Finishing Services

Media Blasting

At a glance

Applicable Materials

Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel, Brass, Bronze, Copper

Colors

n/a

Applications

Cosmetic parts (the surface of your Macbook Pro has been bead blasted)

Texture

Matte

About the Process

Media blasting uses a pressurized jet of abrasive media to apply a matte, uniform finish to the surface of parts. The most common media used are varying sizes of glass beads or sand, though for other levels of abrasion, things like plastic beads have also been used.

This process is used to create a uniform, matte finish on parts, but can also be used to hide machine marks or remove small flaws in parts prior to anodizing or other plating processes.

Design considerations

  • Plugging threaded/reamed holes not required unless tolerances are very tight, as thickness change is minimal.
  • Avoid blasting thin walls, as they are prone to deformation.
  • Parts with intricate geometries may be difficult or impossible to uniformly finish.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

The Bimetallic Strip Explained

While you may not be familiar with bimetallic strips, you likely have encountered thermometers that utilize them. Bimetallic strips are most often used in modern electronic and mechanical devices such as thermal circuit breakers, thermometers, temperature-sensitive switches, fire alarms, timers, relays, and motor starters. This article discusses what a bimetallic strip is, where it originated, […]

Learn More

Parts of a CNC Machine Explained

Producing complex parts with tight tolerances requires extensive experience, and even the best operators spend years fine-tuning their skills. CNC machines are the gold standard for high-quality and high-repeatability machining because they automate the machining process — computers and sensors control the machining operations. CNC machining is used in almost every industry due to the […]

Learn More