Abrasive Blasting — Useful Precautions When Removing Coatings On Parts

Before you apply a coating on a material, you often have to remove its existing coating. One of the best coating removal processes today is abrasive blasting, which you can succeed with if you take these steps.

Set Up a Blasting Room

Before you complete media blasting on materials you plan to remove coats from, set up a blasting room. Using one helps you stay safe and makes reclaiming blasting materials easier. Therefore, you can spend less money on replacements. 

An optimal blasting room gives you enough interior space to work with. It also has a filtration system to collect blasting materials you use to remove coatings. If you need help putting one of these rooms together, hire a design professional. 

Choose the Right Media 

Once you have a blasting room ready, you can choose a media type. Today, you have many options, including glass, plastics, metals, and organic materials. With all the options, how do you know which choice to make?

You'll know what to do if you understand your parts and the coatings on them. For instance, if you have a durable coating that won't come off a part that easily, you probably need to use steel blasting materials because of their durability. 

And if you're not sure, err on the side of caution and use a gentler type of abrasive to avoid part damage. 

Follow Industry-Standard Safety Protocols

Since media blasting involves ample pressure, you don't want to take any chances with safety. In fact, safety protocols should always be on your mind to avoid major accidents. Luckily, safety practices for media blasting are readily available online.

Go through as many safety resources as needed until you feel confident you can perform blasting in a controlled, methodical manner. Some particular safety protocols to follow include wearing personal protection equipment, using a blasting room, and ensuring blasting equipment is in good condition.

Use the Correct Pressure Range 

Your results with media or abrasive blasting depend significantly on how you set up blasting equipment. It relies on pressure, but you have to use the right pressure range to effectively remove coatings.

For example, if you need to treat a coating that's hard to remove, you need more pressure than when treating a coating that's not as secure on a part.

You can effectively remove coatings on parts thanks to media blasting. Whether you plan to perform blasting once or consistently, use the appropriate equipment safely and methodically. 

For more info about abrasive blasting services, contact a local company.