The U.S. military and the commercial airline industry require a variety of quality controls and standards for removing old paint, adhesives and other coatings off composite panels—or an entire aircraft—by a process called plastic media blasting.

Removing metallic sharp edges, nicks and burrs is no mystery in production operations such as machine stamping and other post manufacturing processes. The unwanted material is removed by a process called deburring and is usually performed using some type of hand tool or other machine that is often time consuming and labor intensive.

Powder Coat Removal, which abrasive is better suited for the job? In our quest to determine the best abrasive blasting media, we decided to start doing side-by-side tests in order to get a more accurate look at performance. We chose two popular contractor media – Garnet and the new 10x Engineered Materials (10x for short) and got some surprising results.

Sometimes, it makes sense to outsource it to trusted specialists. If you want to save time, money, and hassle, look into your options for outsourcing metal finishing.

If you’re not getting great results from your current process, such as a less labor-intensive workload or a desirable end product, you’re not alone.

Here are our top five recommendations for a better vibratory finishing process.

Glass Bead vs Ceramic Bead Blasting, which abrasive should you choose? When you need an abrasive for your next blasting project, you have several options. Two of the most common abrasives are glass beads and ceramic beads. Learn about both media and see which is right for you.