Grit & Bead Blast Finishing

We operate multiple blasting machines, including equipment dedicated to medical components. Each machine uses a singular finishing media to maintain quality by avoiding cross-contamination.

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Exacting Standards Every Day, Every Part

We use various abrading media to achieve the specified results and finish. The choice of media makes the process suitable for finishing metals and plastics. We have the capability of measuring surface finishes.

Common Blasting Applications

Remove glare from medical and dental instruments
Improve adhesion of medical and other devices
Increase surface area of medical or dental implants
Descale heat treat scale
Add texture for paint adhesion
Texturize for mechanical function
Produce a uniform cosmetic finish

FAQs

Glass beads result in a soft, bright finish and are excellent for blasting and light deburring applications.
Ceramic comes in bead and grit form and creates a smooth or matte surface finish.
Aluminum oxide is very sharp and abrasive and is used for blasting some of the hardest metals and surfaces.
Other types of metallic, synthetic, and mineral blasting media are also available depending on customer needs.

Yes, the most common types of media used for finishing plastic are aluminum oxide and ceramic media blasting.

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Yes, abrasive media blasting can create finished surfaces that create less glare under surgical lighting for medical and dental instruments.

Surface Roughness Conversion Chart
Ra (micrometers)	Ra (microinches)	RMS	CLA (N)	Rt	N	Cut-off Length (in)	Cut-off Length (mm)
0.025	1	1.1	1	.3	1	0.003	0.08
0.05	2	2.2	2	0.5	2	0.01	0.25
.1	4	4.4	4	0.8	3	0.01	0.25
.2	8	8.8	8	1.2	4	0.01	0.25
0.4	1.6	17.6	16	2.0	5	0.01	0.25
0.8	32	32.5	32	4.0	6	0.03	0.8
1.6	63	64.3	53	8.0	7	0.03	0.8
3.2	125	137.5	125	13	8	0.1	2.5
6.3	250	275	250	25	9	0.1	2.5
12.5	500	550	500	50	10	0.1	2.5
25.0	1000	1100	1000	100	11	0.3	8.0
50.0	2000	2200	2000	200	12	0.3	8.0
Ra = Roughness Average in micrometers or microinches. RMS = Root Mean Square in microinches. CLA = Center Line Average in microinches. Rt = Roughness Total in microns N = New ISO (grade) scale numbers. Cut-off Length = Length required for sample.

Blasting Media Chart
Type of Media	Materials used on	Capabilities	Specifications	RA (Micro-finish range)	Industries
Glass bead	Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Nitinol, Copper, Brass, Plastics	Fine shinny matte finish, Removing light heatreat scale, deburring of plastics, Removing light scratches and machining lines, Prep for plating	MIL-PRF-9954D with Mil spec media	10ra-90ra depending on the size of media, dia of nozzle, pressure used and material being blasted	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
Aluminum Oxide	Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Nitinol, Copper, Brass, Plastics	Dull Matte finish, Removing heavy heatreat scale, Deburring of metals and plastics, Prep for powder coating, Prep for painting, Roughen medical implants to improve friction, Improve adhesion on all materials	MIL-STD-171F Finish 5.5.1	16ra-220ra depending on the size of media, dia of nozzle, pressure used and material being blasted	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
Ceramic (Zirblast)	Titanium, Stainless steel, Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Plastics	Fine shinny matte finish, deburring of plastics, Removing light scratches and machining lines		10ra-90ra depending on the size of media, dia of nozzle, pressure used and material being blasted	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
C&G SST (Fine)	Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Nitinol, Copper, Brass, Plastics	Fine shinny matte finish, Removing light heatreat scale, deburring of plastics, Removing light scratches and machining lines, Prep for plating, Arrow's preferred replacement for Glassbead blasting on a part to be anodized		10ra-90ra depending on the size of media, dia of nozzle, pressure used and material being blasted	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
300 Series SST	Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Nitinol, Copper, Brass, Plastics	Matte finish, Prep for plating, Food Grade, Deburring, Removing machining lines		16ra-120ra depending on nozzle size, pressure used and material being blasted.	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
400 Series SST	Stainless steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Nitinol, Copper, Brass, Plastics, Die Castings	Matte finish, Prep for plating, Food Grade, Deburring, Removing machining lines, Arrow's preferred media for AR gun parts that are getting anodized		32ra-200ra depending on nozzle size, pressure used and material being blasted.	Medical, Military/Defense, Industrial, Food Grade, Electronics, Manufacturing, Aerospace
Steel shot	Die Casting, Steel, Cast Iron	Deburring, stress relieving, scale removal, plating prep		50ra-300ra depending on nozzle size, pressure used and material being blasted.	Industrial, General Manufacturing, Fabrication