The Logic Behind Selecting Hard Media
Author: Kumar Balan | Blast Cleaning and Shot Peening Specialist
Source: The Shot Peener magazine, Vol 39, Issue 1, Winter 2025
Doc ID: 2025003
Year of Publication: 2025
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION
The great Leonardo da Vinci, in current times, would have
been considered an individual with unsure prospects due to
his variable interests. He was an active painter, draughtsman,
engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect (and you
thought your life was difficult because you had to re-plot a
saturation curve due to media contamination). Nevertheless,
one of his quotes reads, “Nature is the source of all true
knowledge. She has her own logic, her own laws, she has
no effect without cause nor invention without necessity.”
Incapable of such profound thoughts, I am going to plagiarize
his revelation into a relevant article for our discussions here!
Recently, I was trying to analyze the actions of a customer
that attempted to optimize their cleaning process. This
customer had determined that changing shot size from S-230
to S-330 would give them better quality cleaning, reduced
re-blast and other related benefits—all positively impacting
productivity. This exercise did result in some process
improvements but there was a price to pay with the use of a
larger size media. Tight geometries on their structural steel
fabrication remained uncleaned. I attributed this to the fact
that due to its relatively larger size, S-330 had less particles per
pound of shot than S-230. Further, the reduced percentage of
small particles in their work mix might have contributed to
lack of “scouring” action that was previously carried out by
smaller particles of abrasive. Cause and effect were clear and
obvious.
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