What Is Media Blasting?
Posted on: 14 June 2023
Media blasting is also called sandblasting or soda blasting. It involves using some kind of media propelled at high speed and under high pressure at a wall or other surface. The media strips off paint, rust, various coatings, and many other things. Media blasting can be used to clean a wall covered with graffiti or to strip the paint off a car's body panel so that it can be painted.
Media
While sandblasting is what most people are familiar with, sand isn't used as a blasting media. Since some media, including sand, breaks down when it hits the surface, it can be breathed in. Sand can cause problems if it gets down into someone's lungs, so there are several other options. What kind of media gets used in the blasting process depends on the surface and what needs to be removed. Something that needs a lighter touch might get blasted with soda since it is really soft and shouldn't cause any damage. But, a very hard surface with a difficult-to-remove coating might need something like steel shot.
Reusable Media
Some of the media breaks down when it is used, but other things are able to be cleaned up and reused. The things that can be reused tend to be the harder kinds of abrasive media because they are less likely to disintegrate or change properties when used. Things like glass could be reused, but the problem is that ground glass will fracture when it hits a hard surface. That changes the properties of the media. The original glass may have been rough grit, meaning that the individual pieces of glass are on the larger end. However, when it hits the surface, the pieces will fracture and become smaller, changing the glass from rough grit to fine grit. It will take more of the glass media to do the same kind of job. So, while it could possibly be reused, it isn't practical to reuse it. Just because some media can be reused doesn't mean that it should, especially if it became contaminated by the coating that was being removed.
Media blasting gets used in all kinds of fields. It is used in auto body repair, construction, various manufacturing processes, and paint removal. Different kinds of abrasive media can be used, depending on what the job needs. Some of the media can be reused, but not all of it. For more information on media blasting, contact a professional near you.
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