The Garnet and its applications
Garnet is a mineral used, thanks to its characteristics, in many cleaning and sandblasting processes.
Chemically inert, free of toxic substances, it is not radioactive nor carcinogenic and it is extremely resistant.
In recent years it has been used mainly in blasting processes where it has replaced free silica which has proved to be toxic and harmful to the environment.
Combined with high pressure water, Garnet is used to cut steel and other materials (Waterjet Cutting).
Garnet can be used in various types of processing, depending on the grain size:
- from 0.707 to 1.68 mm (mesh 12/24): aggressive cleaning of the iron, removal of thick layers of rust and
paint; - from 0.42 to 0.841 mm (mesh 20/40): cleaning of cast iron, antique-effect treatment of marble;
- from 0.25 to 0.60 mm (mesh 30/60): removal of paint on iron; cleaning of concrete surfaces or non-delicate stones;
- from 0.177 up to 0.42 mm (mesh 80): mainly used in waterjet cutting, cleaning of hard wood, bricks, stones, tiles; antifouling removal on boats and residues on iron after laser cutting.
- from 0.125 to 0.25 mm (mesh 120): used above all for cutting and sandblasting of glass and for the most delicate cleaning jobs, such as the cleaning of fine wooden artefacts, where one needs to remove the paint without affecting the wood fiber. Also useful for grinding the bodywork of cars or motorbikes and alloy wheel rims and to remove graffiti from surfaces or artefacts in which an excellent aesthetic result is required.
Do you have to perform a sandblasting and you don’t know which size of Garnet to use? Trust our experts.
