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INDABRATORSHOTBLASTINGMACHINES

blastingforever!
Indabratorshotblastingisaprocessinwhichanabrasive materialisforcedthroughajetnozzleusingcompressed air pressure. This creates a fast and effective way of cleaning or preparing surfaces for recoating using steel shots.Steelshotsaresharp,hardabrasivewhichisused to prepare surfaces on nonferrous metals before re coating. AllIndabratormachinesincorporate5basicelements: 1. Oneormorewheelunits 2. A cabinet that contains abrasive material as it performsitscleaningfunction. 3. A means of presenting the work to be cleaned theabrasiveaction. 4. Asystemtorecirculateandcleantheabrasive, removingsand,finesandcontaminantsfromtheabrasivemixbeforereturningeffectiveabrasivetothe blastwheels. Dust collector to remove all dust and abrasive fines from blast machine to provide an environmentally safeoperatingatmosphere.

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Thewheel Thekeycomponentinairlessblastcleaningmachineistheabrasivethrowingwheel.Theintensityoftheradialand tangentialforcesitdevelops,theabrasiveflowvolumeandvelocityitgenerates,theaccuracyandstabilityofits blastpatterninthetargetzoneallarevitaltotheeffectivenessandeconomyoftheblastcleaningoperation. Blasting Abrasivefromanoverheadstoragehopperisfedtothecenterofthewheelunitwhichisrotatingathighspeed.A castalloy impeller rotates with the wheel and carries the abrasive to an opening in the stationary control cage formwhereitisdischargedontothebladedwheels.Atthispoint,theabrasiveispickedupbytheinnerendsofthe throwingbladesandisrapidlyacceleratedasitmovestotheperipheryofthewheel. Whentheblastwheelisproperlyadjustedanditselementsareingoodworkingcondition,thefulleffectofthe blast stream will be attained for maximum efficiency. Some of the more common causes and cures of wheel malfunctionsarehighlightedonthesepages. ControlCage Oneofthemostcriticalcomponentsinthewheelisthecontrolcage.Thisgovernsthedirectionsoftheblastoutof thewheelandontotheworktobecleaned.Aslittleas10%misadjustmentofthehotspotcanreducecleaning efficiencyby25%ormore.

INDABRATOR|SurfacePreparationSystems

Impeller Ofequalimportanceinmaintainingthedesiredblastpatternistheeffectofabrasivewearontheimpeller.Ifthe leadingedgeofanysegmentoftheimpellerbecomeswornsothatitbecomesparallelwiththeblade,theabrasive willcutthroughthebottomofthebladeandcouldcreatewearonthesteelspacerandbladeslots.Notonlywill theblastpatternbeaffectedbutalsowheelimbalancewillresultcreatingadditionalseriousproblems. WearAffectsEfficiency Complaintsoflongerthannormalcleaningcycles,inadequatecleaningandhighmaintenancecostscanusuallybe traced directly to loss of directional control over the blast pattern. Of course, the blast pattern must be set properlyinthefirstplacebutitcanchangeforavarietyofreasons. WearonthewheelpartswhichcontroltheHotSpotcontrolcage,impellerandbladesisthechiefcausefor changesinthispattern.Inspectthemregularlyandreplacethemassoonasexcessivewearisdetected. AmmeterATooltoControlCleaningEfficiency The ammeter on each Indabrator machine wheel motor is an important tool to help you control cleaning efficiency. It is the only way of determining at a glance how much abrasive is being thrown by the wheel. For example,onatypicalIndabratormachine,witha19diameterby2widewheelsusinga15HPmotoron440 volts approximately 8 amperes would be used without any abrasive flowing into the wheel. Under full load, 20 amps would be used. The abrasive thrown under full amperage would weigh about 375 pounds per minute or about 31 pounds for each abrasive load ampere. If the wheel were operating at 17 amps rather than 20, there wouldbeover25%reductioninwheelefficiency. Whenthewheelisoperatingatlessthanfullamperage(asstampedontheplateabovetheammeter)thisusually meansthereisaninsufficientamountofabrasiveinthemachinebutitmayalsoindicatepooradjustmentofthe wheelparts,itisimportantthatthecauseofthislowamperagebecorrectedimmediatelysincelongerperiodsof blastingarerequiredundertheseconditionstoproducethedesiredcleaningresults. WheelHousing Theblastwheelisenclosedwithinahousingwhoseprimaryfunctionistoserveasasafetyguardandabrasiveseal around the rapidly rotating wheel. To minimize wear on the housing, a series of protective liners are installed inside this housing. The latest protective liner kit, which is recommended for all M, R and RLM wheels, consistofonlynineplaces.Labyrinthsealsprovideanabrasivetightclosurebetweentop,sideandendliners.The curvedtoplinerminimizesricochetofabrasivebackintothewheel. ToReduceBlastCleaningWheelNoise Oneofthechiefsourcesofnoiseattheblastmachineistheopeningwhereabrasiveisfedtotheblastwheel.The SoundAbatortotallyenclosedabrasivecontrolvalve,whichcanbeinstalledonmostIndabratormachinemachines, is specificallydesigned to combatnoise from this source by sealing the opening tothe wheel. Itcan reduce the noiselevelofatypicalblastwheel,measuredthreeinchesfromtheabrasivefeedinlet,by25decibels(Ascale).

