Open Loop Cabin Blaster Layouts.
- Silvio Ruiu
- Feb 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 4
All these equipment work in a "pass thru" mode, ideal for long parts and to be placed in a production line. Depending on parts and shape being processed there is always a "pre" and "post" blasting room for safety and for keeping media inside of the machine; media removal system in various shape/size often present to ensure all the abrasive stays inside.
Pass Speed is a crucial setting.
Summary of Cabins type layouts:
Rubber belt conveyor blaster. Wire Mesh Conveyor. Aluminum Profiles Blaster . Steel profiles blaster. Pipes Blaster. Sheet Metal & Plates. Wire & Bar blaster. Band Saws blaster. Pass-Thru Hanger Blaster.
⬆️Rubber belt conveyor blaster.
It is a cabin where parts enter at the inlet and exit at the outlet, and carried on by a rubber belt - perforated to drain the media. Often there are 2 (or even more) blastwheels working from the top. Media pattern is here below. ⬇️
Pros: very simple concept, easy to automate load/unload, high productivity if sizes go accordingly with parts and total media flow as well. It can be easily placed in line with other operations. An external flipping station can be arranged to blast both sides and bring parts back to the inlet.
Cons: the side of parts lying on the belt is not blasted; flipping requires automation and is not always easy. Belt filling factor is critical — it protects the belt itself from blasting, extending its lifetime. Belt replacement is part of regular maintenance and is time-consuming. The closed blasting area is not immediate to inspect. If a robot is used for load/unload, the layout requires two separate devices. A high-capacity fan is required to remove media at the outlet.
Booster: software integration if placed in line with other workstations of the production flow, adding more wheels means better coverage and higher pass speed.
Common applications: paint stripping, surface roughness specifications, localized shotpeening, descaling and cleaning before painting, deburring.
⬆️Wire Mesh Conveyor Blaster.
It is a cabin where parts are placed in a manganese steel wire conveyor and blasted simultaneously from the top and the bottom, perfect blastwheels - 4 is the minimum number - orientation is critical to avoid blind spots and must be designed accordingly with the parts to process. Inlet and outlet with parts of the machine is here below.⬇️
Pros: very simple concept, parts in to process, parts out processed, generally no flipping needed and ready to be placed in line with other workstation like heat treat before and washing then painting later. Very high production rate.
Cons: "heavy" parts only, otherwise they can "fly" under the media flow; much more expensive than the rubber belt conveyor due to the belt cost and higher number of blastwheels, filling factor crucial for conveyor lifetime, conveyor replacing is part of regular maintenance and time consuming, closed blasting area not immediate to inspect. In case of robot used to load/unload layout requires two different devices. High capacity fan required to remove media in the outlet.
Booster: software integration if placed in line with other workstations of the production flow, adding more wheels means better coverage and higher pass speed.
Common applications: paint stripping, surface roughness specifications, shotpeening, descaling and cleaning before painting, deburring, descaling SA grade or SSPC grade.
⬆️Aluminum profiles blaster - Etching.
Aluminum profiles mechanical etching unit to prepare for anodizing and full clear extrusion lines and scratches, with built in tilting system to remove media from the profiles. Media pattern is here below.⬇️
Pros: removes extrusion lines and scratches in one single action without losing any gram of profile weight; very high production capacity when properly fed; very low wear thanks to the media used. It can be used to recover defective profiles after failed powder coating or anodizing.
Cons: footprint is large, and proper safety measures are required due to the highly flammable waste. About 2 minutes of chemical etching are usually still required prior to the anodizing process.
Booster: to get the maximum output an automatic feeding line for the profiles is mandatory as well building the profiles bundle for the anodizing tanks.
Common applications: aluminum profiles blasting analysis plant specialized in anodizing and powder coating; here the equipment page.
Steel profiles blaster.
Steel profiles are commonly cleaned before further operations like painting and so on, profiles are heavy and with complicated shapes, so building accordingly is a must.
Pros: high productivity blaster with an appropriate frame is possible to process different shapes from the standard profiles.
Cons: a frame is mandatory for blasting parts below a minimum acceptable length. Shapes different from standard profiles may also influence the pass speed needed to achieve perfect finishing.
Booster: parts processed are generally "big" and heavy, designing appropriately the production flow may increase a lot the efficiency of the whole process.
Common applications: descaling SA grade or SSPC grade in heavy duty steel industry, specific roughness requirements, shotpeening.
⬆️Pipes blaster.
Specific equipment built to create a "screw" pattern along the pipe and clean it all to the grade required. Here is the media pattern⬇️:
Pros: a purpose-built blaster to accomplish a specific task with very high output.
Cons: pass speed varies according to pipe size; it is important to optimize for the most common sizes and accept lower speeds on the others.
Booster: pipes are large and generally heavy; handling them is time-consuming and impacts efficiency. A properly designed production flow helps keep efficiency at its best.
Common applications: descaling SA grade or SSPC grade, Oil & Gas industry, shotpeening, specific roughness requirements.
⬆️Sheet Metal & Plates Blaster.
A specific blaster with vertical layout to handle metal sheets from thin to thick. The system is built to maximize efficiency and productivity; cabin design avoids the Almen effect on thin sheets.
Pros: high productivity, same results for thick or thin plates, very low footprint comparing with task to perform.
Cons: very thick plates require a cabin with a media pattern designed accordingly.
Booster: production layout is everything to increase efficiency and designing carefully is a must.
Common applications: thick & thin metal sheets descaling SA grade or SSPC grade in heavy duty steel industry, specific roughness requirements.
⬆️Wire & Bar blaster.
Cabinet design to process raw materials descaling with 360 degrees coverage, 3 wheels divided by 120 degree each for perfect coverage; can be used also in specific shotpeening applications.
Pros: small footprint compared to throughput, consistent finishing results on a dedicated machine; great for shotpeening too.
Cons: raw material handling device not included; the cabin needs periodic opening for inspection.
Booster: the production flow can be designed around the equipment to maximize efficiency; Industry 4.0 software integration
Common applications: descaling SA grade or SSPC grade, shotpeening, specific roughness requirements.
⬆️Band Saws Blaster.
A layout specifically developed for descaling band saws and raw material coils. Cabins can be designed to avoid spoiling the teeth angles. Media pattern engineered for the geometry of saw teeth and coiled materials.
Pros: very high output and pass speed, can be used for band saws shotpeening too.
Cons: extremely specialized cabinet helpful for mass production only.
Booster: a good rolling/unrolling line can increase uptime by 30% of the unit.
Common applications: band saws manufacturing plants and raw material treatment stations working on coils. Band saws shotpeening.
⬆️Rail Hanger Blaster.
Parts are hooked and moved by the rail on top; the system can work in steps or continuously. Simple to fit into a production flow, less simple to design an efficient blasting on it. Discussing the media pattern is meaningless without considering the parts being processed.
Pros: simple workflow to understand, fits many industries — especially those manufacturing "average" parts at extremely high productivity. Can be placed inside a production flow.
Cons: requires proper design to work well; once designed, it is not very flexible due to the established media pattern. A great solution where manufacturing is highly consistent.
Booster: Software integration 4.0 allows to fully control remotely the unit.
General blaster components summary:
Wheel blaster, how it 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 pass thru speed - this post.
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.
Media, the fuel of the blaster. General overview and features of media types.
