1 The major components of a properly planned blast facility are sized for efficient operation and maximum return on investment. More and more companies are turning to indoor blasting as an alternative to chemical stripping or outdoor blasting. Blast cleaning with abrasive media removes old coatings, rust, and other unwanted material from a surface, and creates an anchor pattern to allow new coatings to adhere better. Blasting with peening media increases the fatigue life of many materials, including steel and alloys. Manufacturers who turn to blast cleaning as an environmentally responsible alternative to chemical stripping processes, often realize substantial cost savings as well. Employee exposure to toxic chemicals is reduced. Chemical disposal costs are eliminated. In many cases, processing times and labor costs are reduced as well. Switching to blasting can reduce chemical stripping VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) by 100 percent, because the process is dry. Blasting technology has been around since the late 1800s, though the dust generated by blasting, and the cleanup required afterward relegated it to use outdoors. Today's ever-tightening environmental regulations have restricted the use of outdoor blasting to structures and other items too large to bring indoors. Yet even for these large projects, most states require that temporary structures be erected to contain the dust and abrasive. Bringing blasting indoors results in substantial savings, particularly when you switch from expendable abrasives, such as silica sand or mineral slag, to recyclable abrasives. Indoor blasting allows you to schedule production independent of weather, time of day, or other nearby activities. An efficient, high-production blast facility can pay for itself in as little as one year.
2 m Because conditions and applications vary, every blast room is customized to some extent. Careful planning will maximize the benefits of a new blast facility or extend the useful life of an existing facility. The components you select determine the return you can expect from this investment. This guide has been prepared to present you with options and assist you in making the best choices for your specific needs. The function of each major component is explained and comparisons are presented for the options available. Clemco and its worldwide network of distributors will assist with every step in planning, installation and start-up. Clemco is the only manufacturer that offers a complete line of pneumatic and mechanical conveyance systems for abrasive recovery. Clemco can even show you how to breathe new life into an aging, inefficient blast facility. Use the Request for Quotation form in the center of this book to record the information your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor win need to help you get the best system at the best price. MAJOR COMPONENTS AND OPTIONS Enclosure 3-4 Column-bolt. Flange-bolt. Pre-assembled, Lighting, Doors Blast Equipment 5 Blast machines, Compressed air supply, Operator safety equipment Recovery System 6-8 Pneumatic, Mechanical, Manual, Flat- Trak, Flo-FlorTM, Screw Floor, M-Section Abrasive Cleaner 9 Air wash cleaner, Cyclone reclaimer Dust Collector 10 C/emco s txptritnctd staff of designtrs and tngint'ers and our worldwide nttwork of distributors and dealers ht'tp you gt't tht' most from your blast facility. Workpiece Handling 11 Forklift, Work car, Rails, Monorail, Hoist
3 The enclosure keeps in the abrasive and dust and keeps out the elements. This allows the abrasive to be cleaned and reused, often hundreds of times. Efficiently recycling the abrasive can make your blast facility cost effective. The size of the part being processed and the production rate desired will dictate the size of the enclosure. Allow room for the part, plus four feet on all sides for the blast operator to work. To increase productivity, you can build a bigger enclosure, increasing the number of operators and/or the number of parts in the enclosure at one time. This also increases capacity requirements for other blast facility components -- such as the dust collector and blast machines. If you plan to build your own enclosure, get your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor involved before the first drawings are made. While Clemco can adapt equipment to an existing enclosure, it is far more cost effective to plan for recovery, ventilation, lighting, controls, and blast machines in the original drawings even if all of these components are not budgeted. The enclosure's cubic capacity influences the size of the dust collector. In planning the facility, balance the convenience and productivity of the... I I.th th tra Column-bolt enclosures a/jow for InclusIon of an overhead monorail. arger enc osure WI e ex expense of the larger dust collector. Column- Bolt To begin planning your enclosure, describe the part or parts you anticipate.. blast cleaning. Include as much Clemco offers blast enclosures m two construction styles. In a column-bolt information as possible about the part facility, prefabricated steel panels bolt to a structural steel frame. This design and the processes it goes through. allows for wider rooms and will support an overhead monorail for parts handling. Make sure you indicate the dimensions.. f th I t art I t bl t For most applications, the enclosure walls are made of 10- to 14- gauge 0 e arges p you p an 0 as, I If th f.ii ill d th I k ' f ' all.. including products still in planning that se. e aci ty w oerate faun e oc. o 1. especi y aggresve media may be part of production. will be used, rubber curtains on the wall will minimize wear. The additional investment for the curtains, and for their periodic replacement, will greatly extend the life of the enclosure. 18 In (
