In the automotive refinishing industry, the cleaning and stripping of alloy wheels is a routine task — but not all surface preparation methods are created equally when it comes to operator safety.

Let’s compare wet blasting to traditional finishing processes like dry blasting, chemical stripping, and manual sanding, focusing solely on health and safety:

When a leading composite propeller manufacturer in the aerospace sector came to us, they had a clear challenge: modernise a manual wet blasting process that had been in place for a long time — while improving precision and quality.

Their existing Vapormatt manual machine had delivered decades of service, a testament to its robust build quality, but increasing demands and a growing focus on operational efficiency meant it was time for a new solution.

The goal:

✅Reduce the machine footprint

✅ Replace manual blasting

In orthopaedic manufacturing, achieving precise, consistent, and biocompatible surface finishes is critical — especially for complex medical implants like knee prostheses. While many facilities still rely on mechanical polishing, vibratory finishing, or dry blasting, wet blasting is gaining serious traction. Here’s why:

✅ Superior surface consistency: Wet blasting delivers highly uniform, isotropic finishes with excellent Ra control — essential for both articulating surfaces and porous-coated regions.

In military and defence manufacturing and maintenance, cleaning and finishing processes are mission-critical. The wrong surface treatment can compromise the integrity, fatigue life, or operational safety of high-value components.

One finishing process that's proving indispensable across aerospace, naval, and land systems is wet blasting (or vapor blasting). Here’s why it’s a safer, smarter alternative to traditional cleaning and finishing methods for defence hardware:

The exponential growth of composites across aerospace, automotive, and advanced manufacturing sectors has made one thing clear — precision surface preparation is critical to achieving reliable, high-performance bonds.

At the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, a facility known for pioneering composite innovation, their Vapormatt wet blasting machine (equivalent of the new Puma XL) plays a vital role in supporting aerospace members in optimising their bonding processes.

Why wet blasting?

In modern cutting tool insert manufacturing, multi-layer coatings — including PVD coatings like TiAlN, AlTiN, CrN and CVD coatings such as TiCN, Al₂O₃, and TiN — play a critical role in tool performance.

But in some production steps, it’s essential to selectively remove specific layers without affecting the underlying coatings or the carbide substrate. This is where wet blasting has become an indispensable process.

Here’s why:

Alongside our extensive range of original Vapormatt spare parts, you can now source Wheelabrator equivalent parts directly through us as well.

To order:

✅ Browse our Spare Parts Catalogue by product code (either Vapormatt or Wheelabrator spare part codes) or by description: https://www.vapormatt.com/aftermarket/spare-parts

✅ Email your parts list and quantities required to [email protected] for a quote

When it comes to coated round shank tools — whether it's TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, or AlTiN — the surface preparation process before coating is just as critical as the coating itself.

One highly effective method in precision tool manufacturing is wet blasting. But why choose wet blasting over other surface finishing technologies like dry blasting or brushing?

Here’s what makes wet blasting a superior option for tool preparation:

If you're in the aluminium extrusion industry you know just how critical die cleaning is to productivity and surface quality.

The Vapormatt Cougar + is our automatic wet blasting machine—engineered for rapid, consistent, and thorough cleaning of extrusion dies.

Configured with a single load end and automatic door - the most popular configuration with our customers - the Cougar + streamlines your workflow with easier loading / unloading - easily allowing for up to 80 dies per day. That’s serious efficiency.

Other key features include: