Direct Abrasion vs Grit Blasting: Which is More Efficient?
Airblast Eurospray products offer a clean, safe, and efficient way to prepare surfaces for coating. However, many companies we speak to aren't yet aware of the advantages that grit and shot blasting offer over direct abrasion.
To help potential customers understand how far the industry has come, we've listed the five top reasons that grit and shot blasting can improve your productivity when it comes to surface preparation tasks compared to direct abrasion.
1. Faster Surface Preparation
Grit and shot blasting are far more efficient processes for most surfaces, meaning you’ll get the job done far faster than you would DAing. Some of our customers have cut their processing times by a factor of eight by installing a blast room, resulting in a marked improvement in their throughput.
2. Vibration White Finger
Vibrating equipment can cause Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 enforces regular breaks from direct abrasion to reduce exposure. Grit and shot blasting do not share these restrictions, meaning operators can continue working for longer periods.
3. Improved Paint Adhesion
When switching from direct abrasion to grit or shot blasting, many of our customers find that shot-blasted surfaces offer better paint adhesion than those that were hand abraded. This means that switching to grit blasting not only increases the efficiency of their surface preparation processes, but also helps their spraying process.
4. Improved Comfort
Grit blasting is not the dirty, dangerous work that many still believe it to be. Airblast Eurospray blast rooms are well lit, well ventilated, and comfortable environments to work in. Not only is your operator safe, but he or she may also be the most comfortable person on site.
5. Return on Investment
Grit and shot blasting are surprisingly cost-effective alternatives to direct abrasion. Operators can continue working for longer periods at a process that prepares surfaces faster than direct abrasion, which means businesses can achieve striking improvements in efficiency and a quick return on investment.