4 In a flange-bolt facility, the wall panels bolt directly to each other, without the support of a frame. Flange-bolt construction limits the room to 14 feet wide and 14 feet high, though the length is not restricted. If your facility can be 14 feet wide (or less) and does not need to support a monorail, the flange-bolt design could result in substantial savings when compared to a columnbolt enclosure of the same size. Flange-bolt room with reclaimer and reverse pulse dust collector: 11\ Dry-strip booth ideal for automotive jobs, Bright, well-positioned lights increase productivity in the blast room, The amount of light needed Dry-Strip Booth depends on the type of work being The flange-bolt room is also done, Typicaly betwen 50 and 80 available for lighter applications in the foot candles IS sufficient. form of the dry-strip booth which has Lights may be mounted in the walls of lighter gauge steel, and is ceiling or walls, Most blast rooms suitable for use with lightweight blast have flush-mounted ceiling fixtures, media such as plastic and wheat starch. but a tall component may block P As hi d ceiling lights. Wall-mounted lights re- sem e provide even, shadow-free illumina- Flange-bolt enclosures can be tion on vertical surfaces. ordered pre-assembled -- ready to set F II ed,. " or a sma to m lum sized m place at. your, site. A pre-assembled bl t rfull ' ht t d dim. f 7 as room, powe Ig s moun e room has mtenor enslons 0 leet.d 14 1 d 8 h. h at an angle where the walls meet the WI e, teet ong, an teet Ig..li ' d II ill.. Thi all h be k d cel ng provl e exce ent Uffilnation sow... t e room to truc e.,.,, on the top and sides of the part, mtact, Once the room IS positioned on M. th I' '. ounting e Ig ht m odu 1es high SIte, the dust collector, abrasive. pro te c ts th em fr om ma ' d ve rt en t cleaner, and blast machine are con- bl ' th fl. asting. nected, Because e recovery oor IS built in, no excavation is required for a To ensure adequate light levels pre-assembled room, but it can be in a room fitted with wear curtains, placed in a pit to reduce entry height, If consider ordering optional lightnecessary, the room can easily be colored curtains instead of the relocated. standard black rubber. Doors The parts handling doors must open with sufficient clearance for the part and your work handling equipment. Additional doors at the rear of the facility let you pa.s parts through enroute to the paint booth or finishing area. Personnel doors, required by OSHA every 30 feet in large facilities, allow easy entry and exit without havin to open the main doors. Position the personnel doors for the best work flow, such as allowing quick access to control panels, media storage, and changing rooms. Work Stations A work station, built into the wall, allows you to use the blast room as a blast cabinet. It consists of a view window, work rabie, and rubber-lined gloves.
5 Compressed air supplies the power for the blast machine, pulses the dust collector cartridges, provides breathing air for operators, and in some systems, powers the recovery floor. The orifice size of the blast nozzles, the type of recovery floor, and the type of respirators worn by the blast operators will greatly affect compressed air consumption. Most problems associated with blasting can be traced to the air supply. Blast cleaning requires an abundant supply of clean, dry air. Your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor can determine whether your existing plant compressor can power your new facility or if you need an additional compressor. Blast Machines Clemco offers single and multiple operator packages. Multiple operator packages include additional blast machines and a storage hopper to channel media from the reclaimer or abrasive cleaner into the blast machines. Using multiple blast machines allows the blast operators to work independently. Oversized blast machines can be ordered. but they increase the abrasive storage capacity without increasing production rates. If you plan to use plastic, wheat starch or other lightweight media, you must use a blast machine specifically designed for such material. Blast machines can be ordered complete with remote controls, 50 ft. coupled blast hose, nozzle and moisture separator. In addition, the system includes operator safety equipment; Apollo helmet with Climate Control Tube, breathing air filter, large blast suit and leather gloves. Aerolyte blast machines at McCk/Jan AFB. According to OSHA and NIOSH regulations, operator safety equipment, including air-fed respirators, air filters, carbon monoxide monitors and alarms, and abrasive resistant clothing is required for all blast operators. Plan to provide equipment storage lockers and a changing area near your blast room. Blast suit, gloves and respirator. Improper use of abrasive blast cleaning equipment can cause severe injury, terminal illness, or death. Read and follow the instructions in all owner's manuals and warning labels, and obtain proper training before using this equipment. Clnnco's CPF-20 breathing air filter:
