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Blast Media

Aluminum Oxide
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Ceramic Bead
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Glass Bead
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Plastic
Media
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Steel Shot
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Baking Soda
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Crushed Glass
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Garnet
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Steel Grit
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Aluminum Oxide
Aluminum Oxide
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Aluminum Oxide is widely used as a tough recoverable media for quick removal of paint, rust, and scale removal. It has also been specified for pre-paint adhesion.

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OTHER APPLICATIONS:

  • Cleaning of investment castings

  • Scale removal in steam turbines

  • Surface preparation for thermal spray coatings

  • Rust removal

  • Hard oxide removal (titanium, zirconium, etc.)

  • Mill scale removal

  • Heat treat scale removal

  • Glass etching or frosting

  • Monument lettering

  • Aircraft engine overhaul

  • Matte finishing

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When propelled by air, aluminum oxide acts as a powerful multi-edged abrasive tool that will penetrate the work piece, while leaving an exceptional clean, etched surfaces. It is used on metal, glass, ceramic, marble, granite and other stone surfaces.

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Aluminum oxide is manufactured in block shapes with multiple

sharp cutting edges

Baking Soda
Bakin Soda
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Stratus is a proud distributor of Armex Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) products.

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Armex has many different formulas to fit your application needs.

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FORMULA SUMMARY

Standard Formulas

  • Maintenance Formula

    • Formulated using our medium sized crystals and our standard moisture control system, MoistureGuard™ 2, which absorbs moisture before it can create flow problems. Maintenance Formula is value priced and is appropriate for most cleaning and paint removal applications.​

  • Maintenance w/SupraKleen™

    • Has all the features of Maintenance Formula with the added benefit of our patented rinse accelerator which improves cleaning capabilities, simplifies clean-up and provides a cleaner surface which is fundamental for maximizing coating performance.​

  • Maintenance Formula XL

    • Formulated using our largest “XL” crystals and our standard moisture control system, MoistureGuard™ 2, absorbing moisture before can cause flow problems. The “XL” crystals are the most aggressive and ideal for most paint removal applications.​

  • Maintenance XL w/SupraKleen

    • Performs like Maintenance Formula XL with the added benefit of our patented rinse accelerator, SupraKleen. For use when a clean surface is required for repainting.​

Premium Formulas - superior flow-ability

  • Flow Formula M

    • Similar to Maintenance Formula in that it is made with our medium sized crystals, but contains our premium moisture control system, MoistureGuard™ 8.​

  • Flow Formula XL

    • Formulated using our largest “XL” crystals and our premium moisture control system, MoistureGuard™ 8. Designed for maximum productivity and superior flow in the presence of moisture.

Specialty Formulas

  • Anilox Roll Cleaning Composite

    • Utilizes our smallest sodium bicarbonate crystal with our premium moisture control system, providing a powerful yet gentle scouring action that cleans deep into Anilox cells removing dry ink without any damage to delicate cell walls. A process when used with the specially engineered systems is capable of restoring original ink volume capacity.

  • Electronics Formula

    • Made with our smallest crystals and premium moisture control system. This formula receives a final screening just prior to being packaged to eliminate any large particles. It is designed specifically for micro-abrasive blasters and is packaged in a convenient 35# pail​.

  • HydroFlex™ Formula XL

    • Designed specifically for use with pressure washers and the WADU Soluble Media injector. HydroFlex combines our largest crystals and standard moisture control system with our patented grease and oil removal technology which allows you to actually remove it rather than just move it around.

  • Turbine Formula

    • Formulated specifically to remove carbon and mineral deposits from gas, steam and direct combustion turbine blades. Ideal for removing burn marks on steel and stainless steel.

Profile Formulas

  • Profile Formula XL 

    • Manufactured with the “XL” crystals, our standard moisture control system and 10% 70 grit hard abrasive. It typically provides a 25% increase in productivity, white metal finish and 1.5- 2.0 mil profile on steel.

  • Profile Formula XL2

    • This variation contains 20% 70 grit hard abrasive and is used where greater productivity is required.

  • Profile Formula XL2+

    • This formula utilizes 20% 36 grit hard abrasive, providing a 3.0-4.0 mil profile on steel.

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Ceramic Bead
Ceramic Bead

Stratus is a proud distributor of ZirPro Ceramic Media by Saint-Gobain.

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ZirPro Ceramic Beads come in two types of media:

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Crushed Glass

Crushed glass is a highly efficient blast media for many applications. It is used for the removal of surface coatings like rust, paint, and scale from all types of surface such as stainless steel, aluminum, wood, bricks, concrete, and stone. 

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Crushed glass provides an abrasive that can be used as a substitute for silica sand, a media now known to lead to serious, sometimes fatal illnesses such as silicosis, lung cancer, and other illnesses.

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Crushed Glass
Glass Bead
Glass Bead

This media generally gives a brighter matte finish. It maintains tighter work piece tolerances and is normally blasted between 40-80 p.s.i.

