CoatingsPro Magazine

JAN 2013

CoatingsPro offers an in-depth look at coatings based on case studies, successful business operation, new products, industry news, and the safe and profitable use of coatings and equipment.

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LEFT A southwest coal fired power plant relied heavily on robotics to fix 17 sections of 10-foot-diameter (3.05 meter) underground concrete pipeline that comprised the plant's cooling system. A robot controlled abrasive blast machine designed by Wisconsin-based Ron Rozek used Sponge Jet Silver 30 (#30 oxide) to produce ICRI CSP-3 surface profile. "Even within the same pipeline, the coatings can vary greatly from section to section," says Rozek. "It's easy to find yourself overtexturing the concrete with hydroblasting. The more concrete you take off, the more you have to replace and remove from the pipe. It's costly in terms of time and money. With sponge-encapsulated media you could accurately control how much coatings you remove from section to section." short orDer The idea piqued Zaharias's interest. As a distributor for Sponge-Jet, manufacturers of recyclable sponge-coated abrasive media and equipment, Zaharias thought sponge blasting might work well with Rozek's method. So he loaded up a trailer with a Sponge-Jet blaster, recycler, and various blends of sponge-encapsulated media and made the three-hour drive to Winneconne. Zaharias and Rozek conducted a series of blasts on various pieces of recently demolished coated concrete pipes Rozek had scrounged. The coatings they encountered mirrored field conditions, Rozek says. After Zaharias left, Rozek built a beta version of his blast cart set up to work with Sponge-Jet. The cart was powered by direct current motors and electronic controls so that Rozek could ride along or walk behind while controlling linear speed and the direction and speed of the rotating blast arm. He brought three full-sized test pipes into his yard so he could replicate field conditions. He brought Zaharias back, and the two experimented with several iterations before discovering that Sponge Jet's Silver 30 (#30 oxide) produced the desired profile in short order. Our thermal insulating and anti-condensation sprayapplied coatings have revolutionized the way companies insulate and protect surfaces. Call today to find out how we can help your clients save time, money, and energy on your next project. www.mascoat.com 800-549-0043 Write in Reader Inquiry #260 76 coatingsPro g January 2013

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