A long-standing customer of Protoblast who has a full recovery blast chamber installed way back in 1996 was looking to keep up with increased demand. The dust collector on the booth was an old wet type of unit that was struggling to keep up with the dust load and not only that but was proving to be expensive to operate as disposing of the sludge was a hassle. Protoblast had recently provided an overhaul of their Abrasive Recovery system, so they kept moving on and we provided a 40,000cfm dust collector to replace the old original 20,000cfm unit. The customer said, “The difference is like chalk and cheese”. The increased airflow meant perfect visibility for the operator, and he did not need to pause blasting to let the dust settle, the increased airflow also meant the Protoblast abrasive classifier was working to its full potential in removing dust and fines from the spent abrasive.
Often when you are working with something for a long time you do not realize how much better it could be and this was a perfect example of that. Blasting does not have to be dirty and messy. With the right equipment and processes, it can add massive value to your company and be an integral part of your process.