 

APPLICATIONS:

  • CLEANING

    • cleans and preps the surface of metal parts without changing tolerances, or imparting ferrous pollutants.

    • combines cleaning, finishing and peening in one operation.

  • FINISHING

    • creates a wide range of unique surface finishes that are easy to reproduce.

    • blends machine marks, seals pores and the results offer the advantages of glass bead peening.

  • PEENING

    • reduces the tensile stress in metal parts, increasing the fatigue limit.

    • reduces the stress corrosion cracking.

  • DEBURRING

    • removes burrs without damaging the parts and offers a peened surface in one operation.

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GLASS BEAD FACTS:

COARSE BEADS

  • Remove larger, tougher soils // Peen to more intense levels // Peen to deeper zones in surface // Produce higher surface RA // Produce brighter surface // Consume faster at same pressure as fine beads // In practice, may consume slower than fine beads

FINE BEADS

  • Removes smaller, lighter soil // More impacts per pound // Clean faster // Peen to less intense levels // Peen outer zones of surfaces // Reach into key-ways, fillettes, and small areas // Produce lower surface RA // Produce matte finish // Consume slower at same pressure as coarse beads // In practice, may consume faster than coarse beads.

ALL BEADS

  • Contain no free silica (environmentally friendly) // Recycle many times // Clean efficiently at 45-60 degree nozzle angle // Bead size, shape of work piece, angle of nozzle, distance of nozzle to surface area, air pressure, and type of delivery system (suction versus direct pressure blast) are factors affecting final surface appearance and media consumption parameters.

Plastic Media
Plastic Media

PLASTIC MEDIA APPLICATIONS:

Aircraft Paint Removal

  • Removes most types of paint from typical aircraft substrates, while leaving anodized and alclad surfaces intact. Is employed on a wide variety of off-aircraft components – resulting in significant savings over chemicals.

Boat Bottoms

  • Paint stripping from aluminum, fiberglass and dense hardwood hulls. Rapid removal of dried barnacles. Cleans brass of oxides and other coatings. Detects and exposes blisters on fiberglass hulls.

Burr Removal

  • Removes light burrs from components while maintaining integrity of finished part.

Clear Epoxy Optical Sensors

  • Only media capable of removing resin bleed without opaquing surface. Eliminates individual time-consuming masking requirements.

Composite Structures

  • Can strip paint and surface coatings from fiberglass, carbon-graphite, epoxy, and other resin rich components without bloom or fiber damage.

Die Casting 

  • Removes light flash from cast components without affecting critical surface dimensions.

Electronics De-flashing

  • Used both in dry and wet blast to remove flash from electronic components and for surface preparation on PCB’s.

Encapsulated Electronic Parts

  • Will not damage delicate parts or mar surfaces. Leaves product surface smear free, ready for identification printing or soldering.

Engine Components

  • Carbon deposits and paint can be easily dry stripped with no wear to critical mechanical dimensions, including aluminum parts.

Ground Vehicle Paint Removal

  • Paint is readily removed from auto, truck, rail car, and bus bodies.

Lead Frames

  • Prepares lead for easier and more uniform tinning and coating procedures. Removes resin bleed without impinging surface.

Mold Cleaning

  • Readily cleans molds used in rubber, plastic, glass and die cast molding without affecting surface dimensions. Edges are not radiused, mold life is prolonged, cracks in molds are not smeared over, and flash on parts is reduced.

Paint Rejects

  • Can be substituted for chemical stripping. In many applications, major time savings can be realized. Effective on most paint systems including powder coating.

Plastic Molded Parts

  • Effectively removes flash from parting lines on thermoset plastic parts. Removes surface anomalies without damage to the part.

Surface Preparation

  • Etching circuit boards before printing. Pre-laminate roughening. Pre-paint surface prep on plastics.

Surface Sealants

  • Tenacious sealants and adhesives can be safely removed without damage to the substrate.

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Steel Grit & Shot
Steel Grit & shot

These forms of media are very dense and durable. They are used in Airless and Pneumatic Blast Systems. The round shot gives a better finish than that of the grit, however grit cleans faster due to the angular shape. Both shot and grit are a popular choice of blasting media because of the high reclaim ability. (Losing approximately 1 Lb. per 100 Lb. blasted at 90 p.s.i.)

 

The majority of all Automated Airless Blast Systems are using steel shot, grit, or a mixture of the two. Stainless is used on non-ferrous applications. Typical hardness for rapid cleaning and long wear life is 44 to 46 RC. Softer RC does not clean as well and harder RC tends to break down faster, while the size of the abrasive being an important factor. Removing heavy sand on scale may require a particular size. To keep cost low, always use the smallest size possible.

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APPLICATIONS:

  • Heat Treat Removals

  • Mill Scale Removal

  • Paint Removal

  • Sand Removal from Castings

  • Pre-Paint Adhesion

  • Peening

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