What is metal Shot Blasting?

Shotblasting is a method used to clean, strengthen (peen) or polish metal. Shot blasting is used in almost every industry that uses metal, including aerospace, automotive, construction, foundry, shipbuilding, rail, and many others. There are two technologies used: wheelblasting or airblasting.

Wheelblasting directly converts electric motor energy into kinetic abrasive energy by rotating a turbine wheel. The capacity of each wheel goes from approximately 60 kg per minute up to 1200kg/min. With these large amounts of accelerated abrasive, wheelblast machines are used where big parts or large areas of parts have to be derusted, descaled, deburred, desanded or cleaned in some form.

Often the method of transportation of the components to be blasted will define the type of machine: from simple table machines to integrated, fully automatic manipulator machines for full series automotive manufacturers, through to roller conveyors and strip descaling systems.

How Does Shot Blasting Work?
Shot blasting works by propelling round materials known as shot media against a surface which in turn removes the contaminants of the surface and also can improve its finish. What type of shot media is used is a very important decision for the shot blasting process. The size and hardness of the shot material will dictate how much surface removal of the material being cleaned will occur. The type of material being cleaned will also play a role in the effectiveness of the shot blasting process. Typically, the shot material and size will be selected depending on the composition of the material whose surface is being shot blasted.

Another important part of the shot blasting process is the propulsion method and the resulting velocity of the shot material. The most common way to propel the shot blasting media is through the use of a centrifugal wheel. To propel the shot blasting media, it is unloaded into a centrifugal wheel. Once the shot blast material has been accelerated by the wheel to the desired velocity, it is expelled from the wheel and into the shot blasting gun. Then the operator or machine holding the shot blasting gun directs the flow of the shot media to clean the material surface.

Many shot blasting equipment cells also include a recovery system. The shot blast recovery system will collect the material shot that has already been propelled and impacted against the material being cleaned and return it to the propelling device to be used again. Shot blast recovery is typically performed through the use of a vacuum.

What Materials Can Be Shot Blasted?
There are many materials that can be cleaned by shot blasting. These include, but are not limited to:

Carbon Steel
Alloy Steel
Stainless Steel
Cast Iron
Titanium
Copper
Concrete
Certain types of ceramics
There are also many types of materials that can be used as shot blast material. These include, but are not limited to:

Steel
Aluminum
Zinc
Copper
While other materials can be used for abrasive media blasting such as glass beads and nutshells, they are not considered shot and are therefore not included in the list.

Is Shot Blasting Safe?
One of the main benefits of shot blasting over some other types of abrasive blasting processes such as sandblasting is that the media itself does not form that much dust. The dust produced from sandblasting can be unintentionally inhaled if safety measures aren’t in place. With shot blasting, this risk is greatly reduced; although some dust may be produced from the material being cleaned. In addition to respiratory safety, shot blasting requires safety measures that prevent employees from being impacted by propelled or ricocheted steel shot.