Sandblasting Techniques for Effective and Safe Surface Preparation in Industrial Settings

Sandblasting of tanks and silos

Our technicians successfully and gently blast silos and tanks to remove stubborn residues. If necessary, we also prepare the surfaces for tank coatings, which we also offer. For many years, we have worked with Sika, one of the world’s best coating manufacturers, on tank and silo interior coatings.
Our sandblasting application is carried out without the use of scaffolding. We work in the applicative process exclusively on the rope in your silos and tank systems.

Take a look at our completed projects and see for yourself our performance capabilities.

Explanation of sandblasting

Sandblasting is a technological process of abrasive surface treatment designed for cleaning metal surfaces and matting glass. Sandblasting of metals serves a dual purpose, as the surfaces are both cleaned and roughened. This blasting effect is achieved by the so-called blasting media such as corundum or garnet sand, which are propelled at high speed onto the surface and thus clean and roughen the metal surfaces in a processing operation. In this context, the surface structure is determined by the blasting medium used, and the judgment of the degree of cleaning is based on the subsequent surface protection required.

How sandblasting works

During the blasting process, a strong air jet is generated, which is mixed with a blasting medium. The required air pressure is generated by specific compressors, and the powdery blasting medium can be mixed with water from a collection container either dry or wet. This special sand-air mixture is then blasted onto the surface to be treated at high speed through a hose and nozzle system.
In this context, surface particles are dislodged and removed due to the abrasive blasting effect. This thoroughly cleans surfaces of impurities, rust, paint, or scale. Depending on the process, different degrees of cleaning can be achieved.

Fig. 1 – Partial surface blasting result for rust removal from a fluid storage tankFig. 2 – Tank rust removal comparison using a lightly abrasive blasting medium
Cleaning grades less.

SA 1: Sandblasting with a brushing-like cleaning effectSA 2: Normal surface cleaning without a high gloss effectSA 2 1/2: Cleaning up to a level of a bare metal surfaceSA 3: Cleaning to a completely bare metal surface

What are the different methods?

Depending on the material to be blasted and the desired requirements, different methods are used for sandblasting.

• Low-pressure blastingThe blasting medium is pressurized in a blasting vessel. Under the influence of pressure and gravity, the blasting medium is conveyed to the air nozzle and blasted onto the surface to be treated. The pressure in the vessel can be modified as required. In addition to dry low-pressure sandblasting, there is also a so-called „wet“ process, in which water is added to the blasting material. Specially shaped wet blasting heads were designed for the latter process. Adding water makes the cleaning gentler and reduces the amount of dust. However, the surface performance is also reduced.
• Micro-sandblastingThis process is a sub-type of low-pressure blasting, in which an extra-fine blasting medium such as stone meal or glass beads is used. The separate micro-blasting systems heat the blasting medium at a very high pressure onto the surface.
• Injection sandblastingThe blasting medium is taken from the container and blasted onto the surface through an injector.