You may have heard of bead blasting, which involves bead blasting media. Learn what the process of bead blasting is, why bead blasting media is used, and more below.
What is Bead Blasting?
Media blasting is a kind of abrasive blasting process where a specific bead type of media is blasted onto a surface. This process usually involves abrasive blast cabinets, a type of work area where the operator can use compressed air to boost the speed of the media that is fired onto the surface. These cabinets also enable the operator to work closely with the surface they are spraying and keep it from spreading contaminants or dust into the air.
How Does Bead Blasting Media Play an Important Role in the Process?
Bead blasting media can consist of round glass beads or any material made into a bead-like form, typically either uniformly or varying depending on how it is to be used. Unlike many types of media blasting that rely on angular-shaped media, round glass beads are spherical-shaped. This is important because spherical-shaped media creates a dimple at the point of impact on the surface.
As the blasting process continues, thousands of dimples will form on that surface, making it appear as the surface has a satin-like texture to it due to the way light reflects off the dimpled surface. In the event coarser beads are used instead, the surface will still appear uniform, but have a rougher, coarser surface to it.
Round glass beads are the preferred media in bead blasting, but other types can also be used, including steel shot, plastic media, and aluminum oxide.
