Principles and Applications of Sandblasting

Among the complex and changeable surface treatment processes, sandblasting can be said to be a very important surface treatment process. Although sandblasting may still seem relatively unfamiliar to many people, in fact, it plays an important role in various fields due to its efficiency and flexibility. This article will unveil the mystery of sandblasting for you and gain an in-depth understanding of its principles and applications.

What is Sandblasting?

Sandblasting is a surface treatment technology that uses compressed air to drive abrasives (such as quartz sand, emery, iron sand, Hainan sand, etc.) to the surface of the workpiece at high speed to clean the surface of tiny burrs, increase surface roughness, and improve mechanical properties. , to achieve different reflective or matt effects.

Basic Principles of Sandblasting.

Sandblasting is a surface treatment technology. Its basic principle is to use high-pressure air or water as power to accelerate and spray sand (such as quartz sand, steel shot, etc.) onto the surface of the workpiece, using the impact and cutting effect of the sand to Remove oxide scale, rust, dirt and old coatings from the surface of the workpiece, while improving the surface roughness and enhancing adhesion, laying the foundation for subsequent surface treatment (such as spraying, electroplating) or improving the wear resistance and fatigue resistance of the parts. Good foundation. In CNC machining, sandblasting is often used in the pre- or post-processing stage to optimize the final quality of the workpiece.

Sandblasting Process.

Pretreatment: Clean the surface of the workpiece to remove oil, dust and other impurities to ensure the sandblasting effect.
Select sand material: Select the appropriate sand material according to the material of the workpiece and the purpose of processing. For example, for precision CNC machining parts, finer sand particles may be selected to reduce excessive damage to the surface.
Sandblasting operation: The sand material is sprayed to the surface of the workpiece through a sandblasting machine at high pressure, and the treatment effect is controlled by adjusting the sandblasting pressure, angle and speed.
Post-processing: Clean the remaining sand, check the sandblasting quality, and perform secondary treatment or apply a protective layer if necessary.
Quality inspection: Conduct appearance inspection, roughness measurement, etc. on the workpiece after sandblasting to ensure that it meets the processing requirements.

What are the Commonly Used Sandblasting Materials?

Quartz sand: High hardness, suitable for cleaning oxide scale and rust on the surface of heavy workpieces such as castings and forgings.
Glass beads: have moderate hardness and smooth surface. They are often used for surface decontamination and smoothing of precision parts to reduce surface damage.
Steel shot: high strength, suitable for deep cleaning and enhancing surface hardness of metal surfaces. It is often used for rust removal and strengthening treatment in automobile manufacturing and shipbuilding industry.
Ceramic sand: high-temperature resistance, good chemical stability, suitable for surface treatment of special materials.

What Materials Are Suitable for Sandblasting?

Metals: Various metals and alloys, such as stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, alloy steel, copper, brass, etc.
Plastics: A variety of plastic materials, such as polycarbonate, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, etc.
Composite materials: Composite materials such as carbon fiber can also be surface-treated by sandblasting.
Glass: Sandblasting technology can be used for glass surface treatment, but the appropriate sand materials and parameters need to be selected.
Wood: Sandblasting the wood surface can achieve a certain roughness and deburring effect.

The Influence of the Main Parameters of Sandblasting On the Surface of the Workpiece.

The main parameters of sandblasting include sandblasting pressure, sand particle size, sandblasting distance and sandblasting angle. These parameters directly affect the treatment effect of the workpiece surface:

Sandblasting pressure: The greater the pressure, the stronger the impact of the sand particles and the better the cleaning effect, but too high a pressure may result in excessive roughness of the surface.
Sand particle size: The smaller the particle size, the finer the surface after treatment, which is suitable for precision processing; the larger the particle size, the more suitable for heavy-duty decontamination.
Sandblasting distance: If the distance is too close, it will easily cause surface damage; if the distance is too far, it will affect the cleaning efficiency.
Sandblasting angle: A suitable angle can evenly cover the surface of the workpiece and improve processing efficiency and quality.

Advantages of Sandblasting In CNC Machining.

Improve surface quality: By removing burrs, oxide layers, etc., the surface finish and flatness of the workpiece are improved, providing a good foundation for subsequent processing or assembly.
Enhance coating adhesion: The rough surface after sandblasting is beneficial to the adhesion of paints, coatings and other materials, extending the service life of the coating.
Reduce processing difficulty: For complex surfaces that are difficult to process directly through milling and turning, sandblasting can be used as an effective supplementary method.
Improve production efficiency: Automated sandblasting equipment can significantly reduce manual operations and improve processing efficiency and consistency.

Areas of Application for Sandblasting.

Pre-treatment of workpiece plating and bonding: Sandblasting can remove rust and other contaminants on the surface of the workpiece, and by replacing abrasives with different particle sizes, different levels of roughness can be achieved to improve the bonding strength between the workpiece and coatings and plating materials.
Light decoration effect: Sandblasting can polish the surface of various workpieces to make the surface of the workpiece more beautiful, smooth and non-reflective, and is suitable for surface treatment of special-purpose workpieces.
Automobile manufacturing: Sandblasting technology is widely used in the automobile manufacturing process to remove rust, paint and oxides from the body in preparation for repainting.
Ship manufacturing: In ship manufacturing, sandblasting technology is used to pretreat the surface of the hull to remove impurities such as rust, oil stains, and provide an ideal base surface for subsequent anti-corrosion coatings.
Aerospace: Sandblasting technology is used in the aerospace field for surface cleaning and treatment of parts to improve the fatigue strength and corrosion resistance of parts.
Electronics and electrical appliances: Sandblasting technology is used for surface cleaning and treatment of electronic components and electrical parts to improve surface quality and service life.
Architectural decoration: Sandblasting technology is used for surface treatment of glass, stone and wood to create unique surface effects and decorative effects.

Conclusion

In CNC machining, sandblasting, as a supplementary method after milling, turning and other processing, can improve the surface quality of the workpiece, enhance coating adhesion, reduce processing difficulty, and significantly improve production efficiency.

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