What is bead blasting?

Bead blasting is a form of media blast using material which is less harmful to the substrate than other forms of blasting material such as coal slag or silica sand. There are two common types of media blast beads; plastic and glass, both of which are propelled a very high pressure onto a surface in an effort to remove paint, rust and other unwanted coatings. There are other types of beads used for blasting purposes including silicon carbide and stainless steel. Small ball shaped glass beads provide a very smooth finish whereas plastic beads remove the paint or other material without having any effect at all on the underlying material. Air bead blasting is used to clean material such as aluminum, stainless and titanium. These materials are commonly used in both the automotive and aerospace industries where there must be little or no damage to the metal surface. The same process is used by jewelers and other craftsmen who produce decorative items made from brass, copper or silver. Bead media blast is not expensive because the beads are inexpensive to purchase and they can be reused. The entire process can be powered by the same compressor that is used for common air operated tools found in any shop. Glass beads are lead free, soda lime glass which is environmentally friendly. The residue, when it is washed off will have no detrimental effect on ground water and there is very little dust to capture. The beads can be recovered with a vacuum cleaner and reused a number of times making them quite economical, it is not uncommon for glass beads to be reused 30 times or more before they are depleted. The finish that results from glass beads is satin, half way between high gloss and dull. When a media blast is required to do little or no damage to the substrate plastic beads are often used. There are a number of materials that can be very prone to damage when more abrasive media are used, this can even include ceramic and electrical components. This media blast is used to clean extremely thin electrical connections where any erosion of the component could lead to premature failure. In some instances the bead media will be mixed with water, this process is called wet blasting. This allows for easy cleanup as the beads mix with the water and can be channeled off for collection. In cases like this low pressure with tap water and media can be used to clean concrete and other soft stone. plastic media blast is a very common media when the user wishes little or no surface damage. Opti-Blast produces plastic media in different sizes and hardness for a wide range of applications.