Not everyone can answer the question, “What is Abrasive Blasting.” Although many people know that it is a surface preparation method, not many understand its impact, usefulness, and how (or if) it differs from traditional sandblasting.
What is Abrasive Blasting?
Abrasive Blasting is a mechanical cleaning technique. It involves propelling an abrasive media at high speeds to the surface to be cleaned, thereby loosening and removing contaminants from the surface. These contaminants could be old paint, mold build-up, rust, graffiti, line markings, to mention a few.
Abrasive Blasting is often used synonymously with the term “Sandblasting.” Technically, they are not the same. The word “Sandblasting” was born in an age where the primary abrasive used as blast media was sand. Blasting has evolved over the decades, and other abrasives such as dry ice, corn cob, wall nutshells, and whatnots have become popular as alternatives sand and silica pellets.
The Challenge of Using Sand as an Abrasive
Sandblasting is one of the most effective ways to clean surfaces, especially metal surfaces. However, it is not without a few potential challenges.
Environmental Impact
Sandblasting creates enormous plumes of dust. When other abrasives are used, dust is still produced. However, there’s an incredibly important characteristic of silica dust—sand-based dust that makes is it less desirable. Silica dust is the primary cause of silicosis, a life-threatening lung disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide every year.
During sandblasting, operators are exposed to a huge amount of respirable crystalline silica. Inhaling these potentially harmful airborne dust particles puts every human and animal around the work area at significant risk. This is why blasters use breathing protection. It is intended to keep dust and any other hazardous particulate matter out of their lungs. But it is also one reason why other blast mediums are used.
Other blast mediums also create dust. Even dustless blasting techniques do not suppress 100% of the dust. However, the side effects of inhaling these other particulate matters may not be as detrimental to the health of the humans, animals, and vegetation around.
Aggressiveness
Sand is a very aggressive abrasive, regardless of the grit used. This could be a challenge when working on delicate surfaces such as thin metal or wood. It could increase the risk of scratches, abrasions, and permanent damage to the surface.
Take the abrasive media, dry ice, for instance. Dry ice is a softer medium than sand. Its relative softness further limits the risk of damages when working on a sensitive surface. The downside is, dry ice is a more expensive abrasive than sand. Furthermore, they are a single-use abrasive, unlike sand, which can be reused.
In addition, dry ice blasting creates a dense presence of gaseous CO2 in the work area. CO2
is hazardous without appropriate ventilation. Therefore, the project’s total cost goes up as there is a need to set up advanced ventilation systems in the work area.
Expert blasters, such as our team at Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne, no two projects are the same. They are also aware that every abrasive has unique attributes and benefits. Consequently, they ensure that the blast media chosen for a particular matches the materials softness and other specifics of the project.
Abrasive Blasting at Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne
We aim to provide you with the right advice for your project, within a reasonable time frame, in a hassle-free and cost-effective way.
We use various techniques and blast media to blast off rust, old paint, years of grime build up. Again the goal is to achieve natural-looking blasting results on every project, restoring your assets to their original condition. Every one of our blasting methods is eco-friendly.
How We Apply Abrasive Blasting at Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne
Graffiti Removal
To some, graffiti is art. To some others, it is an eyesore. We use abrasive Blasting to remove graffiti where it’s no longer needed.
Restoration work
Our team uses abrasive Blasting to preserve antiquities. We help pass on history by restoring antique furniture, cars, and monuments and appliances to their original conditions.
Line Marking Removal
We use abrasive Blasting to remove traces of lines from parking lots, footpaths, roads, and anywhere else they’re no longer needed.
Swimming Pools
No one wants to be in a rusty, unhealthy looking swimming pool. We use abrasive Blasting to remove paint in cement pools, preparing them for a surface coat. We also use abrasive Blasting to blast off the rust on.
Earth Moving Equipment
At Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne, earthmovers and tractors are cleaned and prepared using abrasive Blasting.
Why Choose Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne
There are many reasons why droves of homeowners and companies subscribing to Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne as their choice sandblasting company. Here are a few of those reasons;
Complete Strip
We stop at nothing to ensure that a job is done excellently. We combine various media and techniques to produce the professional finish that our clients crave to have. We can remove all rust, epoxy paint and primers, powder coating, and even the most massive body filler, leaving your structure with a pristine look.
Eco-friendliness
All our services, not just dustless Blasting, are designed with a concern for the environment. We believe that the best solutions are not the ones that endanger nature—human, animal, and plate life. We strive to utilize only the cleaning processes that are 100% environmentally safe to use.
Zero Downtime
Virtually most of our operations could be patterned to suit your schedule to minimize obstruction to normal activities. More so, with services like Dustless blasting, it’s possible to work close to the workpiece being blasted without being exposed at no threat to human health since no hazardous dust plumes are produced.
Mobility
Since fully, 100% of our services are mobile, no need to transport bulky items. All of our services can be offered on-site..
Mobile Sandblasting Melbourne is a leader in abrasive Blasting in Melbourne. Whatever you need to be blasted, you can be sure we have just the solution.