Air Consumption

If you have spent time experimenting with different nozzle and pressure combinations on your blaster, you have probably found that some just work better than others. The reason behind this is air flow through the system. On the blaster, air flow is measured in SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet per Minute). It is directly impacted by the size of the nozzle and the blast pressure.

Higher blast pressures and larger nozzles result in more air flow.

Note: The blasters are not equipped to measure air flow, but it plays a key role in their operation.

How do you know what the ideal air flow for blasting is? Our applications engineers have done the research to find what works best for each blaster.

Above Range

Operating above the recommended air flow impacts the operation of the modulator, causes greater pressure drop at the nozzle and greatly increases wear on internal components.

For example, if you use too large of a nozzle on an AccuFlo the high volume of air makes every internal fitting a nozzle, and the machine will eat itself from the inside causing excessive wear on internal components.

below Range

If you operate below the recommended air flow rate the abrasive feed does not work properly and becomes very erratic.

For example, the DirectFlo which is designed to run larger nozzles, has larger internal plumbing to handle the air flow. Without enough air flow going through the passages, the abrasive will fall out of the air stream.