Blast Media Options
The blasting media should be chosen depending on the application that the blasting is intended for. Here are a few blasting media that can be supplied:
Blast Media Options
DRY ICE BLAST MEDIA
Dry ice is made from recycled CO2 or carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide gas is a naturally occurring gas in our atmosphere.
Dry ice blast media are generally used for non-abrasive and dry cleaning of surfaces. The dry ice media is relatively soft with a hardness rating of only a 2.0 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. This “softness” makes the blasting media non-abrasive to most surfaces, making a delicate clean possible.
Dry ice blast media are unique as the media sublimates upon impact, leaving no secondary waste behind. Dry ice blast media become gaseous CO2 when the media is blasted on to a surface, leaving no liquid mess.
The resulting CO2 gas also expands around 800 times, causing micro-explosions that lift contaminants off the substrate that is being blast-cleaned. The very cold temperature of the dry ice blast media also makes the contaminants shrink, making the contaminants lose their adhesion from the substrate that is being blasted.
Good quality dry ice blast media should be very dense. High density 3mm dry ice pellets are suitable media for blast cleaning items that need to be cleaned delicately and without any liquid mess.
The size of the dry ice pellets can also be adjusted down to a microparticle size of 0.3mm as shown below. The smaller the size of the dry ice microparticle, the gentler the cleaning can be on delicate substrates.
ALUMINUM OXIDE BLAST MEDIA
Aluminum oxide naturally occurs in nature.
Aluminum oxide blast media are generally used for abrasive preparation of surfaces. These blast media are tougher with a hardness rating of 9.0 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. Its hardness and strength allow it to be reused.
Aluminum oxide blast media has an angular shape and low heat retention that makes its “cutting effect” highly efficient.
Aluminum oxide blast media is popularly used in etching, paint removal, rust removal, and for surface preparation. This can be used for both dry sandblasting and wet sandblasting applications.
Aluminum oxide blast media is commonly packed in 25kg bags.
