GLASS BEAD BLASTING
Perfect look, deburred and with a good grip. This is how one could describe the surface of the components leaving our stainless steel bead-blasting equipment. We use this inexpensive blasting variant for smaller components (welded constructions) up to 1.2m length. The welded joints are then freed perfectly from oxides and discoloration.
Only components made from stainless steel are blasted. Large components are blasted with glass beads due to the low mechanical influence on the metal surfaces (less distortion). When blasting with glass beads, the surface is matter than with stainless steel grit blasting.
The glass bead blasting processes we employ work very cleanly (with no risk of blasting material contamination). The alteration of sheet surface is very low.
Corrosion tests at the Federal Institute for Materials Research BAM, Berlin, have shown that the stainless steel components blasted in this way are always the best performers.
ADVANTAGES
- Glass bead blasting is - when used correctly - a clean and relatively inexpensive surface treatment process.
- Especially suited for irregular or slightly undulating surfaces since you it produces the optimal appearance of a matt uniform finish
- Oxides and ferritic residues as caused by thermal cutting or welding are removed optimally with glass bead blasting. As apposed to stainless steel grit blasting, glass bead blasting effectively removes iron particles from the stream circuit via a strong magnetic separator. This is not possible with chromium-nickel blasting material since the hammer effect of CrNi blasting material causes deformation martensite which leads to the small beads becoming magnetic again.
- The fine glass particles act abrasively, but penetrate the surface only very slightly into and are thus demonstrably corrosion technically better in comparison to other blasting methods (proof research projects Federal Institute for Materials Research BAM, Berlin). The effect of stainless steel blasting material: In order to make the surface more wear-resistant and also more favourable for dynamic loads, we recommend the use of a non-rusting lean duplex stainless steel! We are happy to advise you.
PERFORMANCE DATA
SERVICE
- We can blast small parts from several centimeters up to large components of several meters size.
- Using glass bead blasting and masking with film, we are able to apply lettering, logos and characters to surfaces. After the film is pulled off, the inscribed area with shiny or smooth writing can clearly be seen.
- We blast your parts as simple contract orders or deliver with material as a finished structure
1. Why M-CUSTOM glass bead blasting?
We have 3 large blasting chambers:
- 1 blasting chamber 4.8 m (width) x 4.0 m (height) x 8 m (length)
- 2 blasting chambers which can be joined together to form a total length of 12 m, 3 m height and 4 m width.
For example, housing, containers, claddings or decorative elements can be blasted. Very fine, delicate glass beads act as abrasives with which an optimum surface can be achieved.
It is important to elaborate filtering of the blasting material which has multiple reusability. For example, oxides and normal steel residues that would otherwise go back into circulation are safely removed. This has always been a problem for older equipment and can cause rust stains. Therefore, abrasive blasting with stainless steel material can be problematic: Here, the CrNi blasting material is always magnetic itself due to deformation martensite, so that the blasting material for reuse cannot be freed from oxide residues with a magnetic separator.
2. What advantages does glass bead blasting have over other surfaces processing methods?
The glass bead blasting is particularly suitable to produce quickly and consistently clean surfaces in nooks and crannies of weldments. Even larger surfaces on thin sheet metal can be blasted clean, as the fine glass particles act abrasively, but do not strike the surface as hard (hammer effect) as stainless steel grit blasting, for example.