Abrasive blasting and shot peening
We’ve learned about shot peening – it is basically propelling shot pellets at the target material with purpose of shaping or hardening it. Abrasive blasting has a different function, as the name would suggest; it uses abrasive media to remove contaminants from the target surface. Shot peening machine and equipment are primarily designed for shot peening, while abrasive blasting machine is designed for abrasive media.
But are abrasive blasting media that different from shot peening media? As you may have learned, shots may be in any shape and form; if you use irregular coarse shots with sharp edges, instead of hardening the surface you achieve the same effect as abrasive blasting – remove contaminants or surface layers. That way you can perform abrasive blasting with shot peening machine and equipment, however it is not recommended, as abrasive media can irreversibly damage the equipment. For each role, choose the approrpriate equipment as well as media.