1

The major components of a properly planned blast facility are sized for efficient operation and maximum return on investment.

chemicals is reduced. Chemicaldisposal costs are eliminated. Inmany cases, processing times andlabor costs are reduced as well.Switching to blasting can reducechemical stripping VOCs (VolatileOrganic Compounds) by 100percent, because the process is dry.

Blasting technology has beenaround since the late 1800s, thoughthe dust generated by blasting, andthe cleanup required afterwardrelegated it to use outdoors.

Today's ever-tighteningenvironmental regulations haverestricted the use of outdoorblasting to structures and otheritems too large to bring indoors.

More and more companiesare turning to indoor blasting as analternative to chemical stripping oroutdoor blasting. Blast cleaningwith abrasive media removes oldcoatings, rust, and other unwantedmaterial from a surface, and createsan anchor pattern to allow newcoatings to adhere better. Blastingwith peening media increases thefatigue life of many materials,including steel and alloys.

Manufacturers who turn toblast cleaning as an environmentallyresponsible alternative to chemicalstripping processes, often realizesubstantial cost savings as well.Employee exposure to toxic

Yet even for these large projects,most states require that temporarystructures be erected to contain thedust and abrasive.

Bringing blasting indoorsresults in substantial savings,particularly when you switch fromexpendable abrasives, such as silicasand or mineral slag, to recyclableabrasives.

Indoor blasting allows you toschedule production independent ofweather, time of day, or othernearby activities.

An efficient, high-productionblast facility can pay for itself in aslittle as one year.

2

m

Because conditions and applications vary, every blast room is customizedto some extent. Careful planning will maximize the benefits of a new blastfacility or extend the useful life of an existing facility. The components youselect determine the return you can expect from this investment.

This guide has been prepared to present you with options and assist you inmaking the best choices for your specific needs. The function of each majorcomponent is explained and comparisons are presented for the options available.

Clemco and its worldwide network of distributors will assist with everystep in planning, installation and start-up. Clemco is the only manufacturer thatoffers a complete line of pneumatic and mechanical conveyance systems forabrasive recovery. Clemco can even show you how to breathe new life into anaging, inefficient blast facility.

Use the Request for Quotation form in the center of this book to record theinformation your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor win need to help youget the best system at the best price.

MAJOR COMPONENTS

AND OPTIONS

Enclosure 3-4Column-bolt. Flange-bolt.Pre-assembled, Lighting, Doors

Blast Equipment 5Blast machines, Compressed air supply,

Operator safety equipment

Recovery System 6-8Pneumatic, Mechanical, Manual,Flat- Trak, Flo-FlorTM,Screw Floor, M-Section

Abrasive Cleaner 9Air wash cleaner, Cyclone reclaimer

Dust Collector 10

Workpiece Handling 11

C/emco s txptritnctd staff of designtrs and tngint'ers and our worldwide nttwork ofdistributors and dealers ht'tp you gt't tht' most from your blast facility.

Forklift, Work car, Rails,

Monorail, Hoist

3

18If you plan to build your own enclosure, get your Clemco, ZERO, orAerolyte Distributor involved before the fIrst drawings are made. While Clemcocan adapt equipment to an existing enclosure, it is far more cost effective to planfor recovery, ventilation, lighting, controls, and blast machines in the originaldrawings even if all of these components are not budgeted.

The enclosure keeps in theabrasive and dust and keeps out theelements. This allows the abrasive tobe cleaned and reused, often hundredsof times. Efficiently recycling theabrasive can make your blast facilitycost effective.

The size of the part being pro-cessed and the production rate desiredwill dictate the size of the enclosure.Allow room for the part, plus four feeton all sides for the blast operator towork.

In

(~

To increase productivity, you canbuild a bigger enclosure, increasing thenumber of operators and/or the numberof parts in the enclosure at one time.This also increases capacity require-ments for other blast facility compo-nents -- such as the dust collector andblast machines.

The enclosure's cubic capacityinfluences the size of the dust collector.In planning the facility, balance theconvenience 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.

To begin planning your enclosure, Column- Boltdescribe the part or parts you anticipate ..blast cleaning. Include as much Clemco offers blast enclosures m two construction styles. In a column-boltinformation as possible about the part facility, prefabricated steel panels bolt to a structural steel frame. This designand 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- gauge0 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 s~e. e aCI ty w o~erate faun e ~ oc . o~ 1. especi y aggre~s~ve mediamay 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 extendthe life of the enclosure.

