Bead Blasting Service: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Transformation

Surface treatment is normally the final step in CNC machining. It is essential to have the desired finish after excessive material removal and defects removal. Surface finishing has different types and one of them is bead blasting. The purpose of bead blasting, its working principle, advantages and disadvantages and its comparison with other surface texturing are discussed in this comprehensive guide.

What is Bead Blasting?

It is type of shot blasting. in this, tiny beads are used for surface finishing after cleaning and polishing at high pressure. These beads are abrasive particles of spherical or irregular shapes. This abrasive blasting is done by materials like glass, metal, ceramics. The high pressure removes the impurities, corrosion, paint and dirt from the surface and results in a uniform smooth surface finishing.

Bead Blasting Parts and Applications: A Spectrum of Industries and Materials

Metals are bead blasted by steel shots for old coating material removal, dust removal and to provide surface finishing. Plastics are delicate and is bead blasted by glass beads

Parts and Applications in Bead Blasting Metals

Steel shots are used to increase fatigue and cracking resistance in material used for military and industrial applications. It smooths the rough edges of metals for auto parts and increases aesthetic features to parts. It is used to polish the medial devices and tools.

Parts and Applications in Bead Blasting Plastics

Plastic media bead blasting is common for aerospace and Automotive parts. It is best for soft surface finish and for delicate parts. It is for and functional appearance enhancement in aerospace parts.

Is Bead Blasted Knife Finish Good?

Bead blasting is frequently used on knife blades for appearance enhancement. It is used to decorate knife blades. The surface texture of knife blade is non-reflective. It is highly durable and has functional enhancement after the surface treatment.

Understanding the Fundamentals: The Science Behind Bead Blasting

To understand the basics of bead blasting if you are new to this technique, the following information will be helpful.

The Principle of Bead Blasting: A Controlled Impact

Working principle of bead blasting is very similar to other abrasive blasting methods. A projection of spherical or irregularly shaped beads is carried out against a workpiece. A jagged media is used to induce a coarser bead blasted surface finishing. The blasting leaves a uniform finish on the surface of the material. The beads dimpling provides a bead blasted surface texture.

The Role of Abrasive Beads: Size, Material, and Velocity

Size, material and velocity have the most important role in abrasive blasting and surface enhancement of material. small beads create a fine surface finishing. Larger beads are aggressive and are for the material removal. Harder material like aluminum oxide has an abrasive finish.

And for the velocity, higher velocity has an aggressive finish and for the material removal. Low velocities are for the fine finish but not effective for dirt removal.

Surface Preparation: The Foundation for Success

Surface preparation in bead blasting involves the cleaning and removal of debris from the surface. Adhesion promotion must be ensured by surface finish with a slight texture. Purpose of surface preparation is to ensure the bonding between coating, adhesion, and to remove the corrosion and other contaminants to have proper functional enhancement and appearance enhancement of bead blasted surface.

Media selection guide

Exploring the Technology: The Tools and Equipment of Bead Blasting

Right equipment selection in bead blasting can reduce the effort in the process. The equipment is:

Bead Blasting Equipment: A Variety of Options

There is few equipment used in bead blasting. These are explained below:

Bead Blaster Cabinet

Steel is used to make this surface treatment cabinet to ensure top-notch results. Thay have longer life span, durability and can withstand high pressure in surface finishing operation. The cabinet legs must be capable of supporting media, workpiece and cabinet itself. Weak legs can be unsteady and can have malfunction during abrasive blasting.

Bead Blaster Gun

The design of bead blasting gun depends on the model. Some are operated from hands or can have a foot pedal. Guns with foot pedals are more comfortable for longer sessions of surface modification or material removal. Hand operated guns can be tiring for workers for a prolonged period.

Bead Blaster Gloves

Bead blasting gloves are handy and allow surface treatment securely in the cabinet. These are normally attached to cabinets for hand protection. They also allow a good grip on the gun.

Abrasive Media: A Diverse Range of Choices

There are two types of media that are used in bead blasting for surface modification. Glass and steel:

Glass Beads

Glass beads are lead free soda lime glass. They have sphere shape. This type of media in abrasive blasting is environment friendly and recyclable. This is a gentle media in abrasive blasting and surface treatment does not have surface roughness.

Steel beads

Steel beads are molten steel. They are also spherical in shape. This medium is cheaper, recyclable and long lasting. Steel beads are used in removing undesired surface texture.

Control Systems: Ensuring Precision and Consistency

Maintenance of bead blasting equipment is important. It required regular cleaning, surface preparation, inspection and, if needed, replacement of broken-down parts in the machine to have top-notch surface modifications results.

