Frequently Asked Questions

What are some performance benefits of Empire Pro-Finish® systems that help customer’s to improve profitability?
Some performance benefits of Pro-Finish® systems include the ability to achieve consistent surface finish quality, reduced finishing time, increased production rates, and reduced maintenance costs.
How can Empire modify Pro-Finish® cabinets to be tailored to meet individual work piece and process requirements?
“Modified” is Empire’s term for customizing our incredibly durable and productive Pro-Finish® cabinets to meet a customer’s individual work piece or process requirements by blasting either manually or with a certain degree of automation. Modified Pro-Finish® cabinets offer a solution that is affordable and ideally suited for lower production volume environments requiring a robust product. The growth and sophistication that we have seen in this segment have blurred the lines between manual cabinets and automation.
What are some of the benefits of Empire’s modified air blast cabinets vs. standard blast cabinets?
Empire’s modified air blast cabinets can be a solution for unique applications or to improve production rates through partial automation. They can be designed to accommodate a wide range of finishing needs and offer flexibility for handling different work pieces, which can lead to more efficient production processes.
How is the comfort of the machine operator factored into Empire’s air blast equipment?
The comfort and ease of use for the operators of our equipment is a priority for our design team. By prioritizing ergonomics, Empire ensures that our customers are able to achieve optimal performance and efficiency from their finishing equipment. Ergonomically designed blasting cabinets can help to reduce fatigue and injury of workers, improve productivity, and enhance the overall user experience.
Does Empire have ergonomically designed air blast cabinets?
Yes, Empire’s Ergo-Blast line of air blast cabinets range from our ERGO 2636 to the larger ERGO 6060, which permit blasting of larger work pieces, reduced noise, and a front mounted pressure regulator - all aimed at improving operator comfort and performance during long and repetitive blast cycles. Empire’s Ergo-Blast cabinets focus on operator performance and give manufacturers an edge in many hands-on processes.
How is the toxic dust removed from the blasting process when using Empire’s equipment?
Empire’s SEM-2 Cartridge Dust Collector is essential in the removal of toxic particles from the air. The SEM-2 includes a 4” diameter media recovery hose, a 600 cfm externally turntable, cyclonic reclaimer with internal ultra-wear lining, and an 11’ dust hose with a 6” diameter. In addition, a 600 cfm cartridge dust collector (SEM-2) with a 1 ½ hp blower on the clean air side and a HEPA filter on the exit of the SEM-2 blower are also included. These features are essential for safe and effective removal of toxic dust. Furthermore, the electronic timed door interlock ensures that doors cannot be opened until a set time has elapsed after the foot treadle is released, providing an extra layer of safety.
Where are the benefits of automated air blast equipment?
The benefits of automation come from a standpoint of reliability, consistency and repeatability, but now with the challenges in the labor force, this is just adding to the benefits of considering automation solutions with blasting applications. More often we are being asked by our clients to engineer fully automated and robotic air-blast room systems to process large families of parts formerly manually blasted in a room.
What are the Standard Automated Air Blast solutions offered by Empire?
Our standard automation solutions include products such as our flexible Cell Machines (CM), Indexing Turntables (TT) and the ever-popular Rotary Head style machines. These machines continue to lead us into projects that one would not readily anticipate the application of such equipment. That’s the trend we are noticing - new applications for existing standard automated equipment.
What are some common applications for custom automated air blast equipment?
Customized automation is the reason our engineers stay challenged. Customized automation is not just restricted to aerospace and automotive shot peening applications. Empire has seen remarkable growth in automated grit blasting projects in the Power Generation, Medical, Oil & Gas and such advanced manufacturing sectors. The reasons, as we see them, are several - repeatability, productivity, accuracy, and speed to highlight the most critical on the list. Aerospace customers demanding all the above features in their equipment is quite common, which has now spread to other sectors too. As a result, it is not unusual for us to build grit blasting equipment with closed loop process control for air pressure, media flow, monitoring the condition of blast media, and reporting all these variables in real time, just as it were a peening application.
Can customers test Empire’s equipment prior to purchasing new equipment?
Yes! We invite any customer to visit us in person at our state-of-the-art facility in Langhorne, PA and experience our demonstration lab firsthand.