Abrasive blast medias
Aluminium Oxide medias are of a hardness on MOH's scale 8.5â 9
It should be noted that any abrasive described as 6 and over on the MOH scale is classed as abrasive
Aluminium Oxide Media
Virgin, brown aluminium oxide is an angular grit and a very durable blasting abrasive. Aluminium oxide has up to 95% purity and can be recycled many times. It is the most widely used abrasive in blast preparation and finishing because of its cost advantage, longevity and hardness. It is harder than most other commonly used blasting materials and Aluminium oxide grit penetrates tenacious scales, unwanted salts and oxides from even the hardest metals.
Aluminium oxide is approximately 50% lighter than steel metallic blast media and therefore has twice as many particles per kilo. Its fast-cutting action is most ideal for many surface preparation processes.
Applications
Aluminium oxide blast media has a wide variety of applications, for both cleaning and preparing the surfaces automotive components such as valves, pistons, air brakes and cylinders to turbine blades in the aircraft industry.
It is also used for matt finishing and preparing components for corrosion control, plasma deposition, metallising, plating, welding and coating applications.
Rösler Group recommend using virgin, brown aluminum oxide for optimum performance. It contains less than 1.5% free silica and is therefore safe to use. The grit size is consistent and cuts very fast, leaving a consistent overall surface finish. Generally, the larger the grit size, the faster aluminum oxide will cut providing a higher Ra or Rz reading (a rougher surface profile).
White Aluminum Oxide Grit
White aluminum oxide is a 99.5% ultra-pure grade of blasting media and is increasingly being used in critical, high-performance applications and equipment.
White aluminium oxide grit is extremely sharp and a long-lasting blasting abrasive that can be recycled many times. It is a widely used abrasive in blast finishing and surface preparation on more critical components where exceptional precision and cleanliness are demanded. Critical aerospace applications may specify and demand no ferrous contamination and this white pure aluminium oxide is the closest mineral material to being free of ferrous oxides.
Applications for White Aluminium Oxide Grit
White aluminium oxide blasting media has a wide variety of applications in many industries including automotive engine component manufacturing, aerospace, aircraft engine and airframe components. White aluminium oxide is also an excellent choice for preparing a hard surface for many types of coatings including non-stick PTFE type for drilling in the oil and gas industry.
The more commonly used medias are:
- urea and other plastic abrasives
- corn cob grit
- walnut shell grit
- glass beads
- pumice
- crushed glass grit
- silicon carbide
- steel grit
- steel shot
- chilled iron grit
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Post written by
Haydn Kitchen
Shot Blasting Technical Manager