The abrasives market has moved far beyond just sandblasting, and a variety of abrasives media are being used in a whole lot of different ways.
And, the industry is welcoming new types of media, due to the headaches and dangers that can come with silica dust.
Here are just some of the recent applications for abrasives:
– Polishing jewelry during manufacture
– The Sydney Harbor Bridge was recently restored with robotic sand blasters that crept along each surface of the bridge structure
– Facebook’s hardware prototype lab uses blasting with abrasive media to create their new Facebook Surround product
– Aerospace industry using abrasive robotic polishers to perfectly polish turbine blades
There are many more uses and a greater demand for abrasives, as the applications are rapidly expanding.
Here are 6 of the material types that are being used for abrasives media today:
1. Minerals
– Silicon carbide
– Garnets (aka carborundum)
– Aluminum oxide (aka alumina)
2. Natural materials
– Walnut shells
– Corn cobs
– Apricot pits
3. Metallics
– Metal beads
– Steel shot
– Steel grit
– Cut wire
4. Plastics
– Melamine
– Urea
– Polystyrene Bead
– Polycarbonate Bead
– Nylon Bead
– Acrylic Plastic Grit
5. Glass beads
6. Ceramic shot
If you are trying to break into the abrasives media market, you might need some of these tests ran to determine the specifications of your media:
* Test 1: Sieve analysis – abrasives are sized usually by the US mesh size, and by performing a sieve analysis, you can see the size distribution of your material
* Test 2: Density – the density of the media is important, in order to determine how to properly apply it. There are various densities that can be done on material, but some of the popular ones for abrasives media are apparent density and bulk density
* Test 3: Particle shape – whether the desired shape is smooth or angular is dependent on the application. This can be done using sphericity and roundness analysis.
* Test 4: Hardness – a Rockwell (or even basic Mohs) hardness test can be performed on the media. This is important to determine how the abrasive will hold up, and how much abrasion it will impart on the surface it’s being used for
If you are interested in having Global Energy Labs test your material for possible use as an abrasives media, contact us here.