6 With open air blasting, cleaning up the dust and abrasive is usually the most labor-intensive, time-consuming part of any project. Picking up, packing, and disposing of spent abrasive can easily account for 60 percent or more of a project's cost. Recovery systems perform two functions:. Catch the media for delivery to a recovery point.. Transport the media to a cleaner. For a truly high-production blast facility, use as much of the floor for recovery as possible. This reduces the labor costs associated with abrasive cleanup and makes for fewer interruptions to blasting. Clemco makes four types of recovery systems suitable for full or partial floor area installation. These four systems are either pneumatically or mechanically powered. Some applications call for builtin vacuum recovery systems to remove abrasive from the inside of tank cars or other containers. If you need to remove abrasive from crevices or containers, plan to include vacuum recovery in addition to your floor recovery system. Pneumatic M-Section Floor Pneumatic recovery works best with lightweight media, such as agricultural, plastic, glass bead, or aluminum oxide. In Clemco's M- Section pneumatic recovery system, dust and media fall through funnel shaped holes into channels beneath the floor. High-velocity air carries this media and dust to the reclaimer. Because there are no moving parts, pneumatic floors are simple to operate and maintain. Pneumatic recovery requires the use of a reclaimer -- a type of cyclone separator -- to separate blast media from the dust, debris, and rmes. The efficient and easily maintained M-section pneumatic float:
Mechanical Flat- Trak Floor Clemco's exclusive Flat- Trak system, the newest type of recovery floor, uses pneumatic power and a ladder-like arrangement of steel vanes to move the blast media. The vanes push the media on the forward stroke. then ride up and over the mounds on the backstroke. Developed initially for steel grit and shot. the Flat- Trak works well with most blast media. Its key advantages include a low profile. requiring little or no excavation. low purchase and installation costs, and ready availability. 7 The Flat- Trak floor requires less maintenance dian other mechanical floors which contributes to its greater operational economy. Additionally, the Flat- Trak takes less time to install than other mechanical systems. This feature helps cut down on lost production time when the Flat- Trak is installed as a replacement system in an existing enclosure. Because die Flat- Trak is offered in standard-size modules, most components are readily available from stock. This recovery system is available exclusively through Clemco, ZERO, and Aerolyte Distributors. Installing the F/at- yak air lint's Stationary frame /'" Pneumatic drive module Control panel Vanes \', Air lines I "'",,!i!,i yanes The innovative F/4t- Trak offin efficient, low-profile recowry. ease of installation, and low maintenance
8 Screw Floor Screw floors move the heaviest abrasives with ease, and are often used for steel grit and shot. They operate quietly, even in high production applications. Due to their complexity, screw floors require a diligent maintenance program. Depending on the number and size of the screws, these floors are generally more expensive to purchase and require deeper, more expensive excavation. Screw floors convey heavy media at high production rates. Pan floors move angular abrasive easily. Flo-Flor In pan floors, such as Clemco's Ao-AorTM, abrasive falls into long pans that are continuously rocked by rotating cams at one end. This rocking motion moves the abrasive and dust slowly toward a crossover pan or a screw conveyer, which transports it to a bucket elevator. Pan floors are durable and simple to operate. They work best with angular abrasive. Sweep- In Systems Manual recovery, via a sweep-in or wall-mounted hopper recovery system, requires periodic shutdown for media cleanup. If you plan to blast intermittently, the low initial cost may outweigh the increased labor costs for blowing or shoveling the media into the hopper. Sweep-in systems can be mechanical (with a grate over the feed to a bucket elevator) or pneumatic (with a grate over a single M-Section at the rear of the blast room). If site conditions preclude excavation, a wallmounted system may be the only option for manual recovery. A sweep-in system is inexpensive to install.
