Automatic turbine blasting: installation types, benefits and uses

Automatic turbine blasting is the most productive method for cleaning and treating metal surfaces, ideal for large series. See our overview of what sandblasting is.

What is automatic turbine blasting?

Turbine blasting installations have the highest productivity. The abrasive is mechanically accelerated by turbines, without compressed air, and projected at high speed onto the parts — ideal for large series.

The numbers explain the difference. A wheel spins at roughly 3,000 rpm and throws, depending on motor power and wheel diameter, between 60 and 600 kilograms of abrasive per minute, at a speed of around 80 metres per second.

That is where the advantage comes from: low energy input for a very large area covered, and a uniform surface, because the abrasive lands consistently rather than following an operator’s hand.

Benefits

• at least 10x higher productivity than compressed-air blasting;
• at least 20x lower cost than compressed-air blasting;
• applications: scale/oxide removal, deburring, peening, roughness increase, final aesthetic blasting.

Limitations

Complex parts are not 100% blasted, no selective blasting, no interior zones. For these, use manual compressed-air blasting.

Types of installations

Drum, hook (hanger), roller tunnel, mesh belt, wire and pipe installations — each for specific part types and sizes.

Conclusion

Automatic turbine blasting is the choice for high volumes and low cost per part. VIBROBLAST designs turbine blasting installations in standard or custom configurations.