Steel blasters
Prepare all kinds of steel surfaces with our blasting machines for vertical and horizontal applications.
Efficient and cost-effective surface preparation
Steel structures exposed to harsh conditions such as salt, moisture, oxygen or chemicals need to be protected by corrosion-resistant coating systems. Surface preparation is key to ensuring that these coatings are effective and provide a lasting, unbroken barrier against the elements.
Advantages over open blasting
Our Blastrac EBE steel blasting systems are an efficient, cost-effective solution for preparing steel surfaces, as well as for removing paint, coatings, non-skid and other contaminants from steel surfaces in a wide range of industrial applications.
Using steel shot or a mixture of angular steel grit and steel shot, our steel blasting machines allow the operator to achieve a wide range of roughness patterns (surface profiles) and cleanliness to suit almost any type of coating application.
Compared with conventional open blasting, Blastrac EBE steel blasting systems offer many advantages:
- Faster results
- Less manpower
- Less waste and no cleanup – method requires neither water nor chemicals
- Closed-circuit: abrasive is recycled and process is virtually dust-free
- Simultaneously cleans and profiles the substrate, leaving behind a surface optimised to receive and bond with corrosion-resistant paints and resins
In their own words
When it comes to deck maintenance on a ferry, time and resources are always limited. In this video, Senior Captain Tomi Gustafsson and Boatswain Ole Bornstrup explain why they choose Husqvarna steel blasters over all other surface-preparation methods – every time.
How does a Husqvarna steel blaster work?
Our Blastrac EBE equipment uses kinetic and mechanical energy to throw steel shot and angular abrasive (also known as shot media) at high speed against the surface that’s being prepared.
In a continuous and automatic process, the shot media is fed from a hopper into a centrifugal wheel. The wheel spins to create the necessary velocity, then propels the abrasive against the surface. After hitting the surface, the shot media rebounds back into the machine, where it is separated from dust and debris.
The abrasive is returned to the hopper to be reused, while the debris is transported via airflow into the dust collector so it can be packaged into the collection system of choice for disposal.
Why choose a blastrac EBE steel blasting system?
Easy to operate
The machines are user-friendly and intuitive
Modular construction
Our steel blasters can be disassembled into several parts, allowing you pass the machine through an access hatch as small as 600 mm
Closed-circuit
Abrasive is recycled and process is virtually dust-free
Very thorough blast cleaning
Achieve the desired cleanliness and surface profile
No cleanup
With nothing to clean up, the interval between blasting and recoating is minimised, reducing the risk of corrosion reappearing on the metal.
Efficient and cost-effective
Clean and prepare the steel surface at the same time – using less manpower, abrasive material and energy compared with conventional open blasting
High productivity
Small footprint avoids interfering with other work being done nearby
steel surface preparation
How well a protective coating such as paint performs on a steel surface depends a great deal on the surface’s condition immediately before the coating is applied.
The main factors affecting performance are the presence of rust and mill scale, or surface contaminants such as salts, dust, oils and greases, as well as the surface profile. Surface preparation not only cleans the steel but also creates a suitable profile (anchor pattern) to receive the protective coating.
Our closed-circuit steel blasting machines prepare steel surfaces cost-effectively and efficiently. They clean and prepare at the same time, ensuring that protective coatings such as paint adhere properly.
Steel surface preparation is all about achieving the right levels of cleanliness and roughness according to internationally recognised standards. Read more about these standards below.
| Brush-off | Commercial | Near white metal |
White metal |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 8501-1 | SA 1 | SA 2 | SA 2 1/2 | SA 3 |
| SSPC | SP 7 | SP 6 | SP 10 | SP 5 |
Surface cleanliness
There are two main international standards for measuring steel surface cleanliness: the ISO Standard and the SSPC standard.
ISO 8501-1 standard
This is a visual assessment of a surface that specifies different preparation grades and degrees of cleanliness. The preparation grades are defined by written descriptions of the surface’s appearance after cleaning, together with representative photographic examples.
SSPC standards
The SSPC (Society for Protective Coatings) standards are used to specify the degree of cleanliness of steel surfaces. SSPC has standard definitions and photographs for common methods of cleaning.
Surface roughness
ISO 8501, 8502, 8503 standards
These methods allow you to measure the roughness of a surface before paint or another protective coating is applied. It’s measured in microns and shows the difference between the surface’s peaks and troughs. This is important because it will also affect the amount of paint to be used. With our closed-circuit steel blasting machines, you can easily achieve any roughness profile by adjusting the abrasive mixture and speed of the machine.
| ROUGHNESS NOTATION | ROUGHNESS VALUE IN μM |
|---|---|
| Fine | 25 y5 |
| Medium | 60 y5 |
| Coarse | 100 y5 |
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