News
Technology
March 2014
80
When it comes to processing wire, wet
blasting offers both a superior surface
finish and significant reductions in
production time.
As David Clements, sales engineer
at Vapormatt, explains, the best of
today’s systems will also enable a more
cost-effective
and
environmentally
friendly production process.
Wet blasting machines now offer
exceptionally high quality results with all
continuous wire, cable and strip products.
Applications include overhead power
cable, where wet blasting can improve
emissivity without substrate damage; the
cleaning of aluminium and copper feeder
wire to remove surface imperfections
or oxides, enabling cheaper feeder
material to be extruded into intricate and
multi-void profiles; and the cleaning of
steel wire to remove drawing lubricants
before downstream forming, machining
and heat treatment.
Wet blasting can be used
to clean, degrease, descale,
etch or satin polish and
provides
an
extremely
consistent surface finish
that can be reproduced
time after time with a wide
range of diameters and
materials, including plastic,
soft metals and steel.
The wet blasting process
combines compressed air,
abrasive media and water
in a slurry form to clean and
prepare surfaces, with the water creating
a lubricating effect that increases the
flow of particles across the surface being
treated. Unlike dry blasting, the liquid
cushion also protects delicate surfaces
whilst
eliminating
any
potentially
harmful dust.
Wet blasting results in surfaces that are
extremely clean and reactive, with no
embedded secondary contamination
from the media.
There is also the option to provide
simultaneous cleaning and degreasing
by heating the water and adding a
mild detergent to ensure the effective
removal of oily surface contamination.
The most advanced wet blasting systems
use
powerful
software
programs
to combine and monitor precisely
controlled flows of gas, air and solids,
which are mixed then accelerated
through focused blasting nozzles.
Changing the fluid pressures, blast
material, slurry composition, number
and direction of attack of the nozzles
allows for a range of processing effects
to be achieved, from harsh to soft.
The best wet blasting machines for wire
applications allow media concentration,
process
temperature,
additives
and blast pressures to be carefully
controlled to provide a consistent
surface finish that can be reproduced
time after time.
Vapormatt’s Profelis was developed in
collaboration with 65 manufacturers
across the globe. It is the insight
gained from customers coupled with
Vapormatt’s expert design capabilities
that has produced such a powerful
system.
The controlled mix of gas, air, water
and solids used in the Vapormatt wet
blast process has enabled the machine
to be employed in a range
of applications, including
heat
scale
and
surface
contamination removal; cos-
metic finishing; and prep-
aration for bonding, coating,
encapsulation and cladding.
In conclusion, wet blasting
offers high quality results and
is kinder to the environment,
as well as delivering exc-
eptional surface quality.
Vapormatt Ltd – UK
Website
:
Wet blasting for wire
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Vapormatt Profelis
