TWEKO completed a project to manufacture an abrasive blast cleaning complex based on a KASO-series chamber for a Ukrainian engineering company. The complex is designed for surface preparation of oversized metal products prior to painting or the application of other protective coatings. It combines abrasive blast cleaning, extraction and filtration of dust-laden air, automatic collection, regeneration and reuse of abrasive media.
Proposed Solution
TWEKO specialists designed and manufactured an abrasive blast cleaning complex for removing rust, mill scale, residues of old coatings and other contaminants from metal surfaces before the application of protective coatings. The complex comprises a KASO-10 chamber, a filtration and ventilation unit, and an automatic abrasive collection and regeneration system.
The KASO-10 abrasive blast cleaning chamber has an internal working area of 10,000 × 5,500 × 5,000 mm. It is equipped with main access doors, a service door, LED lighting, a control panel with automation and monitoring systems, and floor gratings with a maximum load capacity of 600 kg per wheel, allowing heavy and oversized workpieces to be processed.
A filtration and ventilation unit with a capacity of 18,000 m³/h is installed for extraction and filtration of dust-laden air. Dust-laden air passes through a filtration section with a baffle plate, where large and heavy particles are separated from the airflow. Dust is then captured by the filter elements, while the cleaned air is discharged through the outlet duct.
Automatic pulse-jet cleaning with compressed air is used to maintain filter performance. Compressed-air pulses remove accumulated dust from the outer surface of the cartridges, causing it to fall into the lower hopper of the filtration and ventilation unit, from where it is removed through a dedicated discharge device.
The scraper conveyor (scraper floor) provides automatic collection of used abrasive media. The scraper floor is driven by four T2A 803-4 electric motors rated at 1.1 kW each, 1500 rpm. Used abrasive from the longitudinal modules is conveyed to the transverse scrapers and then into the collection hopper.
The bucket elevator transports abrasive media vertically from the transverse scraper conveyor to the separator. It has a modular design consisting of lower, upper and intermediate sections, with a rubber elevator belt fitted with buckets running between the drums.
In the abrasive media separator, the abrasive is cleaned of dust, debris and particles unsuitable for reuse and separated into fractions. Reusable abrasive passes through a perforated screen and enters the storage hopper. Large unsuitable particles are discharged separately, while fine and dust-like particles are directed to the dust collector.
The equipment is designed for abrasive media with a particle size of 0.5 to 2.0 mm. The storage hopper is used for intermediate storage of cleaned abrasive and reduces the time required for reloading the abrasive blast machine.
The complex is equipped with an abrasive blast machine and a set of personal protective equipment for the operator, as well as an air-conditioning unit for heating and cooling the air supplied to the operator.
The main systems are controlled from a single control panel. The automation system monitors the filtration and ventilation unit, bucket elevator and scraper floor sections, indicates hopper overfill and equipment faults, and records equipment operating time. For added safety, the main doors and service door are fitted with limit switches; opening them disables operation of the abrasive blast machine.
Technical Specifications
| Overall Dimensions and Design | |
|---|---|
| Internal working dimensions | 10,000 × 5,500 × 5,000 mm |
| Service door | 840 × 1,975 mm |
| Width of main access doors | 4,000 mm |
| Maximum load on floor gratings | 600 kg per wheel |
| Equipment weight | up to 14,000 kg |
| Filtration and Ventilation Unit | |
| Airflow capacity | 18,000 m³/h |
| Electric motors | 2 × 22 kW, 1455 rpm |
| Abrasive Collection and Regeneration System | |
| Scraper floor | 4 × 1.1 kW, 1500 rpm |
| Bucket elevator | 2.2 kW, 1440 rpm |
| Abrasive media separator | 0.25 kW, 1400 rpm |
| Abrasive particle size | 0.5–2.0 mm |
| Electrical Equipment and Lighting | |
| Power supply | 380 V / 50 Hz |
| Maximum power consumption of lighting | up to 2 kW |
| Other Characteristics | |
| Compressed air pressure for filter regeneration | 6 bar |
| External sound level | up to 70 dB |
The completed complex provides a complete abrasive blast surface preparation cycle, from product cleaning and dust removal to automatic collection, cleaning and reuse of abrasive media. The KASO-10 chamber, filtration and ventilation unit and abrasive regeneration system operate as an integrated technological complex for processing oversized metal products.
When a company works with large frames, vehicle bodies, steel structures or other oversized products, standard solutions are often unsuitable. TWEKO designs and adapts equipment to actual production conditions, product dimensions and the customer’s production process.
