grades. They can also be divided into metallic, synthetic-mineral and natural-mineral or synthetic-organic and natural-organic grades. This results in two groups of abrasives: disposable abrasives (short-lived, mineral) and circulating abrasives (long-lived, returned to the process after use).

When describing a type of abrasive, the type of abrasive (material), the group of grains or the size of the grains and their shape (e.g. angular or round) are usually listed. Metallic abrasives are covered by the DIN EN ISO 11124 standard, while non-metallic abrasives are covered by the DIN EN ISO 11126 standard.

In the following we concentrate on metallic blasting media made of cast steel and stainless steel.

Forms and use of steel abrasives

Depending on the purpose of the irradiation, different shapes and steel grades are used:

Cast steel, round (also called shot)
Round steel abrasive is often used in blast wheel blast machines or compressed air blast machines. It can also be used for surface treatment and cutting in metallurgy, transportation, energy and construction industries.

Abrasive made of stainless steel, round
Round abrasives made of stainless steel are particularly frequently used for surface pretreatment, cleaning and finishing of surfaces, but can also be found in blast wheel blast machines and compressed air blast machines.
Applications in which stainless steel abrasives are used are e.g. aluminium die casting or zinc die casting. Aluminium profiles can also be processed with this abrasive before painting or coating with this abrasive. The same applies to forged parts made of aluminium, brass and stainless steel or concrete.

Cast steel, edged (also called grit) / stainless steel, edged
In blasting technology, the angular abrasive is used for processing concrete parts, granite or natural stone. This can also be used in the compressed air process, but also in the blast wheel process. Surface treatment in the sense of cleaning and refinement can also be achieved with this abrasive.

Advantages of steel and stainless steel abrasives

The advantage offered by steel and stainless steel abrasives is mainly due to their long service life. This results in long-term economic advantages, since high productivity at low costs and low consumption are available.

• Low wear
• Low consumption
• Uniform blasting