The Machine That Started It All
The MicroBlaster® has come a long way from its debut in 1968, but it is still the reliable micro-abrasive blaster our customers can expect to keep running year after year. It is tough enough to perform in high-volume production environments but versatile and affordable enough for shops or hobbyists just blasting a few days a week.
The AccuFlo®
Our newest MicroBlaster is the AccuFlo. It is our most powerful, precise and efficient blaster in our evolving MicroBlaster line. It is such an engineering breakthrough that we had to give it a new name and its own page.
Simple but Effective
Our MicroBlaster was designed around a novel mechanism for mixing air and abrasive. Rather than using an inaccurate venturi or trying to shake a whole tank of abrasive, our Engineers created a system that pulses air inside the tank. The modulator is a precision electro-mechanical valve that opens and closes 60 times per second.
MODULATOR OPEN
When the modulator opens, pressure builds in the mixing chamber. This high pressure forces air through the orifice and into the tank, fluidizing a small amount of abrasive.
MODULATOR CLOSED
When the modulator closes, pressure drops in the mixing chamber. High air pressure at the top of the tank pushes the fluidized abrasive into the mixing chamber and out toward the nozzle. Each pulse carries a small, but accurately metered amount of abrasive. The distance between the mixing chamber and the nozzle allows time and space for the abrasive and air to mix uniformly.
Why Wash a Teacup with a Fire Hose?
Working with small, delicate parts requires small tools and great control. Unlike large cabinet blasters, our MicroBlasters are designed for precision work on parts as small as a grain of rice to as large as a basketball. How?
- Modulator creates a uniform abrasive stream
- Pinch-valve provides crisp on/off control
- Lightweight handpiece improves operator dexterity
- Hi/Performance nozzles focus the abrasive stream to pinpoint accuracy
Combined, these features enable our MicroBlaster to help you target specific areas, improve yield and save the time usually spent masking.
Nozzle size comparison: MicroBlaster nozzle (L) vs. Grit or Sandblasting nozzle (R)
The pinpoint focused abrasive stream from a Comco MicroBlasting system can cut detailed patterns into delicate objects.
A MicroBlaster Ideal for Multi-Tasking
Comco introduced the Dual Tank MicroBlaster® Model MB1002 for applications that require a two-step process. An operator can alternate between two different abrasives with the quick flip of a switch. The system runs on a common air supply, but each isolated tank has its own modulator and handpiece to prevent abrasive cross-contamination.
Safely Clean Dental Crowns and Bridges
- Aluminum Oxide quickly removes bulk casting materials. Glass Bead abrasive provides slower, softer removal at the end of the process to avoid damaging the crown.
- Glass Bead is slower at removing the investment casting but soft enough to prevent damage to the surface of the crown.
Precisely Deburr Aerospace Components
- Aluminum Oxide quickly strips fine burrs that form on the machined surface of a manifold and leaves a matte finish.
- Glass Bead abrasive restores a satin finish on the surface.
Thoroughly Remove Conformal Coating from Circuit Boards
- Walnut Shell removes acrylic coatings.
- Plastic Media removes epoxy, silicone or parylene coatings.
50 Years of Comco Engineering Innovation
From the time that we first released the MicroBlaster, Comco has delivered unequaled performance, reliability, and precision. Our commitment to design excellence and customer satisfaction are evident in the advancements made to each new generation of MicroBlaster.
- Our MicroBlaster now comes standard with a flow path that is lined with stainless steel and carbide to reduce wear.
- Our tank plumbing improvements ensure a more consistent abrasive stream at blast activation.
Other Design Improvements
Each MicroBlaster now comes equipped with the following design features:
- Quick Fill design for adding abrasive in a matter of seconds.
- Quicknuts and hardened fittings for easy maintenance and longer life.
- Autovent allows the unit to depressurize automatically when it is turned off. This keeps abrasive from migrating back through the system preventing wear.
1970s
1990s
1980s
TODAY
It Just Works
When Tom Deméré Ph.D., first arrived at the San Diego Natural History Museum in the fall of 1978, the Department of Paleontology had in use this Comco MB100 MicroBlaster. That blaster, originally built in 1970 continues to serve them. Tom remarked:
“At the San Diego Natural History Museum, old Comco MicroBlasters don’t die. They just go into semi-retirement for occasional use when the current Comco workhorse is tied up and our fossil preparation laboratory is so full of workers that another MicroBlaster work station is needed.
San Diego Natural History Museum
1978, MB-100 MicroBlaster