You are here

Water blasting

Blasting process where only water under a high pressure is used to blast the surface of a workpiece.

Beskrivning
Illustration of Water blasting

The process

Water under pressure [1], usually between 700-1700bar, is supplied to the nozzle and is ejected as a jet of water against the workpiece. When the water hits the contact surface, any contaminants on the surface layer is blasted away due to the high kinetic energy.

This method is used only for simple surface cleaning. In cases where harder surface coating is to be removed usually requires a blasting method in which an abrasive agent is added.

The same process is used also for cleaning with water at a lower pressure than 700bar and pressure higher than 1700bar and can then be named low-pressure washing or ultra-high pressure water blasting.

Advantages and disadvantages
In comparison with alternative methods
Minimal preparation
No need for abrasives
No need for chemicals
operable in all working conditions
Not an environmental hazard
Need a lot of water
Not suitable for hard coats