White Fused Alumina is manufactured by fusing high-purity alumina (Al₂O₃) in an electric arc furnace. The result is a very pure (99%+ Al₂O₃), extremely hard, and friable abrasive with a white or translucent appearance.
Key Characteristics & Advantages for Blasting
Exceptional Hardness & Friability:
Hardness: Like its brown counterpart, WFA is a 9 on the Mohs scale, making it excellent for cutting hard surfaces.
Friability: This is a defining trait. WFA grains are more brittle and designed to fracture upon impact, creating new, sharp edges. This “self-sharpening” property ensures a consistently aggressive cut throughout its life.
High Purity & Chemical Inertness:
With 99%+ alumina content, it is virtually free of silica (SiO₂), iron oxides, and other contaminants.
This makes it the ideal choice for blasting stainless steel, titanium, and aluminum, where even minute iron contamination can cause “flash rusting” or compromise corrosion resistance.
Clean, Contaminant-Free Surface:
It leaves no embedded particles, no chemical residues, and will not cause staining. This is critical for applications where the surface must be perfectly clean before welding, coating, or further processing.
Sharp, Angular Grains:
The fractured grains are very sharp, providing an excellent etch and a strong, well-defined anchor profile for coatings.
Reusability:
While slightly less durable than Brown Aluminum Oxide due to its friability, WFA is still highly reusable in closed-loop systems (e.g., blast cabinets) many times before breaking down into dust.
| Typical Chemical composition | |
| AL2O3 | 99.3%min |
| SiO2 | 0.06% |
| Na2O | 0.3%max |
| Fe2O3 | 0.05%max |
| CaO | 0.04%max |
| MgO | 0.01%max |
| K2O | 0.02#max |
| Typical physical properties | |
| Hardness: | Mohs:9.0 |
| Maximum service temperature: | 1900 ℃ |
| Melting Point: | 2250 ℃ |
| Specific Gravity: | 3.95g/cm3 |
| Volume density | 3.6g/cm3 |
| Bulk density(LPD): | 1.75-1.95 g/cm3 |
| Color: | White |
| Particle shape: | Angular |
| Available size: | |
| F8# F10# F12# F14# F16# F20# F22# F24# F30# F36# F46# F54# F60# F70# F80# F90# F100# F120# F150# F180# F220# | |
Ideal Applications for White Fused Alumina
WFA is a specialist abrasive, chosen when its specific properties are required:
Blasting Stainless Steel: The #1 application. Prevents iron contamination that leads to rust spots.
Aerospace & Medical Components: For cleaning and profiling critical parts made from titanium, inconel, and other superalloys where purity is non-negotiable.
Preparing Aluminum for Welding or Coating: Provides a clean, oxide-free surface without contaminating the soft aluminum substrate.
Creating a Cosmetic, Uniform Finish: Its sharp grains can produce a very uniform, satin-like finish that is often desirable for consumer products.
Surface Preparation for Critical Coatings: Where the coating specification demands an absolutely contaminant-free surface.