White aluminum oxide abrasives are among the most commonly used abrasives in surface preparation and blast finishing because of their cost-effectiveness, hardness, and longevity. Specific benefits of using white aluminum oxide abrasives include:
- Versatility: The material is available in a wide range of mesh sizes for different types of applications and levels of etching.
- Purity: White aluminum oxide is very pure with little to no iron, silica, or contaminants.
- Cost-Efficiency: White aluminum oxide blasting material is more affordable than many other blast media types and can be reused across multiple cycles.
- Longevity: The material is durable, chemically inert, and harder than most other blast media.
- Effectiveness: White aluminum oxide is lighter than metallic blast media but has a denser blast stream that can cut through hard materials like sintered carbide. It has a fast cutting speed that is easy to control.
Applications of White Aluminum Oxide Abrasives
Manufacturers across most industries choose white aluminum oxide as a blasting or abrasive material due to its many advantages. With little to no iron content, white aluminum oxide blast media is safe to use for applications that require zero foreign contamination. This blast media is also used in various bonded abrasives in cylindrical or surface grinding. These properties make white aluminum oxide blasting material ideal for the following general applications:
- Lapping
- Creating anti-skid surfaces
- Microdermabrasion
- Abrasive blasting
- Blasting orthopedic implants and other medical implants
- Surface preparation for exotic alloys
- Finishing aerospace components
- Creating anchor patterns for refractory coatings, general coatings, bonding, and other surface treatments
