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As contractors and facility managers look for ways to save money, reduce waste, and increase worker safety on abrasive blasting projects, robotic abrasive blasting is becoming more prevalent. Robotic blasting allows for precise control, high productivity rates and reduced abrasive media consumption compared to manual blasting. In addition, robotic abrasive blasting is a safer alternative to manual blasting.

In February 2019, work began on the decommissioning of the Battery Street Tunnel in Seattle, Washington. Completed in 2022, this project was a huge undertaking that included removing the tunnel’s utility and mechanical systems, removing decades of automotive soot buildup from the tunnel, filling the tunnel, and sealing its entrances.

In the early hours of a windy Sunday morning, a massive, 10-alarm fire broke out in the downtown area of Waltham, Massachusetts. The fire completely destroyed a condo complex that was under construction, leaving severe soot damage throughout the entire parking garage next door.

Abrasive blasting is often a dusty process. When contractors are required to blast near highly sensitive equipment or in areas where air quality is very important, they often need to sacrifice superior surface prep methods or erect extreme containment. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida one contractor was tasked with this difficult challenge - providing the highest quality surface prep and low dust blasting with Sponge Media.

When rust, corrosion and coating system failure became apparent on pipes in the filter galleries of the Lafayette Utilities Systems (LUS) water treatment plant, a rehabilitation plan was developed. One of the most important aspects of this plan was to prepare the carbon steel surfaces and create the proper anchor profile for the new coating system. Depending on the severity of the rust and corrosion on various pipe sections, the specifications called for either near white metal blast cleaning or commercial blast cleaning.

The historic World Trade Center New Orleans is a focal point of the vibrant downtown landscape. Designed by noted architect Edward Durell Stone in the 1960s, the skyscraper is located in the heart of the New Orleans business district and on the Mississippi River. The building formerly housed numerous foreign consulates and was the headquarters for the Port of New Orleans.

Commercial coatings specialists involved in deleading and are yearning for larger contracts might find themselves looking to become more highly certified. Increasingly, large public and private entities (including oil companies, departments of transportation, and public utilities) insist contract bidders possess additional certifications from organizations such as SSPC (The Society for Protective Coatings). SSPC certifies both companies and individuals, verifying contractor organizations with defined knowledge and procedures.

Typically applied thick, polyurea and rubber coatings are notoriously hard to remove. Regular abrasive blasting methods are rarely effective in removing these coatings. Abrasives like garnet and coal slag bounce off these surfaces causing them to heat and become gum-like with little removal. This burned residue should not be coated over and would normally require further surface preparation. To avoid these issues, specifiers, contractors and facility owners have three options for polyurea and rubber coating removal.

Surface cleanliness and profile are the cornerstones of proper surface preparation, but those standards are not always met. Frequently, metal fabrication projects suffer from bad surface prep. When steel is cut with flame or plasma, the edges that have been cut become harder than the middle part of the steel. This creates challenges for those trying to follow coatings application best practices.

Imagine for a moment that ACME Coatings Contractor has recently completed an important water tank exterior coatings project. The job, which involved removing lead-based paint from the 40 meter (135-ft) tall, 3.7-million liter,legged tank, went well from start to finish. The owners are happy, final payment has been rendered, and the project manager is filing the last bit of paperwork when the owner’s representative calls and asks, “Out of curiosity, how can we be sure that ACME didn’t leave lead dust under or around the tank?”