The Benefits of Garnet Blasting Media

One of the most popular methods for finishing industrial parts is through-blasting. While this process used to be known more widely as sandblasting, recent innovations have led to the usage of other kinds of media besides sand, though the main process remains in the same. In blasting finishing, a rough media is shot at the parts being finished in an effort to polish them, remove anomalies, and clean them. Different kinds of media have become popular due to the different circumstances in which they are useful, a popular one being garnet.

The Versatility of Garnet

Garnet is a mineral that is derived from either almandite or andradite deposits and has become a fairly common media used in blasting processes. One factor that has made garnet so popular is that it can be used in both wet and dry processes. Depending on the method of sandblasting, the parts being finished may be either blasted with another kind of liquid, usually some kind of cleaning agent, or without. Certain kinds of blasting media cannot be used with any other chemical, making garnet sometimes useful in situations where it is needed. 

Garnet in Coating Adhesion

Another property of garnet that makes it a useful blasting media is its ability to leave little to no embedment in the parts that are being finished. Some forms of media, usually the more abrasive ones, can sometimes chip off and leave pieces behind, which is fine in some processes, but not in others. In jobs where embedments are unacceptable, garnet can be a go-to option. In fact, garnet is most commonly used and is the preferred blasting media for coating adhesion due to its ability to not chip paint or leave pieces within the paint. 

There are many different kinds of media used in blasting processes, each with their own benefits. The benefits of garnet lie in the mineral’s versatility and ability to leave minimal embedments behind. If you are looking to purchase blasting media for your industrial finishing, garnet may be the best option for you. Even if it’s not or you’re unsure about which blasting media to use, we at Mikro Industrial Finishing have exactly what you need and can help you find the best media and processes for you. For more information, please call us at (860) 875-6357.