9 Abrasive Cleaner The efficiency with which reusable media is separated from dust and fines affects the cost per media cycle and the life expectancy of the dust collector's filter elements. Too much usable abrasive reaching the dust collector may wear out the filter cartridges prematurely. Clemco's Abrasive Cleaner is a gravity-fed air wash cleaner designed to be used with mechanical recovery floors. A rotating scalping drum culls debris from the media stream. The spent media. dust, and fines cascade over a series of baffles. A highvolume stream of air is drawn through the falling media to remove dust and fines. Reusable media is carried either to a storage hopper or drops directly back into the blast machine. Designed into the product is its ability to spread the media into a uniform curtain as it cascades off each baffle and, control of the flow of air passing through that curtain of media. This design keeps the media curtain from developing gaps. If the curtain is not uniform, the air will remove dust and fines unevenly., """ Reclaimer A reclaimer is a cyclone separator that spins the heavier media particles in the air stream to the outside of a cyjinder, while dust and broken media are drawn out with the exhaust air. RecJaimers work best with pneumatic recovery systems using Jightweight media. A reclaimer can be precisely tuned to minimize the amount of usable media carried over into the dust collector. If aluminum oxide or other aggressive abrasives will be used, order the reclaimer with optional rubber-lined wear-plates. Reclaim"s are used in pneumatic systems.
10 Most blast facilities built or refurbished during the past 10 years have included a reverse pulse cartridge dust collector. The dust collector has a powerful exhaust motor to draw dustladen air out of the enclosure and trap the dust in filter elements. The cylindrical cartridges of the reverse pulse dust collector are open at one end and have a reinforced pleated paper filter element. The advent of pleated, high-efficiency filter elements greatly reduced the size requirements of blast facility dust collectors. To extend the life of the filter cartridge, the dust that collects on the filter element must be removed periodically. Modem dust collectors clean their cartridges with a pulse of compressed air that momentarily reverses the flow of air through the filter element. This pulse knocks the caked-on dust into a hopper or dust drum below. If the pulse cleaning is automatic, the dust collector can operate for long periods without stopping. Clemco provides only automatically pulsed dust collectors. The pulse can be actuated by a timer or by sensing devices that detect dust build up by measuring the difference in pressure between the clean and dirty side of the filter. Position the dust collector as close to the blast enclosure as possible for maximum ventilation efficiency and reduced installation costs. Locating the dust collector outside simplifies emptying dust hoppers and saves valuable plant floor space. Dust Collector Size The requirements for blast room ventilation vary from state-to-state. The size of the room, the condition of the part being blasted, the amount of dust from the blast media, the airflow required for the media reclaimer or abrasive cleaner -- all will affect the size of the dust collector needed. At a minimum, the dust collector must generate 50 feet per minute of air flow through the enclosure. Dusty applications or those that generate hazardous material, may require flow rates of up to 100 fpm. The dust collector's filtering capacity is measured by amount of air flow in relation to the total square feet Pulse jet air manifold - Dirty incoming air deflector Debris -' plate Control panel - of filter element. This is commonly referred to as the air-to-cloth ratio, though modern filter cartridges use pleated polyester/paper to trap the dust. Clemco dust collectors provide a 2-to-l air-to-cloth ratio, though the filter area can be increased for especially dusty applications. The dust collector is among the most expensive components of a blast facility. Paying for more dust collection than you need is wasteful; buying an inadequate collector can be disastrous. Your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolytf: Distributor can recommend the appropriate size of dust collector for your application. Reverse pulse - jet valves Clean exhaust air Dust filter --- cartridges Dust laden air Heavy debris particles --- Magnahelic gauge The dust collector must be sufficiently powerful to ventilate the room and have filtering capacity to trap the dust generated during blasting. -- Debris barrel A cartridge dust collector cleans its filter elements with periodic blasts of compressed ail:
11 Forklifts, rail-mounted work cars, overhead monorails, and other common systems that already exist or are planned for your plant can be integrated into a Clemco blast facility. For parts weighing more than 5,<XX> pounds, modifications in the enclosure floor or roof beams may be required. If you plan to drive equipment into the blast room, tell your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor so that special load-bearing floors or heavy-duty floor grates can be incorporated. A blast facility can take advantage of any existing or newly installed work handling equipment - from forklifts to monorails to work cars with and without tracks. To co-ordinate the operation of the various components, most blast rooms include a central control panel. Controls range in complexity from simple on/off buttons to computercontrolled parts handling systems. The control panel enclosure serves as the interface between your existing power supplies and the blast room. Standard blast room control panels meet NEMA-12 specifications. Explosion-proof panels or other special power requirements will affect components beyond the panel itself, and must be specified in the request for quotation. Control panels serve as the interface between sources of power and the blast facility.