4

Flange-bolt room with reclaimer and reverse pulse dust collector:

DoorsThe parts handling doors must

open with sufficient clearance for thepart and your work handling equipment.

Additional doors at the rear of thefacility let you pa.~s parts through en-route to the paint booth or finishing area.

Personnel doors, required byOSHA every 30 feet in large facilities,allow easy entry and exit without havin~~to open the main doors. Position thepersonnel doors for the best work flow,such as allowing quick access to controlpanels, media storage, and changingrooms.

11\

Work StationsA work station, built into the wall,

allows you to use the blast room as ablast cabinet. It consists of a viewwindow, work rabIe, and rubber-lined

gloves.

In a flange-bolt facility, the wallpanels bolt directly to each other,without the support of a frame.Flange-bolt construction limits theroom to 14 feet wide and 14 feet high,though the length is not restricted.

If your facility can be 14 feetwide (or less) and does not need tosupport a monorail, the flange-boltdesign could result in substantialsavings when compared to a column-bolt enclosure of the same size.

Bright, well-positioned lightsDry-strip booth ideal for automotive jobs, increase productivity in the blast

room, The amount of light neededDry-Strip Booth depends on the type of work beingThe flange-bolt room is also done, Typica~ly betw~en 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 thewalls of lighter gauge steel, and is ceiling or walls, Most blast roomssuitable 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 lightsre- 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, . d" or a sma to m lum sIzem place at your site. A pre-assembled bl t rfull ' ht t d. ,

dim . f 7 ~ as room, powe Ig s moun eroom has mtenor enSlons 0 leet.d 14 ~ 1 d 8 ~ h. h at an angle where the walls meet theWI e, teet ong, an teet Ig . .

li ' d II ill . .

Thi all h be k d cel ng provl e exce ent Uffilnationsow... t e room to truc e ., . , , on the top and sIdes of the part,mtact, Once the room IS poSItioned on M . th I ' h od 1 hi h' . ounting e Ig t m u es gSIte, the dust collector, abrasIve te ts th fr ' d rt t. pro c em om ma ve en

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 levelspre-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 light-necessary, the room can easily be colored curtains instead of therelocated. standard black rubber.

5

Blast MachinesClemco offers single and

multiple operator packages. Multipleoperator packages include additionalblast machines and a storage hopper tochannel media from the reclaimer orabrasive cleaner into the blast ma-chines. Using multiple blast machinesallows the blast operators to workindependently. Oversized blastmachines can be ordered. but theyincrease the abrasive storage capacitywithout increasing production rates.

If you plan to use plastic, wheatstarch or other lightweight media, youmust use a blast machine specificallydesigned for such material.

Blast machines can be orderedcomplete with remote controls, 50 ft.coupled blast hose, nozzle and mois-ture separator. In addition, the systemincludes operator safety equipment;Apollo helmet with Climate ControlTube, breathing air filter, large blastsuit and leather gloves.

The orifice size of the blastnozzles, the type of recovery floor, andthe type of respirators worn by theblast operators will greatly affectcompressed air consumption.

Most problems associated withblasting can be traced to the air supply.Blast cleaning requires an abundantsupply of clean, dry air. Your Clemco,ZERO, or Aerolyte Distributor candetermine whether your existing plantcompressor can power your newfacility or if you need an additional

compressor.

Aerolyte blast machines at McCk/Jan AFB.

~Clnnco's CPF-20 breathing air filter:Blast suit, gloves and respirator.

Compressed air supplies thepower for the blast machine, pulses thedust collector cartridges, providesbreathing air for operators, and insome systems, powers the recoveryfloor.

According to OSHA and NIOSH

regulations, operator safety equipment,including air-fed respirators, air filters,carbon monoxide monitors and alarms,and abrasive resistant clothing isrequired for all blast operators. Plan toprovide equipment storage lockers anda changing area near your blast room.

Improper use of abrasive blastcleaning equipment can cause severeinjury, terminal illness, or death. Readand follow the instructions in allowner's manuals and warning labels,and obtain proper training before usingthis equipment.

6

With open air blasting, cleaningup the dust and abrasive is usually themost labor-intensive, time-consumingpart of any project. Picking up,packing, and disposing of spentabrasive can easily account for 60percent or more of a project's cost.

