To ensure maximum durability of protection against corrosion, it is essential:

• To obtain a level of surface cleanliness with total absence of oxides, mill scaling or other contaminants (dust, grease, soluble salts, waste, etc.).
• To generate a precise surface roughness profile to achieve maximum adherence.
• To follow the rules, standards and specifications in each case.

Techniques:

Cleaning with water, solvents and chemical agents

Primary cleaning to remove oil, grease, mud, fumes, slag, scaling rust, etc.

Chemical and acidic descaling

Removal of coatings via chemical agents.

Manual and/or mechanical tools

When using conventional water-abrasive blasting is not possible, the cutting-edge tools allow similar levels of cleanliness to be obtained.

Dry abrasive blasting: with all types of abrasives and granulometries

This is the traditional surface preparation method. The abrasives used depend on the roughness and cleaning speed, are varied in nature and sizes, and may be mineral, metal, plastic or natural.

Wet Blasting or Vapor Blasting

Similar to the dry abrasive blasting, water and the abrasive are mixed in a hopper under pressure and then dosed into the flow of air, with the dampened abrasive impacting against the surface. The dust emissions are reduced, facilitating preparation in complex environments.

Automatic Shot Blasting

Process used for large surfaces such as storage tank bottoms and ceilings or ship decks, steel sheets, etc. Being a closed-circuit system, it includes recovery and recycling of abrasives. Dust emissions are minimal.

Waterjetting – Hydrojetting

Descaling with waterjet and/or hydrojet up to 2,500 bar, removing dirt, grease, mill scale or paint coating, recovering the existing roughness profile.

Dry Ice (CO2) Blasting

Used to remove some kinds of contaminants (grease, dirt, extra materials, etc.). The impact of the dry ice does not change the surface roughness, providing a working environment with the minimum dust.

Induction Pickling

It is perfect for removing glued coatings, or very thick coatings. Involves the generation of an electromagnetic field that induces currents on the metal surface, generating the heat necessary to break adherence to the coating, providing fast, clean detachment.