Why Abrasive Shot Blasting is Critical to Shaftec

Shaftec undertakes a class-leading remanufacturing process to recondition old parts to perform as good as new ones.

The first, and one of the most critical stages, is the shot blasting process. The shot blasting machine fires a stream of particles at high velocity to effectively “sand” down the surface. This process allows us to renew parts suffering from rust, or other issues that can be solved by smoothing the surface back to its original state.

The abrasive blaster is a powerful piece of equipment and the blasting material that is loaded depends on the use case. The machine undergoes regular maintenance to ensure it is always operating at maximum capacity, and health and safety is critical when using the machine due to the inherent risks of such a powerful device.

Shaftec’s Sammi Hamzi has been in charge of the daily operation of the shot blaster for the last two years and said:

 “The machine is of great importance to Shaftec, and I take great pride in my work.”

Sammi Hamzi – Shot blast operator

The Soda blast – for light work

Soda blasting uses sodium bicarbonate as a projectile. The process is non-destructive, meaning the parts do not get sanded down, only cleaned. Upon contact with the part, the bicarbonate explodes, removing dirt and grease from the part.

The soda blast is used for light blasting work on delicate parts, such as electric motors and steering racks. This allows Shaftec to correct light damages to the surface without excessive wear on the parts and to blast on parts that couldn’t withstand a heavier duty abrasive. Sodium Bicarbonate is also naturally occurring and non-toxic, meaning the process is environmentally friendly with no harmful dust produced.

The Glass bead blast – for delicate work

The glass bead blast uses small spherical soda-lime glass pieces as a projectile. The glass beads material is incredibly fine and light and is used for hand blasting – where the operator works with a small handheld blasting gun at close range.

Glass is ideal for pieces that need a smooth and bright finish, such as aluminium parts. This is a delicate process where the blasting nozzle is closely used by an operator on certain areas that require treating. Glass blasting is typically very fine work that takes place on parts such as brake calipers.

The Steel ball blast – for heavy duty sanding

Steel ball blasting uses spherical steel balls as the projectile. The steel ball blast is a heavy-duty rust removal tool for calipers, racks, pumps and shafts. With large particles and a high velocity, this is ideal for stripping off rust and paint and restoring the surface to a like-new finish. The steel balls are of a much larger size than both the glass and the soda used, for more intense smoothing of the parts.

As the process is quite intense, it must be applied extremely carefully to ensure that the part is not damaged and is best used to remove build ups of contaminants like rust on the surface. In addition, it is integral that correct health and safety procedures are followed when using such a powerful piece of equipment capable of damage.

Why shot blasting is critical to the remanufacturing process

The shot blasting process is the critical first stage of restoring parts. By stripping them down, Shaftec then replace all the bolts, springs, and other renewable parts, leading to parts that look and perform the same as new, for a much small environmental impact and lower cost!

“The shot blaster is a very valuable machine to Shaftec. Without it we could not achieve the high standard we expect of our parts. With this in mind, we place a high level of importance to keep on keeping to the maintenance schedule, with daily and weekly checks to keep the shot blaster working at 100% .”

Pete Curtis – Preparation Area Leader.

If you want to see the end result of the shot blasting process, you can check out Shaftec’s complete range of parts here.

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