Abrasive blasting

Abrasive blasting is a process used to remove foreign materials and clean the surface of a material.  Blasting involves firing materials such as abrasives, sand, glass beads using compresssed air through a specially designed spray nozzle at high velocity.

The abrasives which impinge on the surface at high velocity carry away the undesirable materials.  Different textures, from matte to shiny, can be obtained depending on the abrasive used.

Workers should were proper protective devices such as masks and suits during the procedure.

In addition to cleaning, abrasive blasting is also used as a finishing process.  It is used to give  a specific desired texture to material.  In certain situations, it is used to roughen the surface for processes such as thermal spraying.