NEWS

Abrasive blast is a popular method of industrial surface finishing that works by shooting powerful streams of abrasive materials at a surface of a part.  This is done to strengthen the part or to break down the outer layer to reveal the clean layer underneath. Because all three are abrasive techniques, they often get mistakenly interchanged.  The following will show the differences between these three processes.

Sandblasting equipment uses water or compressed air to bombard the part with a media at high speeds.  The media originally used was Silica sand, hence the name Sandblasting.  But due to respiratory health issues, this has since been replaced by organic media or glass.  Although this method uses media at high speeds, the speed is not as high as shot blasting or peening.  Therefore, sandblasting is commonly used on more fragile materials, such as wood, plastic and glass.

Shot-blasting equipment is special equipment that often uses centrifugal force to blast a part with media.  The media is fed into centrifugal wheel which propels the media at the surface of the part. The shot is then sifted and the good shot is returned via elevator back into the centrifugal wheel to again be propelled at the surface of the part.  Dust collectors remove the dust and used shot.   The media used is steel shot or grit, or aluminum oxide.  Shot-blasting uses higher speeds than sandblasting, so it can be much more abrasive.  It is excellent at removing rust, imperfections and paint, as well as being used for edge-breaking and as a creating an excellent surface finish for painting, coating, or powder coating.  There are also shot-blasting equipment that used compressed air and nozzles for a more direct or focused blast.  These machines usually use an aluminum oxide media.

Shot Peening equipment is the same as shot blasting.  It is similar to shot blasting, differing slightly in the process and in the end result. While blasting relies on an abrasive process to chip away minute pieces of the product, shot peening relies more on the mechanism of plasticity. Each particle acts as a ball-peen hammer. The goal of shot peening, more often than not, is to replace tensile stress with compressive stress, therefore strengthening the part.  Medias used include aluminum oxide or steel grit/shot.

Latem Industries Limited offers both Shot Peening and Shot-blasting.  We have been in the industry for over 45 years, and have great experience and knowledge, as well as a highly trained staff.  Let us assist you with your blasting and peening needs.

Contact us for find out more.