With the least amount of dust production, sponge blasting equipment is made to rapidly and selectively remove paint coats and other coatings. It can be used for a wide range of tasks, such as surface preparation and forceful blast cleaning, selective coating layer removal from delicate substrates, and even surface decontamination without causing any damage to the substrate.
Because of this, it can be used for a variety of industries and applications, including deburring, polishing, forming, and other surface preparation tasks that are challenging to do with conventional technology.
Sponge Blasting –The Process
After the media is added, it is mechanically mixed and fed into a revolving screw-auger port at the pot’s bottom using a blast feed unit. The air-media mix passes through a hose as the auger enters the sponge in a variable pressure air stream. Depending on the blast pressure, it then travels via a Venturi blast nozzle and impacts the work area at a speed of 15 to 100 meters per second.
In the sponge blasting media, particles compress and glide across the surface as they come into contact with it, creating a cleaning and scouring motion that is comparable to sanding. When compared to traditional grit blasting, this offers a less aggressive and dusty blast. The abrasive particles consume up most of the blast energy to remove corrosion or paint covering. For most projects, the media will be collected and recycled using a tarpaulin or light plastic sheeting surrounding the work area because the media returns at a modest velocity.
Less than 10% of the airborne dust levels typically associated with conventional grit blasting media are produced with sponge blast media. When removing lead and chromate paints, this is a significant benefit to health and safety. A 7 bar (100 psi) air supply that can deliver clean, dry air at a rate of 6–10 m3 per minute (210–353 cfm) is needed for the Media Feed Unit).
Applications & Types of Sponge Blasting
Abrasives are chemically linked to an open-cell, water-reacted polyurethane sponge during the manufacturing process that serves as sponge media. Because each variety of sponge media has unique qualities and blasting capacities, it can be used for a variety of purposes:
Red Sponge Media
For the hardest coatings, it is among the strongest. The most powerful sponge created with steel grit is Red Sponge Media. It is the preferred option for removing elastomeric or other highly thick coating systems and for surface preparation on deteriorating surfaces, all while controlling airborne dust. It is ideal for removing tank linings from petrochemical storage tanks and rail trains, as well as heavy industrial coatings.
Silver Sponge Media
In terms of hard industrial coatings, it is swift and forceful. For demanding industrial and aluminum oxide paint removal applications, it is the ideal option. Silver Sponge Media can clean, remove paint, and profile steel in a single dry, low-dust phase. Silver Sponge Media is appropriate for surface preparation and coating removal in the offshore, petrochemical, pulp and paper, power generating, marine manufacturing, and military sectors.
Brown Sponge Media
It works well for brush blasting and light coatings. Brown Sponge Blasting Media with is the best option for mild coating removal or for leaving slight surface profiling. It removes light industrial coatings, light rust, and cracked or peeling paint quickly, leaving up to a 2 mm profile on steel. When a controlled surface etch is needed for softer metals, alloys, and ferrous-sensitive surfaces, Brown Sponge Media is an excellent option for coating removal and surface preparation. It works really well for brush blasting applications, particularly those that need to minimize dust.
White Sponge Media
It is the ideal option for sensitive surfaces with durable coatings. The purpose of White Sponge Media with plastic chip abrasive is to remove coatings from delicate substrates. Tough coatings on tile, fibreglass, composites, and many other exotic or delicate substrates can be removed with White Media without causing surface damage, dust, slurry, or waste like other procedures do. It can accomplish a remarkable work and is a great option for graffiti cleaning. It is also utilized in aerospace, military, and historic restoration applications.
Green Sponge Media
This versatile cleaner is ideal for demanding industrial tasks. The greatest material for eliminating smoke and soot stains from brick, concrete, and other hard substrates is Green Sponge Media. It is also ideal for cleaning grease and oil off expensive machinery. When hand cleaning becomes difficult or impossible due to crevices, hoses, fittings, or other obstructions, Green Media is a great choice for the job. It is possible to eliminate manufacturing process residue while preserving worker and equipment safety.
Benefits
- Because contaminants are confined at the source, there is less dust to accumulate. Dust suppression and extraction are not completely necessary, but the operation is considerably less dusty than it was before.
- Surface preparation in small spaces.
- Preserves delicate equipment.
- An increase in operator visibility that results in less rework, higher operator safety, minimal dust, and low abrasive rebound.
- Minimize down time.
- Recycling and dry surface preparation.
- To handle curved surfaces more quickly and easily, swap out your mechanical cleaning instruments with new ones.
- Clears steel of invisible salts
- It produces a surface profile on steel that ranges from 5 to 100 microns, depending on the grade used.
- Sponge functions as a dry process and offers dust containment.
- Sponge cleaning restricted spaces without harming delicate equipment, leading to increased productivity and less downtime.
Conclusion
The MOH hardness scale places the sponge medium at an 8. The sponge blasting media collect dust right when it starts to form. In open blast processes, restricted spaces, high-value, sensitive regions like the electronics command center of a submarine, sensitive areas of an airplane, or operations rooms where time and length costs might be quite high are the typical uses for it.