Structural Steel FAQ, Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines

Structural Steel FAQ, Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines

Steel construction and steel trade, shipyards and ship building, and heavy equipment and machinery building rely heavily on specially designed shot blasting machines to prepare their components.

Rosler Metal Finishing expertly designs shot blasting machines for these industries and others to descale, clean, and prepare structural steel for surfaces for end-use. The particulars of each machine largely depend on the size and shape of the specific components in need of preparation.

This installment of our Structural Steel FAQ series will answer What are the most commonly used blast machines for structural steel surface preparation and how do they compare?

Machine Types by Workpiece

Whether surface preparation is needed for steel beams and plates, round bars, pipes and weldments, ship building, pipeline construction, or heavy equipment and machinery, there are machines tailored to produce consistent surface finishing results for each component.

The most common machine types by component include:

• Roller Conveyor Machines for Plates and Beams
• Round Bar and Pipe Machines
• Roller Conveyor Machines for Large, Extra Heavy Components
• Spinner Hanger and Monorail Hanger Machines for Large Components

Roller Conveyor Machines for Plates and Beams

While these machines can accommodate components up to 60 feet long and 13 feet wide,

they are limited to heights of 24 inches. Using a through feed set-up, work pieces are placed on a roller conveyor in order to pass through the shot blast machine continuously.

Roller conveyors are frequently equipped with a blow‐off station at the machine entrance to remove water and loose contaminants. Pre‐heaters may also be added to remove ice and snow and pre‐heat the work pieces for the subsequent protective coating steps.

Round Bar and Pipe Machines

Commonly used for solid steel bars and steel pipes, these machines can accommodate components up to 30 feet long and 6 feet in diameter.

Bars and/or pipes are placed on a special transport system known as a skew conveyor with diabolo rollers that simultaneously rotates the work pieces while moving it through the machine.

Roller Conveyor Machines for Weldments and Extra Heavy Work Pieces

Thanks to an extra-large pass-through opening, these shot blast machines can accommodate weldments up to 60 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 5 feet high.

They can also be used for blast cleaning of extra heavy steel bars weighing up to 80,000 pounds.

The Rosler Way

Whatever your structural steel media needs are, you can count on Rosler Metal Finishing to help you find a better way and the best machine. Contact us today to discuss your unique challenges.

The complete Structural Steel Series includes:

• Part 1 – Why Surface Preparation is Necessary.
• Part 2 – Methods of Surface Preparation.
• Part 3 – Evaluating Rust and Mill Scale Pre- and Post-Blast.
• Part 4 – Evaluating the Presence of Dust.
• Part 5 – Assessing Surface Profile.
• Part 6 – Blast Media’s Influence on Surface Profile.
• Part 7 – Comparing Commonly Used Blast Machines.
• Part 8 – Are All Turbines Created Equal?
• Part 9 – Removing Residual Blast Media and Dust.
• Part 10 – Blast Rooms for Touch-Ups.
• Part 11 – Preservation Lines.
• Part 12 – Material Handling Options.

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