Additive manufacturing
Aerospace MRO
Aerospace OEM
Alloy wheels
Aluminium extrusion
Bandsaw blades
Composites
Cutting tool inserts
Defence
Dental
Medical implants
Medical instruments
Round shank tools
Wire and cableBenefits of wet blasting
From consistency to eco-friendliness, wet blasting has numerous benefits when compared with other finishing processes.
To learn more about wet blasting click on the topics of interest below…
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Vapor blasting, vapour blasting, aqua blasting, wet abrasive blasting and slurry blasting are simply alternative terms for wet blasting. Vapor blasting is a term commonly used for wet blasting in the automotive industry. ‘Vapor’ is the American English spelling, whilst ‘vapour’ is the British English spelling. Aqua blasting highlights the use of water in the process and slurry blasting emphasises the use of a water-abrasive mixture. Wet abrasive blasting is more of a general term describing any blasting process that involves both water and abrasive.
Hydro blasting is sometimes used interchangeably with wet blasting, although this can also refer to high-pressure water jetting without abrasives. Dustless blasting is a broader term that can include both wet abrasive blasting and other dust-reducing methods. Liquid honing is a term used in precision finishing applications. ‘Honing’ is a wet blasting application where cutting edges have an edge radius applied to them for improved durability, see the section on wet blasting applications below.
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Sir Frank Whittle inventor of the turbojet engineThe first wet blasting machine was invented by Norman Ives Ashworth in the late 1940’s whilst investigating surface treatments with Sir Frank Whittle during the development of the first jet engine. It was also in response to the banning of silica in sand blasting.
The Ashworth family continue to run Vapormatt to this day.
Learn more about the history of wet blasting
A slurry of water and fine abrasive media, glass beads, aluminium oxide, or silicon carbide for example, is prepared in the sump of the wet blasting machine.
The water and abrasive slurry is then delivered to a blasting nozzle under pressure using compressed air, which propels the mixture onto the target surface.
Grease, oils, burrs, oxidation and other contaminants are rapidly removed without damaging coated surfaces. Or, by adjusting the wet blast recipe of blast media, water and air pressure, paints and other coatings can be quicky removed, again without damaging the substrate.
Surfaces are simultaneously polished and if needed, prepared for further production processes like painting or PVD coating. If required, cutting edges can be honed for durability and surfaces peened for additional strength.
Unlike dry blasting, the presence of water reduces heat and friction, minimising surface damage and warping, making it ideal for delicate materials.
Contact us to discuss the suitability of wet blasting for your finishing operation
Unlike dry blasting, wet blasting uses a third element, water, to enhance the levels of surface finish that can be achieved. The benefit of including water is a much smoother and more consistent finish. In addition to producing a clean uniform finished surface in a single operation without damaging substrates, wet blasting is environmentally friendly and safe for operators.
Wet blasting is also more controllable than any other type of finishing process allowing operates to achieve the perfect finish on their components. We are world leading when it comes to the level of control users can achieve with our wet blasting machines.
A range of abrasive medias can be used in our machines. The media used is determined by the type of effect or finish required. Typically, users will opt for a silicon glass bead for a ‘polished’ finish or an aluminium oxide to achieve a ‘cutting’ effect that leaves a matt finish. However, various ‘special’ abrasive medias such as ceramic, plastics and stainless steel shot can also be used on particular applications. See our guide to abrasive medias to learn more, link at the bottom of the page.
Visit our ‘Benefits of wet blasting’ page for our finishing technologies comparison table
Vapormatt have chosen to build upon their technological advantage and opt to primarily serve industries needing a very high quality of wet blasting that gives a highly accurate surface finish. This allows us to work closely with high tech industries to constantly improve our processes.
Today, it provides the perfect finish on everything from medical implants and bandsaw blades to the composites used in Formula 1 cars.
Wet blasting is applicable to a wide range of industries and applications. Click on the links below to visit our dedicated industry pages.
In addition to the industries listed above, wet blasting is applicable to the automotive, marine, food processing, electronics and semiconductor industries.
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Wet blasting is a highly versatile finishing process with numerous applications for a wide range of different industries. It is also worth noting that multiple applications can often be carried out in a single operation, saving on handling and processing costs. Click on the links below to learn more about each application.
Contact us to discuss the applications you are interested in
Automatic wet blasting machines reliably deliver a consistent uniform finish to a surface every time. They are particularly well suited to the frequent processing of batches of similar components, delivering significant productivity improvements over manual wet blasting machines - especially when multiple cleaning and finishing processes are completed by a single operation. Our comprehensive range spans from our entry level Puma + automatic wet blasting machines to robotic machines like the Sabre that is designed to process components with highly complex geometries. All our machines can be used for any of the applications mentioned above.
Manual wet blasting machines are best suited to infrequent use or when the component being processed regularly changes, different sized composite components for example, or where there is just a few components in a batch. A number of our customers use them alongside their automatic machines for one off jobs or when testing the wet blasting process in preparation for an automatic machine. All our wet blasting machines are fully featured ensuring operators have full control over the wet blasting process. Our range of manual machines ranges from the highly popular and compact Vapormate to our Puma XL, which is designed for the processing of larger components.
From consistency to eco-friendliness, wet blasting has numerous benefits when compared with other finishing processes.
With our core focus on process control, our wet blasting machines lead the way when it comes to repeatable and reliable processing.
We are the original innovators of the wet blasting machine and continue to innovate to ensure our customers stay ahead of their competitors.
Wet blasting is a highly controllable finishing process, one of the key controllable variables in the process is blast media.
The health, safety and environmental benefits of wet blasting compared to the other main type of blast finishing, dry blasting.
