Beyond contributing to a cleaner environment, greener blasting normally pays dividends by deploying energy, media and labor more efficiently. Less waste translates to lower production costs and a greener bottom line. Tactics for greener air-blast operations range from simple to sophisticated.For starters, users of air-blasting equipment should:
- Inspect blast nozzles regularly for orifice erosion. Remember, compressed-air costs grow as a function of the square of the orifice diameter.
- Use recyclable media whenever possible. Recyclable abrasives normally work faster and trim purchase/disposal costs.
- Keep the media reclaimer in tune. Extracting workable abrasives prematurely wastes media. Leaving degraded material in the blast cycle consumes time and energy. A properly tuned reclaimer boosts efficiency with the right working mix.
- Evaluate the economics of moving up to a pressure-blast system. In some applications, pressure-blast systems perform four or five times as much work as suction-blast systems with the same amount of compressed air, representing a major energy savings. The trade-offs with pressure-blast include higher capital costs and, in the past, “time outs” during media refills of the system’s pressure vessel. Today’s technology enables pressure systems to operate non-stop.
- Consider automation. Manual blasting excels in the stripping and finishing of odd parts. But in mass production, automated systems offer a more productive alternative. By focusing air and media within the optimum blast envelop, Empire automation improves efficiency and results.
Contact Us to discuss ways we can enhance the environmental friendliness of your air blast system.