Abrasive blasting is a technique frequently employed by industries to remove surface contaminants or to roughen or smooth surfaces, ready for a new coating.
The process itself involves propelling abrasive media at a surface at high speed, which is why it’s important to take safety precautions.
In addition to supplying the correct safety gear, employers need to make sure abrasive blasting equipment is safe to use – which includes having it regularly inspected and assessing parameters during the process.
Here at SFEG, we supply Elcometer blasting inspection equipment to test the surface profile and surface contamination of blasted profiles.
Allow us to explain more about Elcometer equipment, the different options available, and their uses and advantages.
Who is Elcometer?
Elcometer is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of inspection equipment to the coatings industry, and has been for over 70 years.
In 2018, Elcometer expanded its product range to offer top-quality abrasive blasting equipment, such as portable blasting machines, media valves, personal protective equipment (PPE), hoses, and a variety of accessories.
A choice of Elcometer blasting inspection equipment
· Surface profile gauges
Elcometer provides digital and mechanical surface profile gauges. These record the value from the top of the peak to the bottom of the valley – providing an accurate measurement.
They come in handy for taking repetitive and multiple surface profile measurements on the surface, which helps to determine everything from adhesion to coverage and overall volume.
Some digital surface profile gauges come with an integral probe, whilst others come with a separate flat or curved probe.
· Testex Press-O-Film Tape
Another method used to test the surface profile involves the use of Testex Press-O-Film Tape, which consists of foam with a non-compressible backing. Though there are 3 profiles to choose from, it’s important to use the appropriate tape grade to avoid false readings.
Firstly, the foam side of the tape is rubbed into the surface to provide a permanent mould of the peak-to-valley profile. The height of the surface profile mould is then measured using a metric or digital thickness gauge.
The Testex dial thickness gauge is quick and easy to use with the Testex Press-O-Film Replica Tape, and also provides anvil pressure to meet industry standards.
· Surface comparators
are flat steel plates used to compare and estimate the surface profile of grit or shot-blasted surfaces, either visually or by touch.
Depending on which one you choose, the comparator will contain 4, 5, or 6 reference surface profiles in microns, which can be compared to the freshly blasted surface.
This test can be carried out rapidly, making comparators especially useful when you want to immediately paint a surface after blasting it, or when measuring in hazardous areas where the use of electronic equipment is prohibited.
· Wet film thickness combs
A wet film comb is designed for single use and can be kept as a record for quality assurance.
The from Elcometer are made from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic, which is made to last.
The comb itself uses both metric and imperial values, including 50 to 800µm on one side and 2 to 32mils on the other.
The comb is placed perpendicular to (and touching) the substrate and held in place for a few seconds until the teeth are wet. After removing it from the film, a note is made of the longest tooth with paint on, and the next tooth without paint. The wet film thickness lies between these two readings.
Want to know more?
Whether you have a question about Elcometer as a brand or you’d like to know more about the blasting inspection equipment we supply at SFEG, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Our team is always on hand to help and will happily share their expertise.
Either give us a call on 0161 480 8087, or drop us an email at sales@sfeg.co.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
