Blaster Accessories, Pros and Cons.
- Silvio Ruiu
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
Here are listed some "optionals" that can upgrade the machine efficiency and safety, also they can impact how the operators handle the machine itself.
Improving Items for all the blaster layouts: Media Feeding Automation, Scrap Recovery System, Carbide High Hardness Media Option, Ceramic Media Option.
Improving Items for TableBlaster: Planetaries, Moving Carts, Tumble Drum.
Improving Items for TumbleBlaster: Loading Containers System, High Capacity System, Vibrating Channel Output, Same Container system.
General Blaster - Peener upgrades.
Media Automatic Feeding System.
it is a metal box connected to the machine by a pipe, where a bit of compressed air is used to carry the media into the blaster cabin to feed it while in use.
Pros: Operator will keep an eye on the inspection window, asking for new media only when it is necessary and accomplishing the task at the beginning/end of the shift instead of stopping production; this the human benefit. Blasting pro is an extremely consistent operative media mix operating inside the machine; if the process is steady and the equipment efficient, so would be the abrasive consumption, which is detected by the media probe. When the quantity of media inside drops below a certain level, the feeding system will fill the gap, automatically and with exactly the quantity needed. Inside the machine operates a mix made by a % of "old" media, a % of "average", a % of "new"; the automatic feeder - better than any human - keeps the percentages consistent and so the process consistent.
Cons: a small consumption of air is to be accepted, as well a slight increase of the footprint of the equipment to allocate the box itself somewhere close to the machine.
Booster: Using a frame instead of the box allows to use a big bag - standard size is half ton - straight away from the producer, saving packaging costs and wastes handling.
Dust SuperHighway - scrap recovery system.
From the filter article, it is already clear why dust is an hazard bringing within safety risks and liabilities; a pipe to recover all scrap in a barrel/big bag would improve all the related issues.
Pros: Operator can handle all the scrap in the same location, with a convenient lifting equipment such as a transpallet or forklift instead of moving the bin below the filter, it is a huge improvement for whom is involved in the operation. Moving away from the equipment the scrap container means to increase the distance between a burning flame and a petrol barrel, the benefit does not need any further explanation, you move potentially dust from an ATEX/NEC high risk zone to a safer one.
Cons: It increases machine footprint, specially of done in the most efficient way using an auger instead of the compressed air to move the dust. It is possible to solve this issue if there is space on top of the filter placing the container below with installed an ATEX/NEC valve to separate the two environments. Partially the "distance benefit" is gone still it solve the footprint issue and the handling as well. To get the perfect balance local analysis is a must.
Booster: using the same big bag as the feeding system uses makes avoid wastes and spendings.
Blastwheel Carbide upgrade kit.
"Normal" wheel has the capability to work with media util about 50 HRC (Rockwell hardness grade), to go beyond - if the process requires it - carbide kit is mandatory; pads and protections are enhanced with sinterized tungsten carbide material, some just made by it - pads - some covered to the side facing the wheel.
Pros: capability to work with abrasives harder than 50 HRC, and in general really high lasting of these parts.
Cons: This "heaven" of lasting des NOT came for free; average cost of a kit is about 5 times higher; also high resistance comes with high fragility: if your maintenance team is not "careful" enough handling them it may land in a financial disaster. The wheel itself in general lasts 2 sets of pads; it is impossible to make it harder so using the carbide the ratio switches: 2 wheels for a set of pads, it means they need to be carefully removed and placed in the new wheel. Before considering them it is needed a good training and allow only the "best" guys to accomplish the task.
Booster: if the process requires some particular abrasives and is runing at low wheel speed, carbide kit makes the miracle to last really so long to compensate its own cost. Criteria are variables and which process is elegible needs proper analysis.
Ceramic - Saint Gobain Zirblast - Blastwheel upgrade kit.
Feature of this media is the consistency, each box is exactly what written in the labels in terms of sizes and weight, so it is a huge help to accomplish standards; it has the effect of high HRC media but is fragile, so it broke before spoiling the parts, it is also not reacting to fire/sparks, making it extremely safe. Main issue is the price, the kit is made to have an adhiprene wear plate, extremely cheap, to be quickly replaced inside the wheel house. See below ⬇️
Pros: it saves the media reducing OPEX, easy to check with a flashlight in all the cabins working by cycles and batches.
Cons: it requires to be checked every 200 hours, eventually the replace is fast and can be done in about 15 minutes - even less; requires an operator that can accomplish the task to avoid bottleneck.
Booster: if running the wheel is running low speed, 30m/s or below, carbide kit can be "almost" without any wear.
TableBlaster enhancements.
Planetaries inside a TableBlaster.
Looking at the media pattern, planetaries are the option that changes the exposure of the parts automatically by 60 degree each lap of the main table. It works on a "2D" single wheel tableblaster and in a "3D" with multiple wheels. See below⬇️:
Pros: Reduced cycle timing, exposing different sides boost smoothness on the surface treatment, this variation of hitting spots avoids localized wear in cleaning process. Appropriate shapes on the planetaries can make it a jidoka boosting standards complying.
Cons: this system reduces table surface available for the parts in a percentage about 30%/40%; reduces also the space available inside in terms of clearance and "steal" capacity in tems of weight; nothing dramatic indeed it should be considered by the process analysis.
Booster: Designing this tools accordingly with parts to process can improve productivity and consistency above expected, preliminary design analysis is a must.
3d planetaries for 2+ blastwheels Blaster.
Same system of the planetaries can be used in "3d" working machines, like the pics below⬇️:
Purpose of the machine above is a cleaning after chemical hardening; by planetaries is possible to process 84 pieces in 4 minutes with getting a perfect, smooth finishing Ra validated.
Here on top ⬆️ a 2 wheels blaster equipped with planetaries designed to clean vertically extrusion dies without any flipping needed, machine and operator efficiency increrased by 60%.
No any difference from the "2d" system above, it requires only a proper analysis to engineer the benefits; in this case an high capacity main table has been used to sustain the weight of the whole system.
Handling - Loading/Unloading cart(s).
Dimension count, weight even more; one of the easiest way to load/unload parts, like extrusion dies or tires mold, is using a cart, where a top part slides in and while a bottom remains outside of the blasting chamber; it is possible to get a sliding in/out part with built in planetaries too. A sample is shown below⬇️:
Pros: it makes movements of heavy/voluminous parts easy in any context, an operator can handle alone the entire process optimizing machine and his own productivity.
Cons: it requires a "good" floor care, also it is space/capacity "stolen" from the nominal values of the main tables; dimensions/weights need to be analyzed carefully.
Booster: imagine how is possible to work having two carts or more: the same operator is loading the blaster and staring the cycle, then while the machine is blasting he can prepare the second cart to switch that one in blasting. Uptime of the machine can increase by 60% till 80%, reducing price per part processed consistently.
General blaster components summary:
Wheel blaster, how is made. general overview
Closed blaster cabinets. layouts of most common equipment running on cycle time.
Open blaster cabinets. layouts of most common equipment running on cycle time.
Wheel Blaster Elevator. how it works and how to fix common issues.
Media Washer. How it works and how to set it up.
Blaster Filter house. How it works and common issues.
Blaster Control panel. How to keep it efficient and long lasting.
Blaster accessories and ancillaries. How simple items can improve quality - This post.
Media, the fuel of the blaster. General overview and features of media types.
