Sand Blasting Cabinet / Zandstraalcabine - Usage

This equipment is safety category 3:

• Mandatory, in person, instructions.
  
• Make sure you read the Wiki before asking.

This equipment is Noise Category 2:

• Can be used at all hours, but in moderation.
  
• Be considerate; if you feel you need to wear ear protection, then only use the tool between 07:00 and 19:00.

This equipment MUST be used with active dust control:

• Connect an active dust extracting system prior to use and keep it on while using it.
• Let it run for 10-20 seconds post use.

Not doing so endangers the operator, others, the space and the equipment.

About this page

The wiki on the Sand Blasting Cabinet consists of four pages:

• Gebruik van de zandstraalcabine (Dutch)
• Usage of the sand blasting cabine (Engels) => This is where you are now
• Onderhoud van de zandstraalcabine (Dutch)
• Maintenance of the sand blasting cabinet (Engels)

What is it?

The Sand Blasting Cabinet is a device in which you can clean, polish or roughen objects.

Do not take the word 'sand' too literally, since we blast with grit made of glass.

It lives in the Fire Workplace.

Identification

It is similar to a type SBC 110 from HBM. It looks like it, but the sizes do not match.

Status

The sand blasting cabinet is currently out of order until the following tasks have been completed succesfully and with positive results:

• Safety scan => was not much use since the danger does not come from the device but from the dust
• New gloves
• New window shields?
• New usage AND maintenance instructions
  • In both Dutch and English
  • What to do and what not to do
    • checking the air flow (how do you do this?)
    • keeping the casing closed
    • not blasting at the gloves
    • not blasting at the window
  • Which materials are allowed to be blasted
  • With which materials the blasting is allowed

Optional: - Add a pressure valve for blasting with less pressure than that of the compressor

Purpose

This wiki page describes how to use the sand blasting cabinet safely.

Accessories

Accessories for using the sand blasting cabinet:

• None.

Manuals

Which manuals does it have?

I could not find an original manual for this machine. Here is one of a comparable machine:https://www.fervi.com/cgi-bin/download/0575_user_manual.pdf

Safety documentation

Which safety documentation does it have?

I could not find an original manual for this machine. Here is one of a comparable machine:https://www.fervi.com/cgi-bin/download/0575_user_manual.pdf

Which safety precautions should I take?

• A dust mask must be worn during operation of the cabinet and when loading, unloading or servicing cabinet. Even though cabinet door is closed, door is continually opened and closed while parts are loaded.
• Never open door while blasting.
• Never blast items containing oils, gas or flammable liquids as abrasive hiting metal can spart and cause a dangerous explosion.
• Be carefull unloading the object and wear gloves if necessary, as metal and components can have sharp edges, corners and surfaces.

Mandatory Instruction

Which instructions are mandatory?

• The instructions in this wiki page.

Mandatory Personal Protective Equipment

Which personal protective equipment is mandatory?

• Respiratory protection class N95 or FFP2

How should I use it?

Preparation

What should I do before I start my job?

• Make sure that the object you plan to blast is safe to do so (how do we know?)
  • All parts to be blasted must be free of oil, grease and moisture.
  • Make sure the parts are dry before placing them in the cabinet.
    

Clumping is caused by moisture in the air supply or from parts that are greasy or oily. If left untreated, the blasting media will flow unevenly and eventually clog the suction pipe or the gun. See the section on maintenance for replacing the blasting media.

• Make sure the compressed air system is properly connected and that there is enough pressure (between 3 an 6 bar).
• Make sure that the ventilation is on and effective. Check this with a ribbon that you hold inside the machine in front of the air outlet
• Make sure that there is enough grit in the cabinet and of proper quality
  • The blasting media should be at a level about 5 cm above the suction pipe; if you have less, it will become contaminated and used up faster. See the section on maintenance for replacing the blasting media. Doing this is reserved for people who are authorised for maintenance of the blasting cabinet.
• Make sure that you wear a dust mask of the proper category (see swhen you take out the object frequently.
• Make sure that the gloves are undamaged.
• Turn on the blast cabinet lighting using the power switch on the left-hand side of the cabinet.

Usage

How should I use it to perform my job?

• Put the object in the case. Close the door with both latches.
• Hold the part to be blasted with your free hand. Keep your fingers out of the blasting stream. It may be necessary to move your fingers during the blasting process to avoid injury to your fingers.
• Aim the gun at a 45 to 60 degrees angle to the object.

Let the ricochets be directed towards the back of the cabinet. Do not hold the gun at a 90 degrees angle to the object as the blasting material will bounce back towards the gun and reduce the blasting jet. This will also wear the gun parts and the sight glass. Hold the gun at a distance of approximately 15 cm. You can, if necessary, hold the nozzle as close as 5 cm from the surface to be blasted. If you come too close you obstruct the airflow making it less effective.

• Move the blasting gun back and forth or in circles, while making sure to keep your fingers away from the blasting agent.
• Do not blast at the gloves. They seem to hold, but if the blaster gets through them it blasts your flesh off your bones.
• Never blast with the cabinet door unlocked or open. When you want to open the case to look at your object, first wait 5 tot 10 seconds for the air to clear up.

Cleaning up

What should I do after I finished my job?

• Evaluate whether the grit and the window sheet is still good enough for the next person to use.

If not, ask on the mailing list for a person that can do the maintenance, since this is a job with a higher health safety risc.

• Switch off the compressed air system if you are the last person to use it.
• Switch off the ventilation system if you are the last person to use it.
• Close the cabinet, clean up after yourself.

Troubleshooting

• Blasting agent stops occasionally

Hold the nozzle on the gun and press the trigger for a few seconds. This causes the air to be forced out backwards, thus clearing the blasting hose. This is an easy way to clear blockages.

• Poor visibility

The sight glass has a clear protective film installed. Over time, the film will become dull, so replace it with a new one. Using protective film can extend the life of the sight glass. See the section on the Maintenance for replaing the protective film. Doing this is reserved for people who are authorised for maintenance of the blasting cabinet.

• Lack of blasting power
  • Check the pressure of the compressor
  • Check that the grit is not sucked in properly (see under Blasting agent stops occasionally)
  • Check wether the grit is worn out (request replacement by an authorised person)

Maintaining this Wiki page

How should this Wiki page be maintained.

• Please help our community with any improvement you think would be good.
• Write in the Wiki page Maintenance Log what you changed

When in doubt, ask on the mailing list.

Maintanance Log

• Initial version 03-06-2025