Bead Blasting
The process of removing surface deposits by applying fine glass beads at a high pressure without damaging the surface. It is used to clean calcium deposits from pool tiles or any other surfaces, remove embedded fungus and brighten grout colour.
One of the most common materials used in bead blasting are small spherical particles of glass that are shot with air pressure at a surface to remove coatings, or to polish it, but other types of bead materials are also used in the process, such as silicon carbide and stainless steel beads.
A Form Of High Pressure Cleaning
Bead blasting is a form of high pressure cleaning of a surface that is less damaging to the surface than typical abrasive blasting using small sharp particles such as quartz sand. While ball-shaped glass beads produce the smoothest finish to a surface, ground quartz can also be used to give it a more shiny, coarse surface that is easier to coat with paint and is more electrically conductive. Air bead blasting is a fine method of cleaning metal surfaces such as aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium used in the automotive industry, and softer metals used in jewelry and other decorative parts such as brass, silver, and copper. It's considered a low-cost process because the beads themselves are relatively inexpensive and the air pressure equipment can be powered in the same way as common pneumatic tools. The process is used to clean corroded metal, to remove cosmetic flaws, and to prepare surfaces for paint or other coatings.
