Vertical and horizontal sand blasting machines
The sandblasting is a technology growing on the market years after years. Mainly thanks to the arrival on the market during the last years of machines able to manage in continuous way the sandblasting pressure allowing to carry out basic decorations without plastic protections on the glass.
The main points to have a look.
1/The working height
If it is theoretically possible to sandblast in two times without plastic protection, turning the glass, it is not easy.
2/The sandblasting speed (for a certain depth), with the possibility or not to add some guns to increase the speed.
3/The machine efficiency to keep the sand inside the machine.
When this possibility does'nt exist or is not efficient, the machine must be installed in a remote place from the others glass processing equipments to avoid scratches on the glasses.
Machines can be equiped with depression system allowing to keep the sand and the glass’dust inside the machine.
Have a look also on the connections between the inside and the outside of the machine (inlet and oulet (more important) conveyors, top of the machine….)
4/How is the protection, inside the machine for the parts which can be touched by the sand flow.
The sand sent under pressure is not really friendly with the parts it can touch.
5/The machine management (automatisms or software)
The more sophisticated sandblasting machines propose now to manage in a continuous way the sand pressure allowing to carry out decorations without glass protections.
5/The way the sand is separated from the dust glass after sandblasting.
6/The risks for scratches on the glass during the moving on The inlet and outlet conveyors
There are machines with fix cabin ( the glass moves along a conveyor) and sandblasting machines with moving cabin (the glass is fix). The advantage for a moving cabin is that it is possible to install a lot of small glasses the ones under the others on the rack support to increase the sandblasting productivity. The disadvantage is the more important risk to have sand ouside the machine.
A mobile cabin must be chosen only in case you have a lot of small glasses to sandblast.
The compressor is never included with the machine. Take time to calculate if you need to invest in a new one for your company to have time to no negociate this purchase in an emergency, because the sandblasting machines is arriving.
Generally but for the big machines, you can install by yourself a sandblasting machines, including the training.
The horizontal sandblasting machines are only interesting when you have small pieces or pieces without straight edge.