Recovery systems perform twofunctions:

. Catch the media for delivery

to a recovery point.. Transport the media to a

cleaner.

For a truly high-production blastfacility, use as much of the floor forrecovery as possible. This reduces thelabor costs associated with abrasivecleanup and makes for fewer interrup-tions to blasting.

Clemco makes four types ofrecovery systems suitable for full orpartial floor area installation. Thesefour systems are either pneumaticallyor mechanically powered.

Some applications call for built-in vacuum recovery systems to removeabrasive from the inside of tank cars orother containers. If you need to

remove abrasive from crevices orcontainers, plan to include vacuumrecovery in addition to your floor

recovery system.

PneumaticM-Section FloorPneumatic recovery works best

with lightweight media, such asagricultural, plastic, glass bead, oraluminum oxide. In Clemco's M-Section pneumatic recovery system,dust and media fall through funnelshaped holes into channels beneath thefloor. High-velocity air carries thismedia and dust to the reclaimer.

Because there are no movingparts, pneumatic floors are simple tooperate and maintain. Pneumaticrecovery requires the use of areclaimer -- a type of cyclone separa-tor -- to separate blast media from thedust, debris, and rmes.

The efficient and easily maintained M-section pneumatic float:

7

MechanicalFlat- Trak FloorClemco's exclusive Flat- Trak

system, the newest type of recoveryfloor, uses pneumatic power and aladder-like arrangement of steel vanesto move the blast media. The vanespush the media on the forward stroke.then ride up and over the mounds onthe backstroke.

Developed initially for steel gritand shot. the Flat- Trak works well withmost blast media. Its key advantagesinclude a low profile. requiring little orno excavation. low purchase andinstallation costs, and ready availability.

The Flat- Trak floor requires lessmaintenance dian other mechanicalfloors which contributes to its greateroperational economy.

Additionally, the Flat- Trak takesless time to install than other mechani-cal systems. This feature helps cut downon lost production time when the Flat-Trak is installed as a replacementsystem in an existing enclosure.

Because die Flat- Trak is offeredin standard-size modules, most compo-nents are readily available from stock.This recovery system is availableexclusively through Clemco, ZERO,and Aerolyte Distributors. Installing the F/at- yak air lint's

Control panelAir lines

Pneumaticdrive module Vanes

\',

Stationaryframe

I "'" ,~,!i!,i~ yanes

~~/'"

The innovative F/4t- Trak offin efficient, low-profile recowry. ease of installation, and low maintenance

8

Screw FloorScrew floors move the heaviest

abrasives with ease, and are often usedfor steel grit and shot. They operatequietly, even in high productionapplications. Due to their complexity,screw floors require a diligent mainte-nance program.

Depending on the number andsize of the screws, these floors aregenerally more expensive to purchaseand require deeper, more expensiveexcavation.

Screw floors convey heavy media at high production rates.

Pan floors move angular abrasive easily.

Sweep- In SystemsManual recovery, via a sweep-in

or wall-mounted hopper recoverysystem, requires periodic shutdown formedia cleanup. If you plan to blastintermittently, the low initial cost mayoutweigh the increased labor costs forblowing or shoveling the media intothe hopper.

Sweep-in systems can bemechanical (with a grate over the feedto a bucket elevator) or pneumatic(with a grate over a single M-Sectionat the rear of the blast room). If siteconditions preclude excavation, a wall-mounted system may be the onlyoption for manual recovery.

A sweep-in system is inexpensive to install.

Flo-FlorIn pan floors, such as Clemco's

Ao-AorTM, abrasive falls into longpans that are continuously rocked byrotating cams at one end. This rockingmotion moves the abrasive and dustslowly toward a crossover pan or ascrew conveyer, which transports it toa bucket elevator.

Pan floors are durable andsimple to operate. They work best withangular abrasive.

~

9

Abrasive Cleaner,~

The efficiency with whichreusable media is separated from dustand fines affects the cost per mediacycle and the life expectancy of thedust collector's fIlter elements. Toomuch usable abrasive reaching the dustcollector may wear out the filtercartridges prematurely.

Clemco's Abrasive Cleaner is agravity-fed air wash cleaner designedto be used with mechanical recoveryfloors.

