What Causes Blockage In The Blasting System?

One problem our micro-blasting customers run into is that their system gets clogged and stops working properly. Blockage in a sandblasting system can cause serious performance issues, including low pressure media flow, inconsistent media flow, or even no media flow at all. The two most common causes of blockage are moisture and mismatched sizes.

1) Moisture

Excessive moisture in the system can cause the blasting media to form clumps and obstruct media and air. (This image is an example of clumping media in a tank — keep an eye out for it!)

Avoid moisture by making sure the media is stored in an airtight container, so the material does not soak up the water in the air. Additionally, if you still find clumping, check the facility’s air supply — it could have too much water vapor, and would require a compressed air dryer to remove it from the system.

2) Mismatched Sizes

Blockage can also occur from the use of mismatched component sizes, specifically:

• Media
• Tank/jar
• Handpiece nozzle tips

If the media is larger than the tank and/or tip is specified for, it can create an obstruction, allowing only air to flow out of the handpiece.

Use these charts to correctly match your components to your handpiece tips:

More information:

• The Vaniman Guide to Microabrasive Sandblasting Media
• Sandblaster Nozzle Size Chart for Sandblasting Applications