Sponge Blasting™ System is an innovative commercial and industrial blasting technology. This dry, low dust process requires minimal containment, reduces downtime and offers a wide range of surface profiles. Reusable Sponge Media contain different sizes and grades of abrasives (or none) for use on surfaces ranging from the toughest to the most sensitive. The Sponge-Jet system offers fast, dry, clean, safe and flexible industrial surface preparation at a total job cost often lower than traditional blasting.

The Technology
Sponge Media is an open-celled, water based polyurethane impregnated with abrasives. As a result it has several inherent cost, time and money saving benefits. The pliant nature of Sponge Media allows its particles to flatten on impact exposing the abrasive. After leaving the surface, the media constricts pulling and encapsulating what would normally have become airborne contaminants. Sponge-Jet refers to this bundle of value-added qualities as MICROCONTAINMENT™.

Sponge-Jet's Sponge Blasting System™ consists of the Sponge-Jet Media Feed Units, Sponge-Jet Media Classifiers and a variety of different Sponge-Jet Sponge Media designed to offer a dry, low dust, low rebound, reusable abrasive or non-abrasive surface preparation system.

Sponge-Jet Feed Units deliver Sponge Media to the surface. The design of each Feed Unit meets the specific flow characteristics of Sponge Media. An actuator inside the blast pot stirs the Sponge Media to keep it flowing, while an auger at the base of the unit controls the amount of media fed into the air stream. A pneumatic control panel provides precise adjustment of blast pressure and media feed.

Sponge-Jet Media Classifiers handle recycling chores. Blasted media is collected and processed through either an electrically or pneumatically powered sifter, which separates Sponge Media into three categories: oversized debris, reusable media, and fines (consisting of spent media and dust). Typically, between 60% and 90% of Sponge Media is reusable after each blast cycle.

The heart of the Sponge-Jet System is our patented Sponge Media. Sponge Media is an open-cell, water reacted polyurethane sponge to which abrasives are chemically bonded during the production process. Each type of Sponge Media has different characteristics and blasting capabilities.

Click here to download the Sponge Media for Profiling & Abrading PDF document.
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Click here to download video: Low Dust Comparison (20MB .mpg file)

Red Sponge: Heaviest hitter for the toughest coatings. Red Sponge Media is the powerhouse of the Sponge Media line-up. Made with steel grit, Red Media is the choice for surface preparation on deteriorated surfaces and for removing elastomeric or other extremely thick coating systems - while suppressing airborne dust. When a deep profile is required, Red Media is capable of producing a 4+ mil profile on steel. Best for heavy industrial coatings removal from and tank lining removal from petrochemical storage tanks and rail cars.

Silver Sponge: Fast & aggressive for tough industrial coatings. Fast cutting and aggressive, Sponge-Jet Silver Sponge Media with aluminum oxide is the best choice for tough industrial and coating removal projects. Capable of producing a 3+ mil profile on steel, Silver Sponge Media allows you to clean, remove paint, and profile steel in one dry, low dust step. Low rebound means you can blast in close proximity to operating machinery and reduce shutdown time. Silver Sponge Media is suited for coating removal and surface preparation in the petrochemical, pulp and paper, power generation, marine manufacturing, military and offshore industries.

Brown Sponge: Effective for light coatings and for brush blasting. For light coatings removal or to leave minor surface profiling, Sponge-Jet Brown Sponge Media with Dupont Starblast is the right choice. It makes quick work of light rust, cracked or peeling paint and light industrial coatings - leaving up to a 2 mil profile on steel. Brown Sponge Media is also a good choice for coatings removal and surface preparation on ferrous-sensitive substrates, softer metals and alloys where a controlled surface etch is required. Brown Sponge Media is excellent for brush blasting applications - especially where dust suppression is important.

White Sponge: The best choice for tough coatings on sensitive surfaces. Sponge-Jet White Sponge Media, with plastic chip abrasive, is designed for coatings removal from sensitive substrates. White Media can remove tough coatings from tile, composites, fiberglass and many other exotic or sensitive substrates without the surface damage, dust, slurry or waste of other methods. White Sponge Media is an excellent choice for graffiti removal, used in aerospace, military and historic restoration applications, it can perform a surprising amount of work.

Green Sponge: The flexible cleaner for tough industrial jobs. Mildly abrasive Green Sponge Media is best at cleaning grease and oil from high value machinery and removing smoke and soot damage from brick, concrete and other hard substrates. Green Media is well suited for cleaning tasks where nooks, crannies, hoses or fittings make hand cleaning difficult or impossible. Residue from manufacturing processes can be removed while protecting the safety of your workers and equipment. With production rates up to 10 square feet per minute, Green Sponge Media significantly cut labor costs for many cleaning tasks.

For further information about the Sponge-Jet Blasting™ System or for an actual demonstration of this amazing technology, contact Norton Sandblasting Equipment.

Norton Sandblasting Equipment provides a full range of parts and service, as well as sales and rentals, for all Sponge-Jet Blasting™ equipment.