A rotating scalping drum cullsdebris from the media stream. Thespent media. dust, and fines cascadeover a series of baffles. A high-volume stream of air is drawn throughthe falling media to remove dust andfines. Reusable media is carried eitherto a storage hopper or drops directlyback into the blast machine.

Designed into the product is itsability to spread the media into auniform curtain as it cascades off eachbaffle and, control of the flow of airpassing through that curtain of media.This design keeps the media curtainfrom developing gaps. If the curtain isnot uniform, the air will remove dustand fines unevenly.

"""

ReclaimerA 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 aredrawn out with the exhaust air. RecJaimers work best with pneumatic recoverysystems using Jightweight media. A reclaimer can be precisely tuned to mini-mize the amount of usable media carried over into the dust collector. If alumi-num oxide or other aggressive abrasives will be used, order the reclaimer withoptional rubber-lined wear-plates.

~Reclaim"s are used in pneumatic systems.

10

of filter element. This is commonlyreferred to as the air-to-cloth ratio,though modern filter cartridges usepleated polyester/paper to trap the dust.Clemco dust collectors provide a 2-to-lair-to-cloth ratio, though the filter areacan be increased for especially dusty

applications.

The dust collector is among themost expensive components of a blastfacility. Paying for more dust collectionthan you need is wasteful; buying aninadequate collector can be disastrous.

Your Clemco, ZERO, or Aerolytf:Distributor can recommend the appro-priate size of dust collector for yourapplication.

The requirements for blast roomventilation vary from state-to-state.The size of the room, the condition ofthe part being blasted, the amount ofdust from the blast media, the airflowrequired for the media reclaimer orabrasive cleaner -- all will affect the

size of the dust collector needed.

At a minimum, the dust collectormust generate 50 feet per minute of airflow through the enclosure. Dustyapplications or those that generatehazardous material, may require flowrates of up to 100 fpm.

The dust collector's filteringcapacity is measured by amount of airflow in relation to the total square feet

Reverse pulse- jet valvesPulse jet airmanifold -

Clean exhaustair

Most blast facilities built orrefurbished during the past 10 yearshave included a reverse pulse cartridgedust collector. The dust collector has apowerful exhaust motor to draw dust-laden air out of the enclosure and trapthe dust in filter elements.

The cylindrical cartridges of thereverse pulse dust collector are open atone end and have a reinforced pleatedpaper filter element. The advent ofpleated, high-efficiency filter elementsgreatly reduced the size requirementsof blast facility dust collectors.

To extend the life of the filtercartridge, the dust that collects on thefilter element must be removedperiodically. Modem dust collectorsclean their cartridges with a pulse ofcompressed air that momentarilyreverses the flow of air through thefilter element. This pulse knocks thecaked-on dust into a hopper or dustdrum below.

If the pulse cleaning is auto-matic, the dust collector can operatefor long periods without stopping.Clemco provides only automaticallypulsed dust collectors. The pulse canbe actuated by a timer or by sensingdevices that detect dust build up bymeasuring the difference in pressurebetween the clean and dirty side of thefilter.

Dirtyincoming

airDust filter--- cartridges

Dust ladenair

Debris -'

deflector plate Heavy debris

particles

---

Magnahelic

gaugeControl panel -Position the dust collector as

close to the blast enclosure as possiblefor maximum ventilation efficiencyand reduced installation costs. Locat-ing the dust collector outside simpli-fies emptying dust hoppers and savesvaluable plant floor space.

Dust Collector SizeThe dust collector must be

sufficiently powerful to ventilate theroom and have filtering capacity totrap 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 workcars, overhead monorails, and othercommon systems that already exist orare planned for your plant can beintegrated into a Clemco blast facility.For parts weighing more than 5,<XX>pounds, modifications in the enclosurefloor or roof beams may be required.If you plan to drive equipment into theblast room, tell your Clemco, ZERO,or Aerolyte Distributor so that specialload-bearing floors or heavy-duty floorgrates can be incorporated.

A blast facility can take advantage of any existing or newly installed work handlingequipment - from forklifts to monorails to work cars with and without tracks.

To co-ordinate the operation ofthe various components, most blastrooms include a central control panel.Controls range in complexity fromsimple on/off buttons to computer-controlled parts handling systems.

The control panel enclosureserves as the interface between yourexisting power supplies and the blastroom. Standard blast room controlpanels meet NEMA-12 specifications.Explosion-proof panels or otherspecial power requirements will affectcomponents beyond the panel itself,and must be specified in the requestfor quotation.

