Wet-Blast System Raises the Bar in Manufacturing

Guyson Corporation (Saratoga Springs, NY) has introduced a compact industrial slurry blasting machine with two rotary spindles and programmable motion of the wet-blast guns for blast cleaning and surface preparation in the work cell.

The Vaqua Komet automated wet-blast cabinet has a 40 in by 40 in footprint and is fabricated from polished 304 stainless steel, to ensure corrosion resistance. The wet blasting enclosure, which has thick rubber curtains hung around its inside walls, features a large safety glass view window equipped with an interior wiper and water spray to maintain visibility.

A single electrically interlocked 36 in by 36 in swing-out door provides access to the blast chamber for loading of components and for inspection, adjustment and maintenance of the wet-blast machine.

Four wet blasting guns fitted with boron carbide nozzles are mounted on easily-adjusted brackets, allowing the guns to be positioned at the correct angles and distances for coverage of component surfaces.

A demonstration of the Guyson Twin Spindle Automated Wet Blast System.

The gun brackets are rigidly attached to a ballscrew/ballnut linear actuator installed on the exterior of the wet-blast cabinet. The stroke and vertical traversing speed of the actuator is adjustable, as is the rotation speed of the spindles, enabling a controlled and repeatable surface treatment process.

The blasting slurry is delivered to the blast guns by a urethane-lined pump, designed without bearings or seals and powered by a 2 HP electric motor. The Vaqua slurry pump is mounted at the rear of wet-blast machine and can be removed for inspection or maintenance without draining the slurry hopper. A portion of the pumped slurry is diverted to the base of the steeply pitched hopper to thoroughly agitate and mix the abrasive and water and maintain the uniformity of media concentration in the slurry.

Inside the urethane body of the wet-blast gun, a regulated flow of compressed air is injected into the slurry, dispersing the liquid as it exits the nozzle and projecting the abrasive slurry onto target surfaces of the components.

Optionally available is a recirculating rinse feature that is incorporated into the slurry delivery to form a closed-loop system. A baffled settling tank continuously receives and clarifies overflow liquid from the wet-blast cabinet, then feeds rinse water to a separate pump. In-line filtration of the rinse water is also available.

A mist collector may be mounted on the roof of the wet-blast cabinet to extract moisture from the exhaust and reduce the water vapor released into the plant environment.

Prospective users of industrial manual, automated or robotic wet blasting equipment are encouraged to submit sample components for free laboratory testing and application engineering evaluation at the blast machinery manufacturer’s factory in northeastern New York State. The Komet wet-blast system will be demonstrated at IMTS 2014 in booth N-6066.

Guyson Corporation, 13 Grande Boulevard, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-9090, 518-587-7894, www.guyson.com.