glass granule

What is Glass granule?

Glass granule are reusable blasting medium which are iron-free, angular, suitable for use with aluminum and stainless steel. Originated from recycled glass material, mixed with blowing agents and then melt-down in extremely high temperature and transformed into white granules of various diameters. 

Different granular size glass from 0.045 mm to 16 mm are produced. However, glass granules are not very hard and are therefore less aggressive than alumina. Due to its porosity it keeps the air closed inside the granules.  It has more abrasive effects than glass beads due to its angular shape. However, glass granules are not very hard and are therefore less aggressive than alumina.

Compared to other thermal insulation materials, glass granules have many advantages such as easy to prepare for application, transport, and cost effective as per product quality.

Features

  • light weight and high in strength;
  • Good moisture resistance and waterproofness;
  •  Having Low density
  • Absolutely incombustible
  • Resistance Capability at its best; Fire resistance, Humidity resistance
  • Having Biological persistence as well as Chemical persistence.
  • Resistance to harsh environments, including acids;
  • Easy Cleanliness and long lasting Durability

Applications

— Used for Blast cleaning:
– Used on metallic surfaces to removing rust and scale.
– helps in removing mould residues from castings.
– Removes tempering colour easily.

— Best for surface finishing
– Used to create a matt finish look on metallic surfaces and base.
–  Best to produce a specific visual effects

Since it is available in variety of fractions, it can be applied in various applications, and used in various sectors such as – Construction and Decor, Thermo Isolation, Agricultural sector, Carriage and Automotive Industry, Oil and gas, Textured Paints and Wallpaper, Lightweight Concrete & blocks, Dry Mortar, Bio filtration sectors, Fire-resistant products and many more.

Is glass Bead the same as silica?

To understand it better we need to understand the difference between 

Crushed Glass vs. Glass Beads

 For any project to be perfectly accomplished its blasting media plays a very important role. The media that is used shouldn’t be too hard or too soft. Too much hardness can spoil the surface and if it’s very soft it cannot perform too well. 

Glass Beads

All metal surfaces are typically very durable, therefore Glass beads are best used for metal finishing. Glass beads are the perfect media to finish the surface and often used for cleaning, peening, or deburring. 

Since Glass bead is less aggressive as compare to the other blasting abrasives, it is a perfect choice for softer finishes.  Beside they are free from silica and also environmentally friendly. These glass beads are cost effective as they can be reused many times, saving time and money.

Moreover they give you a satin-like soft finish, are re-usable and can be recycled. Also available in different size range to get the desired finish.

Crushed Glass
Since crushed glass grits are irregular shape they produce more of an etch on the surface. Because of this feature crushed glass grit is often used to prepare a surface for coating and more for stripping. This is also environmentally friendly as sourced from recycled material such as beer and wine bottles.

However, Crushed glass grit sourced from tempered glass or window pane glass should be avoided as they aren’t effective media for blasting. They are often hard to re-use as they break quickly. 

Glass beads are commonly used in blast operations. They gave a soft satin like matte finish on steel and on aluminum substrates. However, Crushed glass is most desirable to expose a clean and bare surface. Likely;  removing heavy coatings, rust removal and paint layers.

WHEN TO USE GLASS BEADS?

Free silica can release harmful chemicals during the abrasion process and Glass beads contains no silica, therefor they are environmentally friendly and are best used for finishing metals. While in certain projects companies still choose silica sand, but extra measures are taken in order to save employees from risks of respiratory disease.

Glass beads are an ideal abrasive, they can be used for frosting and etching glass, among other typical applications like cleaning and preparing perfect surface without changing tolerances, varying sizes create a wide range of unique surface finishes, increasing fatigue limits and reduces the tensile stress in metal components, results derive a smooth peened surface after successful removal of burrs without any part damage.

Also, you can recycle glass beads multiple times if used appropriately. 

Glass beads helps you save both time and money.  One can get through more cycles quickly if you have a large number of items that needs blasting. The desirable finish on your parts is much possible due to its range of sizes availability. 

WHEN TO USE CRUSHED GLASS

Since Crushed glass has irregular crushed shape, it makes it more practical for surface preparations where subsequent coatings applications become easy.  Compared to other abrasives, crushed glass is considered more superior in various applications for its health, performance and environmental benefits.

  • It’s environmentally friendly, 100% recycled glass. It can be reused many times and can be safely disposed of.
  • It’s non-toxic chemical properties reduces pollution risks and benefits health.
  • It’s chemically inert and non-reactive and helps in reducing rust back while making it safe to use near water.
  • It contains up to 99% free silica; only less than 1% free silica compared to silica sand.
  • The post-blast finish creates an attractive final finish
  • It reduces embedment issues which usually occur more often in slag blast media.
  • Being translucent, increases visibility and productivity.
  • Reduces media costs since its less dense as compare to other abrasives, resulting is less material usage.

Moreover for a smooth white finish Crushed Glass is ideal as it cleans and polishes surfaces easily and is also ideal for automotive, Ideal for bridges, precast concrete, tanks and steel construction, and used mostly where a deeper profile is desired.

Is bead blasting better than sandblasting?

Sand blasting has its own usage and is quicker, however the Glass beads are popular for its own reason, especially when it comes to human health as its silica free and not harmfull for the environment as well. Glass beads can be cleaned up easily and can be recycled for regular use. 

Using spherical glass media, Glass bead blasting gives a uniform finish on material surfaces at high pressure. Whereas the most common and traditional method of sandblasting technique uses silica sand to give smooth finish on the component surface. Sandblasting is much quicker than bead blasting, it can easily re shape and smoothen the underlying component and much faster than glass beads as its more harsher on metals 

Can you use crushed glass for sandblasting?

Crushed glass is very popular and mostly used as an abrasive sandblasting media in different industries such as: slurry blasting, dustless wet blasting, graffiti removal, concrete restoration, blasting ship hulls, cleaning tanks or pipelines and auto restoration etc.

Glass beads blasting or sandblasting both have their advantage as per the industry usage and material surface requirement. Similarly Crushed Glass remains the most common and traditional material used so far used as an abrasive for sand blasting process as it gives the best results as desired.

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