Sandblasting Dangers vs Dustless Blasting Benefits
Why is traditional sandblasting no longer the way to prepare surfaces?
Though the dangers of silica dust was known to be hazardous to your health in the early 1900s. Australian states did not start banning sandblasting until 1959. NSW was the first to ban the practice of blasting sand and most states followed some time after that. Victoria, however, did not effect a ban until a further 43 years later! January 1st, 2002 was the official date that Victoria banned the practice of blasting sand at high pressure.
We are fortunate now that we can use other media for blasting purposes. Garnet, crushed glass and other materials that do not produce silicates after impacting the job. All sandblasting must be done in a closed and sealed booth or cabinet. On top of that, there is the issue of what you are blasting and what is coming off the job. Lead particles and other dangerous contaminants leaving a job without containment are against the strict guidelines set down by the EPA
This is where dustless blasting steps in
By incorporating water into the blasting process it dramatically reduces free dust. Trapping the dust in a small droplet of water, the droplets fall to the ground far quicker than the dust particle on its own. All contaminants and waste are cleaned up and removed before the job is completed. Another important aspect of adding water is its ability to cool down the impact zone (think evaporative cooling) which means any particles leaving the surface are also cool. Hot dry dust will rise quickly where as cool wet dust will fall to the ground even quicker.
This allows us to safely remove lead-based materials like old house paints and marine antifoul without the need to use expensive containment measures.
Public health and safety is not just something we take seriously. It is a requirement by law that we use best practice methods and our specialized blasting units are just that.
Advantages we offer over sandblasting
No longer do you have to seal and dustproof your house, boat, and other assets from the drifting dust.
We can take antifoul off a boat while it is right next to other boats and neither have to seal the cabins or wash the decks after the job.
Stripping cars, trucks and boats right in your driveway or panel shop.
Other trades continue to work on the same site with blasting operations.
Blast farm and earthmoving machinery out in the field
Clean factory floors with minimal disruption to production
Transporting your project to a sandblasting booth is no longer a consideration. We come to the project!
Mobility
One of the best advantages we have over traditional sandblasting is our mobility. We travel to your location! We can also set up our machine up to 100m from the actual job. This means we can cater for small jobs on a large property with limited access or a massive job in a restricted space. We are completely self-sufficient and can operate without outside power. Remote locations are our speciality.
Located at the southern end of East Link freeway. Servicing just about anywhere in the Greater Melbourne area in a short time. We travel around both Port Phillip and Westernport bays and into Gippsland.
Surface preparation and preservation
Sandblasting generates heat if not done by an experienced operator and will warp your base surface. The desired goal for your project is ruined before it is finished. Imagine finding the perfectly straight bonnet for your historic muscle car only to have it looking like a wave pool after it is blasted. This will not happen with dust free blasting. The moisture added to the mixture actually cools the impact zone so the surface stays straight and warp free.
We can change the abrasive media, adjust the flow of the abrasive and change the blasting pressure at the nozzle. This lets us customise the process to your specific needs and materials. Anything from heavy plate steel down to wooden furniture are all candidates for our service.
With the right combination of media, flows, and pressures we can give you a surface that is ready to paint the same day. In fact, we provide a paint sealing service as part of our business. In most cases, we can have your project blasted, cleaned and painted with an appropriate sealer in the same day.
All at your location!
