The micron-sized powders mixed with clean dry air make up the abrasive flow that a micro-abrasive blaster produces for deburring, cleaning, or cutting; removing material; or preparing surfaces. With such diverse applications across several industries choosing the right powder is essential to obtain the desired result. And when blasting on a micro scale, powder quality makes a big impact on results.
 The Right Powder for Your Application
Powders are available in a range of sizes, shapes, and hardness of the individual crystals. These factors determine the aggressiveness of the powder on an application. See the Abrasive Selection Guide or contact a Comco representative to help you find the right type of abrasive for your application.
High Quality Powders
At Comco we maintain strict quality control during every phase of powder processing, ensuring you receive media that performs the way you expect it to, every time you use it. Our strict quality standards address three main concerns:
- Particle Size Distribution – the majority of the media particles must be located within a narrow size range. This prevents coarse particle from plugging the orifice and nozzle. Comco abrasives are filtered to ensure a small size range of particles for consistent blasting.
- Foreign Particles –the small size of the orifices and nozzles used in micro-abrasive blasting makes the process sensitive to contaminants. Comco abrasives are very pure for optimum performance.
- Moisture – media used in micro-abrasive blasting is very different from anything used in larger “grit” blasters. The media must be free of impurities and dry with a moisture content of less than 1%. At Comco we carefully process our media in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment to reduce moisture contamination.
The moisture content and size distribution are carefully monitored to ensure that the media meets our stringent standards. The result is an abrasive media that performs efficiently and consistently from lot to lot ensuring a quality, repeatable process for our customers.
Proper Use and Storage
Keeping micro-abrasive powders dry during production, storage, and operation is critical. To prevent moisture damage:
- Store powder properly – seal containers tightly between uses; store powder in a cool, dry location
- Do not leave powder in your blaster for extended periods of time
- Keep your air supply dry – see Air Dryers section for details
For additional information download the following PDF documents:
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