At IMI, we are always looking for ways that we can add value for our customers.
The addition of our new shot blast machine, to our Specialty Coating division, brings a new facet to the surface preparation and coating services we already offer. Shot blasting is performed for a few different reasons. You may need IMI to remove surface contaminants, to smooth a rough surface, or vice versa, or perhaps to shape surfaces.
The predecessor of shot blasting, sand blasting, has been around in some form or fashion for nearly 150 years. The process was invented by Benjamin Tilghman, a veteran of the civil war. Wheel blasting, which is the type of shot blasting that our machine employs, has been around for nearly 90 years. The shot blaster at IMI fits items that are up to 40” tall and 20” wide. It can blast an item at 3-4 feet per minute, or faster, depending on the desired result. Inside the machine, the wheels convert motor energy into kinetic energy in the form of the abrasive media, or shot, by rotating turbine wheels. The four wheels in our machine cycle 300 pounds of shot in one minute. This allows us to meet the White Metal Blasting specification, SSPC-SP5 (SSI-Sa3) or NACE #1. This specification is defined as the removal of all visible rust, mill scale, paint and contaminants, leaving the metal uniformly white or gray in appearance, which is the ultimate in blast cleaning. It is used where maximum performance of protective coatings is necessary, due to exceptionally severe conditions, such as constant immersion in water or liquid chemicals.
Have a structural or large fabrication project that needs to be blasted & painted to your specifications? If so, send us an email or give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you.
