Powerful protection abrasive blasting and industrial coatings
Everyone has seen buildings that just look terrible, coated by scales, paint chipping off, metal fittings and trim rusting away, pitted and worn by the elements. That could all have been avoided with the use of abrasive blasting & industrial coatings. In fact, it still isn’t too late to reverse the process.
The Perfect Match
It probably doesn’t really seem like abrasive blasting & protective coatings would go together. One sounds like a destructive process while the other sounds like a protective measure. Far from accelerating the corrosion process, however, abrasive blasting is an exact science which applies just enough roughness to a surface to anchor the coating. A smooth surface results in any coating simply sliding off, while one that is too rough makes it impossible to apply the coating evenly. Abrasive blasting produces the perfect texture, or anchor pattern, when utilized by an expert.
The Methods of Abrasive Blasting
It takes expertise to pick the right method of abrasive blasting. There are different levels of power and different materials to use as the abrasive matter. Some surfaces will need only a light blast cleaning, while others may go all the way up to a white metal blast, with a number of strength levels in between. Each of these has separate uses and separate applications.
There is also a big difference depending upon the materials used to scour the surface being prepared. It may be tiny steel balls, or steel grit, cut wire, or zinc shot. These tend to be the more expensive types of material, but sometimes more expensive is what’s needed. Cheaper abrasives include sand, walnut shells, copper slag, or iron furnace slag.
Abrasive blasting is often used just for cleaning purposes, but it really comes into its own when used as part of a corrosion prevention program. Together, abrasive blasting & industrial coatings protect important resources like fossil fuels and drinking water, preventing tanks from wearing out and leaking, even when exposed to sometimes harsh elements. The lifespan of such vital equipment can be multiplied several times, saving vast amounts of money over the long term.
Abrasive blasting & protective coatings not only protect equipment – they protect people, as well. A floor that would otherwise be dangerously slippery could be made perfectly safe to walk on with the proper coating, without sacrificing smoothness for wheeled carriers or conveyances. The right coatings can even protect buildings from people. Imagine being able to remove graffiti with a high pressure hose, instead of having to repaint the building – this is just another of the many applications of protective coatings.