Bead Blasting Process: How to Bead Blasting

Bead blasting is to clean or etch the surface. gas is used to accelerate the beads and then hit the surface at high speed. This process removes the dirt or contamination from the surface. the surface is put in a bead blasting cabinet. It is then sealed, and air is pressurized inside the cabinet. Beads enter the cabinet from nozzle and abrasive particles are blasted.

The blast leaves the impact on surface and removes any dirt, impurity and polishes the surface of material. various surface treatments can be carried out in bead blasting from matte to polish surface. the surface finishing or surface modification obtained is highly dependent on abrasive particle nature and the pressure of air stream.

Preparation: Setting the Stage for a Successful Blast

Surface preparation ensures adhesion promotion and for functional enhancement and appearance enhancement. The coating preparation involves cleaning and removal of dirt or grime from the surface. It also includes surface texturing for adhesion promotion. Surface preparation followed by two common standards: ISO-8501 and SSPC/NACE. SSPC/NACE is a text description of various cleaning levels.

Surface Cleaning and Contaminant Removal

Surface cleaning is an important step for functional enhancement and appearance enhancement. It proficiently removes contaminations, dirt, rust and old coating. Coating preparation provides cleaning and a surface texture for adhesion promotion.

Bead Media Selection: Choosing the Right Abrasive

Better results are obtained in bead blasting if the right media and material is selected along with bead size and media hardness.

Abrasive Material

Bead Size

Bead size is an essential part in abrasive blasting and surface enhancement of material. A smaller size is for fine surface finishing. Larger beads are aggressive. They are best for the material removal.

Media Hardness

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Ensuring Safety

Protective gear in the body is essential for open exposure. Hearing protection and eye protection are the important parts in safety. Industrial helmets and leather gloves are essential to avoid skin infection.

The Blasting Chamber: Where the Transformation Occurs

Blasting chambers are physical structure and provides an enclosed abrasive blasting operation. It is made of steel, cladding material or sandwich panel steel. resistance liner is used typically or rubber or PE to protect steel walls and ceiling

Blasting Chamber Design and Features

Blasting chamber has a dust collector, blasting media and its purifier, suction duct, blasting gun, exhaust fan, and blasting pot. The blasting booth has doors, lighting, and ventilation. Dust collector ensures the ventilation.

Image copyright: https://blastkinggroup.com/blast-rooms/

Nozzle: Directing the Abrasive Stream

Nozzle shapes are generally of two types for abrasive blasting. the straight bore and venturi with various sizes and patterns. And this size and pattern is used to select the nozzle type. For example, for large sheets, a large blast pattern is required. The nozzle must have 9.5mm to 12.7mm size.

Blasting Angle and Distance: Achieving Uniform Coverage

The industrial standard uses large size venturi nozzles. The distance is normally 18-24in away from the surface for hard cleaning surfaces. For soft surfaces, 30-36in distance is used. For cleaning and for rust material removal, 75ᵒ angle is used.

The Blasting Process: Unleashing the Power of Beads

Various parameters are involved to get the best results for blasting operations. This involves angle, pressure, distance, nozzle and many more. Some of them are explained below:

Controlled Application: Achieving Precision and Consistency

Multiple factors are involved in achieving precision and consistency in the bead blasting process. These are pressure, angle and distance.

Maintaining Proper Bead Flow: Optimizing Performance

To optimize the process, proper bead flow must be maintained by:

• Bead Supply

Large bead size lowers the impact velocity. Good practice is to have 80PSI for siphon and 40PSI for direct pressure using pressure pot.

• Nozzle Maintenance

Nozzle orifice must be checked periodically to ensure consistent results and optimal blasting.

• Media Recovery

It is a technology to collect, clean and recycle the abrasive material used in surface preparation process to increase efficiency and reduce waste.

Finishing Touches: Achieving Perfection

There are few finishing treatments in abrasive blasting. these are:

Thorough Cleaning: Removing Residual Media

The cleaning processes are of few types which are explained below:

Compressed Air Blowdown

This condenses the moisture from the interior of blasting equipment by compressed air through draining

Solvent Cleaning

It is a dirt and debris removal process by organic solvent to ensure the surface cleanliness and better appearance enhancement and functional enhancement.

Ultrasonic Cleaning

It uses high frequency and high intensity soundwaves to remove foreign particles or debris from surface in an ultrasonically activated liquid.

Post-Treatment Processes: Enhancing Surface Properties

Some post-treatments in bead blasting are as:

Sealing

 To improve corrosion resistance and for adhesion promotion of workpiece, sealing is carried out in bead blasting by evenly covering the surface with a layer

Coating

Passivation and coating are carried out to increase functional enhancement and appearance enhancement.