12 ta Clemco has established a professional relationship with a group of experienced blast facility installation contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada. These contractors can prepare: the site, install the blast room, and connect your existing work handling system to the blast room's. Complete or partial installation can be included ill the price of the blast facility. Installation by our t'xpmenced contractors can be included in the price of your facility; Some companies elect to use their own employees or to hire local contractors to perform all or part of the installation. Clemco provides complete drawings for site preparation, equipment arrangement, electrical and sheet metal connections, and finish work. n Training is frequently overlooked as an important component of a new or refitted blast faciljty. Even experienced operators must learn how the systems work, how to troubleshoot, and how to work safely. Clemco recommends startup supervision for major new components and complete facilities, and training for employees new to abrasive blasting. Clemco conducts most newfacility training on-site, in conjunction with the startup of the facility. Also, Clemco has a fully equipped training center at its Washington, Missouri, headquarters. Ckmco can provide complete training and start-up supervision.
13 Adjoining Modules These adjoining blast room modules combine to form a 72-foot enclosure for blasting large parts on a regular, but not daily, basis. The modules are capable of operating independently for smaller parts or linking to handle large parts. Work cars ride on rails set into a concrete slab flanked by Clemco's FIo-FiorTM recovery pans. The slab remains relatively clean during blasting. What little abrasive does land on the slab is blown into the pans before the doors are opened. Each module has its own blast system and dust collector. The installation runs two shifts a day, with two bla...ters each shift. Overhead Monorail. Overhead Monorail In Clemco's own plant, partiany assembled product. move through finishing and final assembly suspended from an overhead monorail. This 120 square-foot room is manned by a single operator free to walk anywhere on the Flat- Trak's 250 lb./ft? man-load grating. Because products are suspended from the monorail, the fun floor catches the abrasive scattered throughout the room. Shed plates along either side direct media into the recovery floor. The modules are ;? --Y -o
", Customer-built t'nc/osurt'. 14 Customer Built Enclosure A remanufacturer of "piggyback" railroad cars built its own loo-foot enclosure using Clemco's specifications and components. The cars move along a spur track into the blast room, then to a paint facility, and on to rejoin the main track. The cars are blasted thoroughly, including the undercarriages, which means a substantial amount of abrasive falls under the cars. The huge facility has a full floor recovery system, including the area under the tracks. Recovery is fully automated, so the two blasters spend their entire shift blasting, with no interruptions for abrasive cleanup. OO; \',' (:c,., \. '0, "'"-/"""'- L \\, \ ) y b... - o.o1 \ \ /..,- ). \, \,.,, :: "" I \' ---,\",6\\-\6 p,......- {"l' \ \ Wall-mounted lighting. \&'...0" ;.'.. \ ("). - C' nv-n.... '\>\\: \., -- Wall-mounted light modules illuminate all areas of the railcars during blasting. A centrally located panel controls all start/stop functions (except actual blasting). Two dust collectors, representing more than 10,000 square feet of filter cloth, maintain ventilation and visibility.
We have manufactured quality abrasive blast cleaning equipment for more than 50 years. You will find our products available through more than 450 independent Clemco, ZERO, and Aerolyte Distributors in the U.S. and Canada. Clemco International, Inc., operates a worldwide network of subsidiaries, licensees, and distributors. In addition to blast facilities, we offer the most complete line of blast cleaning equipment. We are proud of our worldwide reputation, a reputation based on the quality, innovation, and value engineered into all our products. Because we engineer and manufacture all of the components that go into your blast facility, and because the parts are designed to work together, the result is a balanced system, free of the compatibility problems found in some blast rooms. We can even show you how to breathe new life into an aging, inefficient blast facility. A blast facility is a major investment. Our staff will work closely with you to plan and create a facility that provides lasting value and maximum return on investment. We keep you informed at each step and rely on your direction to make sure we are producing a system capable of doing the job. Our comprehensive installation, operation, and maintenance manuals help your employees learn how the system works and how to keep it operating at peak efficiency for years to come. CLEMCO () Stock No. 09292 Job No. 115-0877. Date of Issue; August. 1977. Rev. B; (X)/94