Sand blasting
Sandblasting steel and other metals
Sand blasting is a mechanical process during which part of the surface of a product is eroded through abrasion caused by a jet of sand and air. Among the sectors where sand blasting is employed, the cleaning of surfaces is by far the most frequent.
In the mechanical field, sand blasting is a procedure which is usually in the middle of the working cycle on the product and is rarely used as a final treatment.
The layer which is removed varies according to the product being treated. This may be oxide, paint, limescale, a galvanised or plastified coating.
At the end of the this process, the material beneath the surface which has been removed will have been completely uncovered and with a “roughness” which will vary according to the grain used and the pressure of the jet. Sand blasting is therefore one of the preferred procedures to prepare an item for subsequent painting.
Usually the piece to be treated does not require any special preparation to be sanded but, where there are components which have already been assembled, it will be necessary to disassemble them in order to treat the surfaces, including those surfaces which are in contact with other parts. The jet from the sand-blaster cleans the surfaces of impurities and of unwanted layers, and is carried out for as long as necessary until all the areas to be treated have been completely cleaned. Once the sanding process is complete, the item can then pass directly to the next stage.
During sanding, the grains of sand (or other abrasive material) are fired at the surface being treated with a high-speed jet of air. Despite the fact that the pressure of the jet is not particularly high, the dimension of the grains increases the specific pressure on the area being treated, removing the surface layer and reducing this to powder. Once the grain has hit the surface of the object it them falls away without sticking to the item.
Galv.Ar strives to improve its processes, carries out sanding thanks to selected, highly-qualified partners, thus guaranteeing the best result for its clients.
