Media Blasting

Media blasting textures and cleans surfaces by impacting them with abrasive media, removing oxides and coatings while leaving a uniform matte finish.

Overview

Media blasting (bead blasting, sandblasting, shot blasting) propels abrasive media at a part to clean, deburr, and texture the surface. Shops use it to remove scale, rust, paint, heat-tint, and light burrs, and to create a consistent matte or satin appearance that improves cosmetic uniformity and can increase coating adhesion.

Choose media blasting when surface finish matters more than tight dimensional control. It’s fast and cost-effective for batches, large surface areas, and complex shapes that are hard to sand uniformly. Tradeoffs: it can round sharp edges, alter critical fits, and drive media into pores or blind features. Masking adds cost, and aggressive media/pressure can change surface roughness and reduce fatigue performance on sensitive parts. Specify target finish (Ra), media type, and any “no-blast” zones to control outcomes.

Common Materials

  • Aluminum 6061
  • Stainless steel 304
  • Carbon steel 1018
  • Titanium Grade 5
  • ABS

Tolerances

±0.002–0.010 in (dimensions can shift at edges and thin features; mask critical fits)

Applications

  • Cosmetic matte finish on CNC-machined housings
  • Prep for anodize, paint, or powder coat adhesion
  • Removal of weld discoloration and scale
  • Deburring and edge break on sheet metal parts
  • Restoration cleaning of rusted steel brackets
  • Texture matching across mixed-lot assemblies

When to Choose Media Blasting

Pick media blasting to clean and unify appearance on parts where a consistent matte texture is required. It fits prototyping through production, especially for complex geometries and large surface areas where hand finishing is inconsistent. Plan it as a finishing step before coating or marking, and protect precision interfaces with masking.

vs Chemical Etching

Choose media blasting when you need full-surface cleaning or texturing without wet chemistry constraints. It works well on large parts and irregular surfaces where etch uniformity and bath control are challenging. Blasting won’t create fine, high-resolution graphics like etching can, but it’s usually faster for general surface prep.

vs Laser Etching/Engraving

Choose media blasting when the goal is overall surface texture, oxide/scale removal, or coating prep rather than localized marks. It treats broad areas quickly and produces a uniform cosmetic finish across multiple faces. Laser is better for permanent, high-contrast identifiers and small-feature marking without changing the whole surface.

vs Vibratory Tumbling

Choose media blasting when you need directional access to external surfaces and faster cosmetic uniformity on large faces. Tumbling is better for bulk deburring of small parts, but it can’t target specific areas and may damage delicate features through part-to-part contact. Blasting avoids contact damage but can be inconsistent inside deep cavities.

vs Hand Sanding/Scotch-Brite Finishing

Choose media blasting for repeatability across operators and for complex 3D geometry where hand finishing creates visible variation. Blasting also reaches small recesses and around bosses more consistently. Hand finishing is better when you must preserve crisp edges and keep dimensional change minimal on localized areas.

Design Considerations

  • Call out the desired finish using measurable targets (Ra range and gloss level) and the media type (glass bead, aluminum oxide, steel shot).
  • Mask critical fits, bearing seats, sealing surfaces, and threads; include drawings showing explicit no-blast zones.
  • Avoid specifying sharp cosmetic edges; expect edge rounding and plan an intentional edge break if appearance matters.
  • Minimize deep blind holes, porous materials, and tight crevices where media can lodge; add drain/cleanout access if unavoidable.
  • Define post-blast cleaning requirements (ultrasonic, air blast, rinse) when trapped media could affect assembly or contamination-sensitive parts.
  • Sequence the process in the route (blast before anodize/paint; blast after heavy machining) and specify whether re-blast is allowed after rework.