Vacuum blasting, although very clean, is slow and meticulous work. For that reason – (it slows productivity) – it’s not the most practical choice for most blasting projects.
However, our 4+ decades of industry experience finds there are a few scenarios where vacuum blasting is the smart option.
Vacuum blasting requires a high-pressure vacuum built into a specifically designed workhead that brings both blast and vacuum together at the blast surface.
Vacuum blasting can’t be rushed. Productivity tends to max out at 50 ft2/hr (5 m2/hr) and that’s when you’re blasting large flat surfaces with easy access. Projects requiring- say, the vacuum blasting of pipework, will more likely max out around 10-20 ft2/hr (1-2 m2/hr).
When should a contractor consider vacuum blasting?
- Small touch up jobs
- Jobs where access is hard
- Where you don’t want to put up encapsulation.
- Removing a hazardous coating in an environment where you cannot establish dust containment. *
* Vacuum blasting effectively reclaims about 95% Dust and abrasive.