INDABRATOR|SurfacePreparationSystems

The SoundAbator also serves another important function by modulating the volume of abrasive flowing to the blastwheel. TheWheelTuneupKit EverythingneededtorestoretheblastwheeltopeakefficiencyiscontainedinthisIndabratormachineTuneup Kit. A handy single packagekit containingall the replacement partsneeded fora complete tuneup of the blast wheel. Experience has proven that worn wheel components cut blast cleaning machine efficiency drastically. Also, as components wear out, the blast pattern deteriorates. Abrasive that isnt focused on the work is wasted. So is energyaswellasproductiontimeandlabor. WhatYourBlastWheelExpectsFromYou Bypayingpromptattentiontodangersignals,asindicatedbyobservationandyoursystemofcostcontrolrecords, youcancorrectproblemsbeforetheybecomecostly,andmaintainwheeloperatingefficiencyatitshighestlevel. TheAbrasiveHandlingSystem EveryIndabratormachineblastcleaningsystemcontainsthefollowingelements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ThehighefficiencyCFSseparator TheroleoftheabrasiveseparatorintheIndabratormachineoperationistoremovesand,scale,abrasivefinesand othercontaminantsfromtheabrasiveoperatingmixsothatonlycleanabrasive,properlysized,isreturnedtothe blast wheel for reuse. The degree of success of the separator in a large measuredetermines partslife, abrasive consumption,andthetypeoffinishgiventheworkbeingblasted,andthespeedandqualityofcleaning. AlthoughtherearetwogeneraltypesofairwashseparatorsusedonIndabratormachinemachinesthegravity andcompensatingflow(CFS)discussionherewillbecenteredupontheCFStypebecauseofitsmoregeneral usageandhigherefficiency. TheCFSseparatorisdesignedtoutilizecompensatingflowtopresentafulllengthcurtainofmaterialtotheair washingofabrasive.Itisdesignedsothatabrasivenottheseparatorparts. Theoverheadrotaryscreenremovesanytrampmetalfromtheabrasive.Italsospreadsouttheabrasiveacross the full length of the separator. Two baffles, as shown on the drawing a fixed sliding baffle and an adjustable Theabrasiveelevator. Adevicetomoveabrasivefromtheelevatorandprovidepreliminaryscreeningoftheabrasivebeforeit enterstheseparatorthismaybebygravityorascreenedrotaryscrewconveyor. Anairwashabrasiveseparatortoremovealldust,finesandcontaminantsfromtheabrasive. Ahoppertocollectrefuseremovedfrotheabrasive. Anabrasivecontroldevice(SoundAbator)tocontrolandmeterflowofabrasivetotheblastwheel. Ameansofmovingspentabrasive,sandandothercontaminantstotheelevator.Thiscouldbeahelicoids screw,shakerconveyororgravity.

