As a result of the UK being at the forefront of what is an ever growing composites industry the rate of innovation has been exponential. Driven by the need to reduce weight without compromising structural integrity, the use of composites in the aerospace and automotive industries has been a key focus for many manufacturers. However, as with all manufacturing, there is a need to understand the importance of surface preparation as a means to improve product quality.

The increasing performance demands on machine tools and rising market competition has driven a need for a greater understanding of the manufacturing processes. To produce a high quality and successful cutting tool four elements must be considered. Until recently most consideration has been given to the substrate, geometry and coating processes with a large understanding and several established technologies available. The fourth element, edge preparation, has only recently attracted a wider interest.

Vapormatt has been identified by the London Stock Exchange in a new report as one of the 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain. Vapormatt’s inclusion in the report recognises it as one of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic SMEs. This follows high performance, the development of innovative products and services, and consistent revenue growth over recent years.

Vapormatt, a world leading specialist in wet blasting for surface preparation and finishing, has expanded its global operations with the opening of a new subsidiary based in Sweden. This will further enhance the delivery of wet blasting solutions to businesses in Sweden, Finland, Demark, Norway and the surrounding Scandinavian territories.

Wet blasting has become increasingly common in the aerospace industry, thanks to its ability to carry out a wide range of tasks – from degreasing components to surface treatment of turbine blades, says Phil Dawes, Sales Engineer at Vapormatt.

Wet blasting has become an increasingly common surface treatment technique in the aerospace industry, although to some it appears to be nothing more than dousing the surface with dirty water. But the technique has hidden depths: the water contains abrasive particles that can be shot against the surface with varying force.

Vapormatt, a leading specialist in wet blasting for surface and edge preparation in tooling applications, has announced that its innovative Sabre wet blasting machine has been installed at coating specialist Ionbond’s demonstration centre in Switzerland.

Vapormatt, a leading specialist in wet blasting for surface finishing and cleaning in industrial applications, is now offering a high performance, enclosed paraffin wash machine, developed specifically to safely degrease metals, plastics and painted surfaces. This simple and easy to operate machine enables aerospace engineers to quickly and efficiently clean dirty components, while reducing the health risks of inhaling cleaning solvent mist and vapour.

After a busy two days Vapormatt's first show at Advanced Engineering has finished. Comprising of 5 events the show saw thousands of visitors from across all industries attend the show that was held at Birminghams NEC.

The benefits of wet blast surface preparation for cutting tool manufacturers were presented at JIMTOF 2014 by Vapormatt. For the 2014 show the company drew attention not only to the advantages its technology offers to the tooling industry, but also the developments to product range with the newly released Sabre in the spotlight.

Vapormatt has released its latest white paper exploring the use of wet-blasting in the aerospace industry. As well as providing an overview of the process, the paper looks at what considerations must be made when looking to invest in wet blasting equipment.