Control panels serve as the interface between sources of power and the blast facility.

12

ta

Clemco has established a profes-sional relationship with a group ofexperienced blast facility installationcontractors throughout the U.S. andCanada. These contractors can prepare:the site, install the blast room, andconnect your existing work handlingsystem to the blast room's. Completeor partial installation can be included illthe price of the blast facility.

Some companies elect to use theirown employees or to hire local contrac-tors to perform all or part of theinstallation. Clemco provides completedrawings for site preparation, equip-ment arrangement, electrical and sheetmetal connections, and finish work.

Installation by our t'xpmenced contractors can be included in the price of your facility;

Training is frequently overlookedas an important component of a new orrefitted blast faciljty. Even experi-enced operators must learn how thesystems work, how to troubleshoot,and how to work safely.

Clemco recommends startupsupervision for major new componentsand complete facilities, and trainingfor employees new to abrasive blast-ing.

Clemco conducts most new-facility training on-site, in conjunctionwith the startup of the facility. Also,Clemco has a fully equipped trainingcenter at its Washington, Missouri,

headquarters.Ckmco can provide complete training and start-up supervision.

n

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Adjoining Modules

Overhead Monorail.

Overhead MonorailIn Clemco's own plant, partiany

assembled product.~ move throughfinishing and final assembly sus-pended from an overhead monorail.This 120 square-foot room is mannedby a single operator free to walkanywhere on the Flat- Trak's 250 lb./ft?man-load grating. Because productsare suspended from the monorail, thefun floor catches the abrasive scatteredthroughout the room. Shed platesalong either side direct media into therecovery floor. The modules are

;? ~--~Y

~-o~ ~

These adjoining blast roommodules combine to form a 72-footenclosure for blasting large parts on aregular, but not daily, basis. Themodules are capable of operatingindependently for smaller parts orlinking to handle large parts. Workcars ride on rails set into a concreteslab flanked by Clemco's FIo-FiorTMrecovery pans. The slab remainsrelatively clean during blasting. Whatlittle abrasive does land on the slab isblown into the pans before the doorsare opened.

Each module has its own blastsystem and dust collector. Theinstallation runs two shifts a day, withtwo bla...ters each shift.

14

",

Customer Built EnclosureA remanufacturer of "piggyback" railroad cars built its own lOO-foot

enclosure using Clemco's specifications and components. The cars move alonga spur track into the blast room, then to a paint facility, and on to rejoin themain track.

The cars are blasted thoroughly, including the undercarriages, whichmeans a substantial amount of abrasive falls under the cars. The huge facilityhas a full floor recovery system, including the area under the tracks. Recoveryis fully automated, so the two blasters spend their entire shift blasting, with nointerruptions for abrasive cleanup.

O~O~; \','~ (:c,.,~ \.\\~, \

Customer-built t'nc/osurt'.

-/"""'-'0~~

~~~

\ \

, "'" L.~

~b... ) ~ ~~y - ~o

~~.o~~1~~~

/..,-~ )

~

,~ ~\ ,~

~~ ~ ~ ,.,~ ~\

~~:: ""

~\\ Wall-mounted lighting.

\&' ...0"; .' .. \ (")~

. - C' n~v-n... ~ .~~

'\>~\~\:

I Wall-mounted light modulesilluminate all areas of the railcarsduring blasting. A centrally locatedpanel controls all start/stop functions(except actual blasting). Two dustcollectors, representing more than10,000 square feet of filter cloth,maintain ventilation and visibility.

~' °\~~---

,. ... ~..- {"l~'~,\",6\\-\6 ~p

~\.,~~--

CLEMCO ()

Stock No. 09292 Job No. 115-0877 . Date of Issue; August. 1977 . Rev. B; (X)/94

We have manufactured quality abrasive blast cleaning equipment for more than 50 years. You will find our productsavailable through more than 450 independent Clemco, ZERO, and Aerolyte Distributors in the U.S. and Canada. ClemcoInternational, 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 ourworldwide 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 aredesigned 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 provideslasting value and maximum return on investment. We keep you informed at each step and rely on your direction to makesure we are producing a system capable of doing the job. Our comprehensive installation, operation, and maintenancemanuals help your employees learn how the system works and how to keep it operating at peak efficiency for years to come.