INDABRATOR|SurfacePreparationSystems

swingbaffleareutilized.Whenproperlyadjusted,thebafflespermitonlyafullwidthcurrenttobepresentedto theaircurrents. VentilationandEnvironmentalProtection Sincetheblastingactionremovessand,scale,rust,etc.fromworkandreducesthematerialremovedtovarying degreesoffineness,anadequateandproperlyoperatingdustcollectorsystemisnecessaryforefficientoperation oftheblastequipment. The predetermined flow of air from each of the vent points on the Indabrator machine must exist for proper operationofthemachine.Althoughthefailuretomaintainthisflowwillsoonbecomeobviousthroughareduction incleaningefficiencyanddustingatthemachine,aperiodiccheckonairvolumeswillprecludethepossibilityofan unobservedgradualdegradationofoperation. The dust collector is also the air source for the abrasive separator. The condition and efficiency of the dust collectorhaveanimportantinfluenceonseparatorefficiency. Whenproperventilationisbeingexperiencedateachventingpoint,staticpressurereadings(withamanometer) shouldbetakenineachoftheventpipesandthesereadingsrecordedasstandardsforfuturecomparison.Should anyfuturereadingsshowmaterialchangeinstaticpressures,itindicatesanupsetintheconditionofairflow,the causeofwhichshouldbeinvestigatedimmediately. YourIndabratormachineisprobablyventilatedbyeitheraIndabratormachine(Shakertype)orultrajet(Pulse type) fabric filters. These are simple yet highly efficient dust collectors and when properly sized will provide adequateventilationfortheIndabratormachine.Listedintheboxbelowareanumberofmaintenanceprocedures whichshouldbefollowedregularlytoinsurecontinuingventilationtotheIndabratormachine. TheIndabratormachineCartridgeFilterSystem The Indabrator machine Cartridge Filter is a continuous, automatic pulse type Dust Collector. Dust particles are effectivelycapturedontheoutersurfacesofthecellulosenonwovenfabriccartridges.Thisconstructionandthe highlyefficient filter medium combines features of compact design with ease of servicing.A simple cam locking device is utilized for installation and removal of cartridge filters. The unique venture system sends a periodic metered jet of high pressure air down the inside of the cartridges, halting the inflow of air and expelling the collecteddustfromtheoutersurfaces. DustubeFabricFilter The Indabrator machine Dustube Collector is a simple dependable air cleaner employing cloth filter tubes. Dust laden air entering the collector first strikes a baffle plate. The sudden change in velocity and direction causes heavier particles to drop into the hopper leaving only the finest floating dust particles to reach the tubes. To removebuildupdustfromtheinsideofthetubes,theyareshakenwhenlimp.

INDABRATOR|SurfacePreparationSystems

UltraJetPulseTypeCollector TheIndabratormachineUltraJetisacontinuousautomaticpulsetypefabricdustcollector.Itsspeciallydesigned baffleplatesoppositetheairinletdeflectincomingdustladenairaroundthesurfacesofallfilterbags.Toremove collecteddust,ameteredjetofhighpressureairisreleasedthroughthejetpumpcleaningsystem.Thisinflates thefiltertube,haltinginflowofairthroughthetubeandexpectsdustfromtheoutersurfaceofthecloth. ImportanceofAbrasive Thefinalelementofblastcleaningistheabrasiveitself.Threeimportantfactorsshouldbeconsideredtoevaluate theperformanceoftheabrasive: 1. 2. 3. Thisperformanceisdeterminedbyabrasivebreakdowncharacteristics,theabrasivesizedistributionintheblast machineandtheabrasivehardness. Abrasivebreakdownrateaffectstheshapeoftheabrasiveintheoperatingmix,andthereforethemaintenanceon theblastequipment.Abrasivesizedistributionisalsoinfluencedbythebreakdownrate.Thesmallestsizeabrasive possibleshouldbeselectedforeachjob.Thesizeoftheabrasiveselected,however,isnotthefactorinfluencing consumption.Rather,itisthesizeatwhichtheabrasiveisremovedfrothemachine. Abrasivehardnessisthethirdmajorconsiderationinarrivingatproperproductselection. Theharder,tougherandmoreresistanttheabrasive,themoreusefulenergyitwillimparttothecleaningtask. Whenpossible,usealowbreakdownandhighhardnessproduct,characteristicsfoundinIndabratormachineSteel Abrasive,forlowestmaintenancecostsandmaximumcleaningefficiency. Wishyouhighproductivity! TeamIndabrator. Theamountofcleaningtheabrasivewilldoinagivenlengthoftime. Thequalityofthecleaning. Thecostofperformingagivenamountofwork.

INDABRATOR|SurfacePreparationSystems

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