Quality control practices for steel shot, steel grit, media hardness, size distribution, contamination, and operating mix.
Specify Abrasive Correctly
Abrasive quality control starts with the correct media specification. Steel shot is round and produces peening and cleaning action. Steel grit is angular and cuts more aggressively, producing a sharper profile. Cut wire, stainless media, aluminum media, and nonferrous media may be used for special materials or contamination control.
Specify media size, hardness, shape, chemistry where relevant, packaging, and acceptable contamination. For coating preparation, link the media choice to the required profile range. For peening or fatigue-related applications, media quality and documentation become even more important.
Monitor the Operating Mix
The media in the machine is an operating mix, not a copy of the bag label. As media cycles through the wheel, particles wear down and fracture. Screens, sieve checks, visual checks, and magnetic or contamination checks help keep the mix in range.
When finish changes unexpectedly, inspect media before changing wheel settings. Too many fines reduce impact. Too many coarse particles can create excessive roughness. Contaminants such as sand, scale, oil, or nonmagnetic debris can reduce cleaning quality and accelerate wear.
| QC Check | Frequency | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Sieve analysis | Weekly or by production volume | Confirms size distribution |
| Visual media check | Daily | Finds fines, oil, sand, broken particles |
| Hardness certificate | Per delivery | Confirms supplier consistency |
| Profile reading | Per job or coating spec | Links media to surface result |
| Top-up log | Every addition | Tracks media consumption trend |