Sandblasting Machine

A sandblasting machine cleans, smooths or engraves a hard surface by propelling a stream of abrasive particles, traditionally sand, at high velocity using compressed air or steam, so the impacting particles strip away rust, paint, or a controlled layer of the surface material itself. The American inventor Benjamin Chew Tilghman patented the sandblasting process in 1870, having observed how windblown sand naturally etched glass and stone, and adapted the effect into a compressed-air device for cutting and engraving glass and cleaning stone and metal surfaces. Sandblasting was subsequently adopted throughout industry for stripping paint and rust from metal structures and ships and for preparing metal surfaces for painting or coating, with later variants substituting steel grit, glass beads or other media for sand to control the surface finish and reduce the health hazards of silica dust.