An effective method of stripping all metal types, Plastic Media Blasting removes all or a portion of a cured powder coating from the surface of a part without causing damage. This article compares Plastic Media Blasting with several other stripping methods for powder coating, environmental considerations, as well as blasting equipment and costs.

Powder coatings produce highly durable finishes, but can be difficult to remove when parts need to be recoated. Several stripping methods include molten salt, burn-off oven or glass bead blasting.  With these methods, many substrates are unable to survive the coatings removal process without damage. The alternative is Plastic Media Blasting which uses reclyclable thermoset plastics to remove powder coatings while generating only a small amount of dry residue. Plasti-Grit plastic media is non-hazardous and if the powder itself does not pose an environmental problem, hazardous waste is non-existent.

Plastic Media Blasting has been used extensively by the US Department of Defense for stripping aircraft and aerospace components to replace toxic chemical strippers.  Read more...

When restoring or repainting cars, considerations include the type of substrates such as steel, aluminum, plastics, composites and fiberglass, as well as the types of paints and coatings.  Paint manufacturers recommend applying new paint to properly prepared surfaces. 

The recommendation for automobile paint stripping is Plastic Media Blasting, a rapid, economic and safe method to remove coatings without causing damage to underlying substrates including aluminum, fiberglass and even plastics.  It removes paint coatings without etching, marring, warping or otherwise damaging surface integrity.  Plastic Blasting Media and be re-used multiple times, making it economical.  Click for more information on the Types of Plastic Media available and Plastic Media Blasting Equipment.  Read More....

Recently we were requested to supply virgin Plastic Blast Media by an aircraft manufacturing company. There are several issues involved which are worth discussion.

First, the MIL Spec., MIL-P-85891, does not require virgin plastic as raw material in manufacturing Plastic Blast Media, but it has been an option in the MIL Spec for many years. Virgin media is specified as being manufactured using plastic, molded specifically for the purpose of manufacturing Plastic Blasting Media. But, because of all the specifications imposed by the MIL spec, the virgin requirement ends up being unnecessary and expensive.

Our products, Plasti-Grit^® Urea Type II and Melamine Type III, are made from virgin plastic using the following definition. All our raw material comes directly from molders who have rejected the parts we buy for aesthetic reasons. For example: flawed dinnerware, cracked electrical switch plates, or broken tiles. These parts are equivalent to parts molded specifically for the Industry as they have not been used in an industrial or consumer application.

If you have a customer with questions on the MIL Spec., please give us a call.