Polishing

Polish improves anti-frictional behavior of blasted surface. It is done by manual and auto machines.

Quality Control Measures: Ensuring Consistent High Quality

Some quality control measures to ensure better results in abrasive blasting are as:

Visual Inspection

It detects defects by naked eye on the surface. it is also done remotely by digital images.

Surface Profile Measurement

It is to measure surface roughness and to ensure smoothness and uniformity in coating.

Adhesion Testing

it is to measure adhesion promotion by measuring forces to separate the coating from the surface

Advantages of Bead Blasting: A Winning Combination for Surface Finishing

There are many advantages of bead blasting.

Effective Cleaning and Deburring

It is utilized to smooth the surface roughness and to round the edges of metal and ensure surface cleanliness.

Precision Surface Preparation for Enhanced Adhesion

It results in better surface finishing with a unique surface texturing and ensures coating adhesion promotion

Strengthening and Fatigue Resistance Enhancement

It is used for peening which helps in metals to withstand fatigue and fracture.

Environmentally Friendly Surface Finishing

It is a eco-friendly process and allows 30 times recyclability of material to reduce waste.

What are the Disadvantages of Bead Blasting?

Time consuming

It requires more time for rigid and hard surfaces

Low tolerance

It is not suitable for tight tolerance parts because it removes material in a very small amount.

Manual processing

This process requires highly trained labor because it is not automated.

Considerations and Challenges in Bead Blasting: Ensuring Optimal Results

Few considerations to avoid challenges in bead blasting are:

Material Selection and Compatibility

Material compatibility ensures to avoid equipment damage and to increase efficiency with less safety hazards

Surface Preparation and Masking

Surface preparation ensures adhesion promotion and provides smooth surface with long lasting results.

Blasting Parameters and Process Control

Blasting parameters like loads, space, holes, charge per day, explosive type etc. must be developed to progress the work safely.

Health and Safety Precautions

Proper training, a safe working environment and proper following of safety precautions are necessary in the bead blasting process.

Summarize

Bead blasting is a surface treatment by using spherical shape media blasted over the surface. It is used for surface finishing, material removal, to reduce surface roughness and provides surface texturing. Different blasting medias like glass and steel beads are used depending on applications. It is important to understand the difference between media working and to follow best practices for consistent finishing coating results.

TUOFA CNC machining makes it easier for you to bead blasted your custom parts with right media selection and ensures material compatibility to get best surface treatment results. https://www.tuofa-cncmachining.com/

How Tuofa China Helps with Bead Blasting of Custom CNC Parts

Tuofa CNC China is your one-stop shop for precision CNC machining and expert bead blasting services. We specialize in crafting high-quality custom CNC parts for a wide range of industries, and our bead blasting capabilities ensure that your parts achieve the desired surface finish and aesthetic appeal.

Here's how Tuofa China helps with bead blasting of custom CNC parts:

Precision Bead Blasting for a Flawless Finish: Our experienced technicians utilize state-of-the-art bead blasting equipment to meticulously blast your CNC parts with the appropriate media and pressure, achieving a consistent, uniform finish that meets your exact specifications.

Enhanced Surface Properties: Bead blasting not only enhances the appearance of your CNC parts but also improves their surface properties. It removes burrs, smoothens rough edges, and strengthens the surface by inducing compressive stress, making your parts more durable and resistant to wear and tear.

Customizable Finishes: We offer a variety of bead blasting options to cater to your specific requirements. Whether you need a matte, satin, or polished finish, our experts will select the ideal media and blasting parameters to achieve the desired aesthetic.

Quality Assurance: At Tuofa China, quality is paramount. We employ rigorous quality control measures throughout the bead blasting process to ensure that your parts meet the highest standards of consistency and precision.

Partner with Tuofa China for Expert Bead Blasting Services:

When you choose Tuofa China for bead blasting your custom CNC parts, you can be confident that your components will receive the utmost care and attention. Our expertise in bead blasting, combined with our commitment to quality, ensures that your parts will not only look great but also perform flawlessly for years to come.

Contact us today to discuss your bead blasting requirements and experience the Tuofa China difference.

FAQ

Bead Blasting vs sand blasting

Sandblasting is to remove thicker coating and is best for heavy-duty applications. Bead blasting is for smoother and polished surface finishing of delicate materials.

Bead Blast Finishing vs Anodized

Anodizing provides corrosion resistant finish; bead blasting is a surface finish process for appearance enhancement.

How much does bead blasting cost?

It costs around $75-125 from proper surface preparation to post treatment.