On the other hand, if you succumb to the temptation of special deals and low prices, you may ultimately lose both money and production time.
Blast cabinets can be divided into manual and automatic machines. Manual machines can be further divided into the classes of standard duty, and heavy duty machines.

Manual Blast Cabinets
Manual machines require a source of compressed air to propel the abrasive toward the surface of the work piece. There are 2 basic methods of blast: suction blast (low production) and pressure blast (high production).

Suction Blast incorporates the use of a hand-held gun with an air jet and nozzle. This gun is usually referred to as a suction, or induction gun. High production pressure blast incorporates a pressurized tank of abrasive, a single hose, and a nozzle. The pressure blast method offers 3-4 times the production and
impact of the suction/induction blast method. The high production method should be considered when there is a large area to be blasted, or where heavy rust, multiple layers of paint, or heavy oxides and scale must be removed.

Standard duty machines are designed for blasting 3-6 hours per day. There are many options available, from size and door configurations to various bolt-on accessories. System components usually consist of cabinet with 2 door openings, view window, lighting fixture, gloves, abrasive reclaimer, blower and bag house, or pull-through dust collector. This machine is also offered with either the low or high production method of blast.

Heavy duty machines are designed for blasting in excess of 6 hours per day, or where heavy blasting with aggressive abrasives is required. Construction is heavy duty, incorporating 14 gauge metals. These machines should be considered for high abuse work areas such as mills, foundries, or structural steel fabricating shops, but are not limited to these. System components are basically the same as the standard duty machines. We offer options such as wear kits, or tungsten carbide-lined feed valves, all for use with aggressive abrasives. This machine is usually the most expensive of all manual blast equipment.

Cabinet Size
Never choose a blasting cabinet based on part size alone. Better operator visibility and room for moving the part within the cabinet result in faster blasting. Larger cabinets produce better visibility by allowing the abrasive to expand to a lower particle density inside the cabinet. A larger cabinet size also increases part mobility, allowing for movement and rotation when blasting 100% of the part surface. Visualize painting the part: if you need to flip or turn the part to paint it, you will need to do the same inside the
cabinet when blasting. The more three-dimensional the part, the more rotation required. Regardless of the part's shape, however, picture it inside a box, then flip it visually in your mind to determine the required cabinet size.

Automatic or Batch Production Blasting Equipment
This type of equipment may be of various styles, including tumble blast, through conveyors, powered rolls, powered turntable, indexing turntable, satellite turntable, skew conveyor, or computer-controlled robotics. The method of blast may be multi-gun suction, single- or multi-nozzle pressure. The operator does not manually blast clean each item, but loads the items to be blasted into the machine, either individually or by batch; turns on the machine for desired time cycle; then unloads processed items at the end of the cycle. This type of machine should be considered when there is a large volume of a particular configuration of work piece, and when consistency of finish is mandatory. your needs. Automatic equipment can also fall into the categories of standard, and heavy duty machines. In addition to understanding blasting equipment, you should be familiar with abrasives and compressed air usage. Not utilizing the proper abrasive or not having the proper amount of compressed air could keep your new blast equipment from working to its potential.